Māui Creates the Hawaiian Islands

Read all about Māui, one of the most recognized demigods throughout the cultures of Polynesia. His tales traveled with the early Polynesian explorers as they moved from island to island. We at the Polynesian Cultural Center hope you enjoy hearing the ancient story of how the Hawaiian Islands came to be.

The Tale of Māui-a-Kalana

The story of Māui-a-Kalana, a hero in Hawaiian culture, is well known throughout the islands. Māui was the youngest of ʻAkalana and Hina’s four sons. He was blessed with a quick wit, a mischievous nature, and a magic makau, or fishhook. Some say Māui was not an accomplished fisherman, but he always found ways to capture the fish from his brothers’ lines before they were pulled into the boat.

Māui and the Islands of Hawaiʻi

One day, during a fishing trip with his brothers, Māui hooked the ocean floor by mistake. He told his brothers that he had caught a great fish and urged them to row with all their might. They paddled so intensely that they lifted the great islands of Hawaiʻi up from the depths of the sea.

Māui was not pleased that the islands were separated in the ocean, so he tried to draw them together. Unfortunately, he pulled too tightly on his fishing line, breaking off pieces of land at the small western island of Kaʻula and the large eastern island of Hawaiʻi.

Learn More at the Polynesian Cultural Center

The Polynesian Cultural Center invites you to experience HUKI: A New Canoe Experience, presented daily at 12:40 pm along our beautiful lagoon. Discover the legendary story of Maui pulling up the islands, the cherished tradition of hukilau in Lāʻie, and the history of how the Polynesian Cultural Center began. This lively presentation, filled with music, dance, and aloha, continues to inspire guests from around the world as one ʻohana sharing aloha.