WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) ‘ “Maui No Ka Oi” is a popular Hawaiian saying that means Maui is the best. Mike Sweeney recently moved to this idyllic island from Denver and was hit with the other side of living in paradise with his first visit to the gas pump: Maui is also No. 1 in gas prices. “After seeing the total, I won’t be smiling,” Sweeney said as he watched the numbers on the Chevron pump spin faster than a slot machine. The pump finally stopped at $97.20, which put 24.5 gallons in his Chevrolet Avalanche. He was elated about living on Maui and being reunited with his black, super-size pickup truck, which just arrived from Colorado, but he wasn’t so thrilled about paying nearly $4 for a gallon of regular. While the price of oil climbs above $110 a barrel, most Americans dread the day they will have to pay $4. On this tropical island and a few stations in California, $4 gas has already arrived, straining the pocketbooks of residents and businesses. Maui is on the verge of becoming the first area in the nation to average $4 for a gallon of regular. The average price in Wailuku reached $3.943 on Friday, the highest price in AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report. At several stations, it was a penny shy of $4. In the remote coastal town of Hana, it was around $4.40 a gallon.
