The land of the sun- Maui is a household name from Tonga to the Society Islands, to the Marquesas to Hawaii. Something of a trickster, Maui had a place in his heart for mortals and is celebrated throughout the Pacific for such feats as giving fire to humans (after stealing it from its supernatural guardians) and fishing the islands of the Pacific from out of their watery depths.

Geography
So great is his renown, in fact, that Maui is the only deity in Polynesia to currently have a major island named after him. ("Currently," because the Hawaiian island of Kaho'olawe was in earlier times named for the god Kanaloa). Formed by two giant shield volcanoes, when seen from above Maui even looks like the head and torso of a man. West Maui, the head, is the older portion of the island, and at one time the volcano that formed it was probably as large as Haleakala, the 10,023-foot-tall volcano whose flanks form the whole of East Maui's "body."

But time has done its part: Though it's estimated the volcano that formed Maui's head once had a crater some five miles across, eruptions, collapse and stream erosion so changed the landscape that Pu'u Kukui, the highest point in the West Maui mountains, now stands at 5,788 feet. The craggy landscape that replaced this once-massive volcano also helped give rise to Maui's nickname: "The Valley Isle."

Points of Interest
Over the millennia Maui's geography has changed even more drastically. Formed by six different volcanoes, the islands of Maui, Moloka'i, Lana'i and Kaho'olawe were once a single landmass known as Maui Nui ("Great Maui"). Rising sea levels eventually separated the islands, though they are still legally linked today - all are part of Maui County.

This varied landscape has led to an equally varied society: The central Maui town of Kahului/Wailuku is the island's business center; West Maui, with the sprawling beaches and upscale hotels of Ka'anapali and the historic whaling town of Lahaina, is one of Maui's major resort areas. South Maui is home to the island's other main resort district, Wailea; and while the tropical north shore of Maui does not offer hotels, visitors can choose from a collection of bed & breakfasts and rental homes.

What's More ...

• The second largest of the populated Hawaiian Islands, Maui also boasts the second-largest population in the state, behind O'ahu (120,785 in 1998).
• Haleakala, whose name translates as "house of the sun," is the largest dormant volcano in the world. Not yet extinct, it is expected to erupt sometime in the next 200 years (it last erupted in 1790).
• The underwater valleys that once connected Maui, Molokai Lanai and Kaho'olawe are shallower than the surrounding ocean, providing shelter for an abundance of marine life - including the humpback whales that migrate to Hawaiian waters during winter months to give birth to their calves.
• Temperatures on Maui range from 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, although the slopes of Haleakala Crater often see lows of 40 degrees. The lowest recorded temperature on Haleakala was 14 degrees Fahrenheit.
  

What Lanai lacks in discos it more than makes up for in outdoor adventure. Not far from Lanai City you'll find the Munro Trail, which climbs from the city's 1,600-foot elevation through stands of Norfolk pines (planted in the early 1900s by New Zealand naturalist George Munro) and up to the highest point on the island, Lanaihale ("house of Lanai"). From this point at 3,370 feet five other islands are visible on a clear day, along with much of Lanai - including Maunalei Gulch, where the island's defenders were unable to stop the advance of Kamehameha I's warriors in his quest to unite the Hawaiian Islands in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Points of Interest
Back on the coast visitors have a number of options, though many require either a four-wheel-drive vehicle or a good set of hiking shoes. In Kaunolu Village, a national historic landmark on the south side of the island, some of the best-preserved ruins and petroglyph carvings from ancient Hawaii are found. To the southeast are the abandoned fishing villages of Lopa, Naha and Keomuku, all of which are rumored to be guarded by the mana (spiritual power) of former residents. (It is said that if you climb the coconut trees here without first saying the proper prayers, you will not come back down.)

On the eastern shore, Shipwreck Beach is a haven for beachcombers and a testament to the island's reputation as an unsafe harbor in a storm. Named for the remains of a World War II liberty ship rusting offshore, this eight-mile strand captures everything from Nautilus shells to timbers and assorted ocean-going debris. While the waters around Shipwreck are generally too rough to swim safely, the south-easterly shore facing Hulopo'e Bay offers crystal-clear waters and some of the best snorkeling in Hawaii.

Although agriculture and ranching are still a vital part of Lanai's economy, the island is these days better known as an upscale tourist destination, offering two five-star resorts - the Manele Bay Hotel and The Lodge at Ko'ele.

What's More ...

• Lanai was formed about 1.5 million years ago by the volcano Palawai. The island is currently 140 square miles in size.
• Southeast Lanai's Kaunolu Point is said to be the birthplace of the modern sport of cliff diving, begun by Hawaiian warriors leaping into the ocean from an 80-foot ledge as proof of their courage. Each August, the Cliff Diving World Championships are held at this same spot.
• The Lodge at Ko'ele hosts a "visiting artists" program throughout the year, with a varying schedule of lectures and performances by world-renowned musicians, artists, chefs and more.

Climate & Geography
Even so, the island's weather isn't so cut-and-dried. Twelve distinct climate zones exist here, ranging from East Hawaii's tropical rain forests and Mauna Kea's frozen tundra to Ka'u's arid desert in the south.

Covering 4,028 square miles, the Big Island (or the "Orchid Isle") is the youngest and largest of the Hawaiian Islands - twice the size of all the other major Islands combined. And with two of the five volcanoes that created the island still active, it continues to grow: Kilauea Caldera is the longest continuously erupting volcano in the world, its present eruptive phase dating back to 1983; Mauna Loa, meanwhile, last erupted in March of 1984, sending lava to within a few miles of East Hawaii's Hilo town. Of the remaining three volcanoes on the island, Mauna Kea and Kohala are extinct, while Hualalai is considered to be dormant, having last erupted in 1801.

Points of Interest
Until recently, upcountry Waimea's Parker Ranch was the largest privately owned cattle ranch in the world, and ranching and agriculture continue to be the Big Island's economic mainstays - particularly beef, Kona coffee, macadamia nuts, fruits and tropical flowers. Resorts and most residential developments are located in coastal areas such as Hilo, Kailua-Kona, and the Kohala Coast, leaving much of island's interior untouched.

Each year the Big Island plays host to a number of world-renowned festivals and sports events, the most notable being the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival (in Hilo each April), the Ironman Triathlon World Championships (in Kona every October) and the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival in November.

What's More ...

• Though the average temperature on the Big Island ranges from 71 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit in the coastal regions (with temperatures in the low 70s October through April), the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are often blanketed with snow.
• Average annual rainfall ranges from 10 inches at Kawaihae (near the west-facing Kohala Coast) to 128 inches at the Hilo Airport.

o Fifteen miles off the island's southeast coast yet another volcano, Lo'ihi, is erupting 3,000 feet below the surface of the ocean. While it will still be several thousand years before this volcano breaks the sea's surface, it has already risen more than 10,000 feet from the sea floor and has a crater that measures three miles across.

That power is still palpable on Molokai, which is often referred to as the "Most Hawaiian Island" because it has the largest percentage of native Hawaiian residents in the state (excluding, that is, the privately owned island of Ni'ihau).

Geography
A scant 264 square miles in total, Molokai can be driven tip to tip in a couple hours. Its main town, Kaunakakai, spans three blocks and offers no traffic lights or fast-food restaurants. Instead, you'll find unparalleled natural beauty and a much-storied past.

North Molokai's Kalaupapa peninsula - hemmed in on one side by a 1,500-foot pali (cliff) and on the other side by the blue Pacific - was established as a place of exile for people suffering from Hansen's Disease (then known as leprosy) in 1866. Joseph De Veuster, a.k.a. Father Damien, would arrive here in 1873, devoting the last 16 years of his life to providing comfort before he, too, died of the disease at age 49.

Today a small group of former Hansen's patients still choose to live in Kalaupapa of their own free will, occasionally guiding visitors through their secluded community.

East of Kalaupapa is Kahiwa Falls, at 1,750 feet the highest sea cliff in the world. Meanwhile, to the West, the goddess Laka is said to have given birth to the art of hula somewhere near Maunaloa. For this Molokai is often referred to as "Ka Hula Piko" - literally, "the navel of hula" (or figuratively, "the center of the dance").

Natural Attractions
Also on Molokai you'll find Hawaii's longest white sand beach; the only barrier reef north of Australia; black sand beaches; lowland desert; rain forests; bogs; fern forests; grasslands; lowland forests; ancient heiau (temples, pre-Christian places of worship); and Hawaiian fishponds, which in several places are being restored and returned to use as an ingenious form of aquaculture. In fact, bringing these ancient ways into the 21st century is at the heart of Molokai's existence, and is the source of its continued mana. MORE ATTRACTIONS

What's More ...

• Located nearly at the center of the chain of eight main Hawaiian Islands, Molokai is about two million years old.
• The average temperature on the island is 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Each May, "Molokai Ka Hula Piko" - a hula festival celebrating the island's distinctive title as the birthplace of hula - is held in Papohaku Beach Park. Other annual events include September's Molokai Mule Drag (a parade and block party followed by mule races down Kaunakakai's main street); and November's 100-mile ultramarathon.