West Maui Mountains

About

The West Maui Mountains, West Maui Volcano, or Mauna Kahālāwai (which means "holding house of water") are the remnants of an eroded shield volcano that constitutes the western quarter of Maui. Approximately 1.7 million years old, the volcano's last eruption was approximately 320,000 years ago. Thanks to hundreds of inches of rainfall annually the mountains have undergone substantial stream erosion. The Īao Valley, and its Īao Needle are popular attractions within the mountains and are accessible from Wailuku. The three districts (moku) of West Maui are Lahaina, Kāanapali, and Wailuku. Wailuku is also known as "Pūalikomohana" ("west isthmus"), or "Nā Wai Ehā" ("the four waters"). The port of Lahaina lies on the southwestern slope. The summit peak at 5,788 ft (1, 764 m) elevation is called "Puu Kukui," which translates to "candlenut hill".

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.