 Modern Hawaiʻian history began in the mid-18th century.Kamehameha I, king of the island of Hawaiʻi, invaded Maui in 1790 and fought the inconclusive Battle of Kepaniwai, but returned to Hawaiʻi to battle a rival, finally subduing Maui a few years later.On November 26, 1778, explorer James Cook became the first European to see Maui.