Maui No Ka Oi Magazine

08/18/2026

At Honolua Bay, Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute divers reattached 246 rehabilitated coral fragments near the Nakoa grounding site.

The coral spent 26 months in MOCMI’s Māʻalaea nursery, where staff cared for the fragments before returning them to the reef. It is one part of the recovery story in “Where Reefs Begin Again.”

Read: https://www.mauimagazine.net/2026-issue-2-where-reefs-begin-again/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=maui-no-ka-oi-issue-2026-02&utm_content=maui-magazine-facebook-feed-where-reefs-begin-again-mocmi




Photo by Daniel Sullivan.

08/16/2026

As Hurricane Lala moves through Hawaiʻi this weekend, Amos Lonokailua-Hewett is helping lead Maui’s emergency response as administrator of the Maui Emergency Management Agency.

Amos grew up in Kahului, the youngest of 10 children. His mother worked three jobs, and mentors helped raise him, sometimes opening their homes to him. Those lessons stayed with him through his years with the Maui Fire Department and, later, emergency management.

“The ahupuaʻa system and kuleana are rooted in collective survival. Individuals take care of their kuleana. Once those resources are managed, they can be shared to protect one another.”

Today, that kuleana belongs to many hands.

We are grateful for Amos, and for the emergency managers, first responders, dispatchers, shelter staff, county and utility crews, and neighbors across Maui Nui working to keep people safe through the storm.

Read more about Amos Lonokailua-Hewett in our current issue, in a story by Savannah Dagupion:
https://www.mauimagazine.net/2026-issue-2-amos-lonokailua-hewett/

For current storm alerts and instructions, follow Maui Emergency Management Agency and NWS Honolulu.



Photographs by Savannah Dagupion.

Maui Emergency Management Agency administrator Amos Lonokailua-Hewett reflects on service, relationships, readiness and resilience.

08/14/2026

The first reveal of Maui’s 2026 ʻAipono Award winners is now online: 130 winners chosen from more than 400 restaurants across 40 categories. Gold, Silver, Honorable Mention and winning categories will be announced in the fall issue and at the 2026 ʻAipono Awards event.

See the full list: https://www.mauimagazine.net/2026-aipono-award-winners/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=maui-no-ka-oi-issue-2026-02&utm_content=maui-magazine-facebook-feed-aipono-winners

ʻAipono combines ʻai, “to eat,” and pono, “excellence.”

See the confirmed 2026 ʻAipono Award-winning restaurants and dining businesses. Maui Nō Ka ʻOi will announce award levels and categories in the fall issue.

08/14/2026

Near Kīhei, a Maui Nui Marine Resource Council diver surveys coral, algae, fish and invertebrates as part of a 2026 reef survey. Across Maui, coral nurseries, water-quality monitoring, genetics and reef acoustics help researchers and practitioners track what damaged reefs need to recover.

Read: https://www.mauimagazine.net/2026-issue-2-where-reefs-begin-again/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=maui-no-ka-oi-issue-2026-02&utm_content=maui-magazine-facebook-feed-where-reefs-begin-again

Story by Mike Morris with Chris Amundson. Photographs by Daniel Sullivan.

Maui researchers and community teams restore damaged coral, track water quality and study the conditions reefs need to recover.

07/31/2026

Sponsored by Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows

There’s something special about having enough time to settle into the rhythm of Maui.

At Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows, the new Ultimate Aloha Stay package includes a complimentary fourth night, daily breakfast, two tickets to the award-winning Myths of Maui Luau, and a $150 resort credit.

Because the best Maui vacations deserve a little extra time.

Read the sponsored feature:
https://www.mauimagazine.net/sponsored-royal-lahaina-resort-and-bungalows-10-ultimate-aloha-stay/

06/16/2026

Apple bananas are a staple in many Maui kitchens, and Chef Taylor Ponte turns them into a light, comforting cake at Aurum Maui.

Ingredients:
2 cups cake flour, sifted
¾ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1¼ tsp fine salt
12 Tbsp butter, softened
1 packed cup brown sugar
2 medium eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp sour cream
1¾ cups mashed ripe apple banana

Read the full recipe and method: https://na2.hubs.ly/H06994F0

PC: Amber Caires

06/09/2026

At Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi, we honor Hawai‘i every day by uplifting our host culture and sharing its wisdom.

In our most recent issue, we spotlight Kanani Franco, Kahu Kīhāpai at ʻEkalesia o Kupaianaha and Kahu at Kamehameha Schools Maui Campus.

Her message:
"Give ke Akua (God) a chance. The more I see haumāna (students) grounded in faith, the less they worry about what people think about them. Another priority is knowing who you are and the story of your ʻohana (family). Know your values and beliefs and use that to drive you to be a better person and to give back to your community.”

Read the full story: https://na2.hubs.ly/H061z_B0

PC: Savannah Dagupion

05/26/2026

Maui’s pizza scene stretches well beyond the classic slice. In Lāhainā, Sale Pepe Pizzeria e Cucina builds traditional Italian pizzas on long-fermented dough, while Pizza Madness Maui in Kīhei leans into thick, loaded beach-town pies and Point Break Pizza & Panini serves award-winning pizzas just steps from Māʻalaea Harbor.

Food trucks bring another slice of the island into the mix, from Da grateful dough's venison-topped pizzas and smoky crusts to Maui Pizza Truck’s blistered sourdough pizzas in Makawao. At Ocean Organic Farm & Distillery in Kula, farmbreads carry flavors like Kula onions, macadamia pesto and kimchi. Find these spots – and more Maui pizza favorites – in the full story.

Read the full story: https://na2.hubs.ly/H05D4_60

PC: Spencer Starnes, Jim Grannan, Chris Amundson, Emma Wheatley

05/21/2026

Before a humpback surfaces in the ʻAuʻau Channel, Whale Trust researchers may already be listening. For 25 years, the Maui-based nonprofit has returned to the waters between Maui, Lānaʻi and Kahoʻolawe to build one of the world’s longest records of humpback whale life in Hawaiʻi.

Founded by Dr. Jim Darling, Flip Nicklin and Dr. Meagan Jones, Whale Trust combines science, photography and years of patient observation. Darling’s recordings helped reshape understanding of whale song, Jones’s behavioral research has deepened knowledge of female humpbacks and Nicklin’s underwater images preserve moments researchers can study long after the whales have moved north.

Read the full story: https://na2.hubs.ly/H05D7LW0

PC: Flip Nicklin (N.M.F.S permit 753)

05/19/2026

At Aurum Maui in Wailea, Chef Taylor Ponte has helped build a restaurant grounded in local sourcing, mentorship and kaizen – the Japanese concept of continuous improvement through small daily progress.

The restaurant has quickly established itself in Maui’s dining scene, serving dishes like kampachi collars, smoked fish dip and apple banana cake that emphasize island roots and approachable dining.

Make a reservation: https://na2.hubs.ly/H05tGrC0

Read the full story: https://na2.hubs.ly/H05tGnQ0

PC: Amber Caires