The first migrations to Maui came in double-hulled canoes from the Marquesas Islands, about 1,000 miles northeast of Tahiti and 2000 miles to the southeast of Hawaii. (See http://www.tribalsite.com/articles/marque.htm) Although the date of first settlement in Hawaii usually acknowledged is around the fourth or fifth century A.D., archeological findings on Kaho’olawe suggest settlement, which may or may not have been Marquesans, as early as 100 A.D.
The Marquesans lived peacefully in the islands until about the 12th century when aggressive Tahitians conquered them and established a new dynasty, Hawaiian culture, temples and shrines that lasted seven centuries. At the core of the society was the kapu (probably from the Tahitian Tapu or taboo), rules that dictated every aspect of life.
Chief Pi’ilani came to power in 1500 and began construction of the King’s Highway that you can see today most clearly near La Pérouse and Wai’anapanapa near Hana. Conquered by Prince Kalunui-Ohua of Hawaii, Maui quickly reclaimed its monarchy after Kauai’s Prince Kukona defeated the invaders from Hawaii. In the late 18th century, Maui’s Chief Kahekili took over Oahu and Kauai and was engaged in a battle with Kamehameha (1795-1819) when, in January 1778, two ships under the command of Captain Cook suddenly turned up at Kauai.
After failing to find the Northwest Passage, Cook visited the Big Island in November 1778, left under a cloud and, unfortunately, was forced to return for ship repairs in February 1779. The details of Cook’s untimely death are unimportant here. Most important, a young Kamehameha along with other natives boarded Cook’s vessel on Maui (where incidentally the future king of Hawaii was engaged in a losing battle). Kamehameha apparently realized that he had to use the knowledge and weapons of Cook’s people to conquer the entire chain of islands.
Eight years after Cook’s second voyage (1786), French admiral Jean-Francois de Galaup, Comte de La Pérouse, arrived on Maui followed by English explorer George Vancouver, formerly a member of Cook’s crew, who arrived at the shores of Maui in 1793 after visiting Kamehameha. Kamehameha and Maui’s King Kahekili had been at war for years. With some western armaments and advisors, Kamehameha succeeded over a period of years in taking control and becoming ruler of all of the islands.