Huaka’i Luau at Maalaea Harbor Maui

About Wailuku

Wailuku is a census-designated place (CDP) in and county seat of Maui Island, Maui County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 17,697 at the 2020 census. Wailuku is located just west of Kahului, at the mouth of the Iao Valley. In the early 20th century Wailuku was the main tourist destination on Maui, though it has since been eclipsed with the rise of the resort towns such as Kaanapali. Historic sites in the town include Kaʻahumanu Church (named after Queen Kaʻahumanu, wife of Kamehameha I) which dates to 1876, the Wailuku Civic Center Historic District, the site of the Chee Kung Tong Society Building, and the Bailey House, a 19th-century former seminary and home that houses a history museum and the Maui Historical Society. There are two ancient temples near Wailuku, called heiau — the Halekiʻi Heiau and the Pihanakalani Heiau. Both date back hundreds of years and were used for religious purposes by the native Hawaiians.Wailuku is served by Kahului Airport. == Geography == Wailuku is located at 20°53′31″N 156°30′8″W (20.891923, -156.502177) between the CDPs of Waihee-Waiehu to the north, Kahului to the east, and Waikapu to the south. The town is situated at 249 feet (76 m) above sea level, at the base of West Maui Volcano, known historically as Mauna Kahalawai and Hale Mahina, on the northern edge of the isthmus of East Maui (Haleakalā) and West Maui. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.7 square miles (14.8 km2), of which 5.3 square miles (13.8 km2) is land and 0.42 square miles (1.1 km2), or 7.16%, is water.The three moku or districts of west Maui are Lāhaina, Kāʻanapali, and Wailuku.