HANA

village and valley, Maui county, on the east-central coast of Maui Island, Hawaii, U.S. The village, on the shore of Hana Bay, was for many years an isolated enclave of ancient Hawaiian culture. Captain James Cook, the English explorer-navigator, anchored in the bay in 1778, and missionaries arrived about 40 years later. Modern resort facilities have been developed near the adjacent Kauiki Head cinder cone. Most residents are employed at a resort hotel or on a large cattle ranch. Hana has facilities for the offlanding of fuel and also has an airport to the north. Wananalua Church, organized in 1837, is constructed of lava rock. The valley, historically a battleground in the power struggles between Hawaiian chiefs and Maui warriors, encompasses the eastern flanks of the Haleakala Volcano, a heavily dissected verdant terrain with deep gorges caused by wind and water erosion. Its northeastern coastline is bordered by sheer cliffs ranging up to 500 feet (150 m) in height. The district is rimmed by protected beaches, coastal villages, and fishing settlements. The construction headquarters for Maui Ditch, a system of irrigation tunnels that channel the waters of Haleakala to the sugarcane fields, was located at at the village of Nahiku, 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Hana village. Except for the anchorage at Hana Bay, the area was isolated until a coastal road was completed in 1927. The district is renowned for its spectacular scenery. Particular points of interest include Wailua Falls, which lie south of Hana village and drop hundreds of feet into a kukui (candlenut) grove in Wailua Gulch, and, farther south, the conservation area of Kipahulu Valley, with its Seven Sacred Pools. Pop. (1990) 683.