As a place considered to be worthy enough to house the bones of royalty, it’s no surprise that there are many historical sites to see in Wailuku.
The Haleki’i and Pihana Heiau are both located in the Haleki’i-Pihana Heiau State Monument park. A Heiau is an ancient structure that was built for ceremonial purposes. As Wailuku was once an important place for ali’i, or nobility class, these structures were built at the request of kings.
The Pihana (“gathering”) Heiau is the oldest of the two and acted as the major Heiau for the Wailuku area. It’s thought that this was once a luakini: a place to offer sacrifices.
Haleki’i was built later, and it’s known as the “image house” because of the abundant images found across its terrace. These Heiau are two of the most accessible examples of pre-contact Hawaiian structures to be found on Maui.
The attractive white facade of the Ka’ahumanu church was built to honor Queen Ka’ahumanu. She was an early adopter of Christianity, and in 1832 asked for a church in Wailuku to be built in her name. Although it took the missionaries several decades to construct, the church was eventually established. Today, it is a popular tourist destination.
Another historical site is the Bailey House Museum. Built to house missionaries, it now holds many fascinating examples of the art and culture of Maui. One of the items to be found here is Duke Kahanamoku’s massive redwood surfboard. It also contains one of the few wooden statues to survive the purge of the Hawai’ian religion.