Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Magazine 25th Anniversary

This year, Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Magazine celebrates a quarter-century of bringing you stories that illustrate what our name means in Hawaiian: “Maui is the best.” Throughout 2021, we’ll share some of the best from the archives.

In Case of Emergency

From dousing flames, to diving underwater, to scaling mountains, rescuers must be prepared for anything—so they train for everything.
Willie Nelson

Looking Back

Launching Maui No Ka ‘Oi - The first issue was just fifty pages, and the publication came out four times a year.
Kahoolawe island

Kaho‘olawe’s Legacy

Now that federal funds to restore "the Target Island" have dried up, Kaho‘olawe's caretakers are scrambling to maintain the work of healing this sacred place.
checking opihi populations

Clinging to Survival

In rural East Maui, two communities are taking a stand to conserve a weird wild food — and with it, a part of their culture.

The Heartbeat of Hula

In contrast to modern hula, ancient hula is purely percussive.
Lichens heterodermia

Before the First Hawaiians

The life forms that originally colonized these islands may have been neither plant nor animal. And they're still here.
hala weaver in Hawaii

The Weave of History

In the plaited leaves of the pandanus tree, a lauhala master passes along an ancient tradition.
Maui artist Douglas Chun

Beginner’s Mind

With discovery at the heart of his process, Maui abstract painter Douglas Chun draws inspiration from Chinese calligraphy and shoshin—a Zen Buddhist principle.

Holiday Test Kitchen 2012

We asked Chef Isaac Bancaco to guide us through the preparation of a four-course feast. The innovative chef enthusiastically agreed to share a few of his favorite recipes.
rainbow

Behind The Rainbow

Why do Hawaiian skies put on the most amazing light shows?
hawaii dolphins

Dancers of the Deep

Some eight species of dolphins call Hawaii’s waters home; one is the best twirling dolphin in the world.
Hawaiian tatoo

Marked

More than skin deep, traditional tattoos link modern Hawaiians to their ancestors.
maui night sky

Maui’s Night Sky

Its feet on the ocean floor, its head above the clouds, Haleakala offers an unparalleled view for contemplating the cosmos.
Maui pineapple fields

Aloha, Pine

When Maui Land & Pineapple Company stopped planting fruit last December, it looked like the end of an era—and an island way of life.
feather lei

The Feather Lei

An ancient art, as delicate as it is beautiful, has outlived the kings who once claimed it as their own.
Hawaii hula dancer

50/50

Fifty years ago, Hawai'i added a fiftieth star to the Star Spangled Banner — and Maui would never be the same.
lava flow

The Volcano Next Door

An island-hop from Maui, the forces of creation are putting on a spectacular fireworks show—and you’ve got a ringside seat.
hawaiian petrel

The Elusive ‘Ua‘u

A discovery of Native Hawaiian petrel burrows on Lana'i sheds new light on this little-known species.
moomomi

Mo‘omomi: Place of Mystery

Shifting sands blow across Moloka‘i’s wild western coast.
canoe

Straight on Til Friday

Chasing history by outrigger canoe: a landlubber's log on a voyage to the Northwest Hawaiian Islands
maui polo

Paniolo Polo

At the Maui Polo Club, members continue a tradition where captains of the industry and cowboys have played side by side, and Maui’s paniolo are internationally known champions.