10 DARK SKIES
Light pollution has effectively erased the night sky over much of the United States. Not so on Maui. Tilt your head towards the Milky Way. Drink in the stars, the yet unexplored
galaxies, and ponder your small spot in this infinite universe.
11 DIVERSIFIED AG
Maui farmers have been busy planting all kinds of specialty crops: cacao, coffee, dragon fruit, dryland kalo (taro), moringa and olives. With all the new agricultural land opening up, it’s possible Maui could tip its scales towards food self-sufficiency.
12 HAU
Polynesian voyagers carried this tree hibiscus to Hawai‘i in their canoes. Its octopus-like branches yield luminous fiber when stripped and soaked, a perfect material for hula skirts and cordage. At dawn, lovely hau flowers bloom bright yellow; by dusk they’ve turned crimson and fallen.
13 KIWIKIU
The saffron Maui parrotbill is endemic to the Valley Isle; itexists nowhere else on Earth. Its recently given name, kiwikiu, is both onomatopoeic—sounding like the bird’s chipper call—and a blend of the Hawaiian words kiwi (curved, like its beak) and kiu, referring to the cold, brisk kiukiu breeze that blows across the forests above Makawao, where the bird lives. Let’s cherish every one by supporting the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project’s habitat restoration efforts.
14 LEI BY HAWAII FLORA + FAUNA
Featured in The New York Times Style Magazine, Lauren Shearer’s exquisite garlands are the ultimate fashion accessory. The Mauiborn and -raised artist turns every available flower, seed, and leaf into a creative expression of beauty. Her wilder impulses even led her to string centipedes and honeybees into lei!
