Location

Take Haleakala Highway up the hill and you will come to a stop light after the exit for Pukalani. Take a left and you will enter Makawao.

Information & History

Makawao has agrarian roots. Pineapple farming and cattle ranching were an integral part of the development of the community. Pineapple production began to flourish in the Haiku area downslope of Makawao in 1904 with the construction of a local cannery. Growth of the crop spread up the slopes to Makawao and the nearby community of Hali'imaile. Hali'imaile became the headquarters of Maui Pineapple Company in 1932. Cattle also became an increasingly important part of Maui Industry and the Upcountry of Maui in particular. The 32,000 acre Haleakala Ranch and 80,000 acre Ulupalakua Ranch became focal points for Beef and Dairy cattle.

Spanish and Portuguese cowboys migrated to the island to help run the cattle on these ranches. The term Paniolo is a Hawaiian word stemming from Espaniol used to describe the Vaquero cowboys who came from Spanish California to teach cattle handling skills . Downtown Makawao included a number of business dedicated to meeting the needs of the Paniolos and the pineapple workers.

The town grew further when 34,000 servicemen from the 4th Marine Division trained just down the road during World War II. When the marines went home, many of the shops that were built to support the servicemen went belly up. It became a community of closed storefronts. Makawao finally began to recover as artists congregated to the community in the '80s.

Links:

Maui Map

Upcountry Maui Museums & Landmarks

Upcountry Maui Hiking & Camping