MAUI BEACH TOWN WAS FIT FOR KINGS
Former Hawaiian capital offers plenty of activities
The beach town of Lahaina in western Maui was once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, a place where kings were born. It later became a key port at the height of the 19th-century whaling boom.
Though it transformed into a mostly tourist area in the 1960s, much of Lahaina’s history can still be found sprinkled around town — including in the roots of a giant banyan tree.
“There’s just a ton of historical spots in town, really precious, sacred places,” said Amy Fuqua, manager of the Lahaina Visitors Center.
Located about 40 minutes from Kahului Airport, Lahaina was known in ancient Hawaiian times as Lele, meaning “cruel sun.” It was conquered by Kamehameha the Great in 1795.
Front Street, which runs along the shoreline, was known as King’s Road, where only kings and queens could walk. It’s now the town’s main thoroughfare, dotted with historical sites — 62 around town — as well as shops and restaurants with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and neighbouring islands.
Among the historical sites is the Hauola Stone, a chair-shaped stone used by Hawaiian royalty as a birthing site starting around the 14th century. The smoothed-out rock at the north end of the harbour also was considered to have healing powers.
At the town centre is the Lahaina’s famous banyan tree, an 18-metre, multi-trunk tree that covers nearly an acre. Planted in 1873, it is one of the largest banyan trees in the United States and is still used for celebrations, including one for the tree’s birthday every April. It grows new trunks via aerial roots that sink into the ground.
And make sure to visit the tree around sunset, when hundreds of myna birds sing inside its canopy.
“It’s kind of the centre of town,” Fuqua said. “Everyone knows where it’s at. It has an important significance to the town and it feels good under there.”
Not into history? Lahaina offers plenty of other touristy things to do.
Instead of whaling, the harbour has now become the launching point for fishing, parasailing, ocean cruising or whale watching in the winter. The restaurants along Front Street are top-notch, offering straight-out-of-the-ocean fish daily.
The tiny Lahaina Civic Center transforms from a local events centre into the centre of the college basketball universe during the Maui Invitational in the days before Thanksgiving every year.
Lahaina also is the hub of western Maui, a gateway to golf courses in Kaanapali and Kapalua, sandy beaches and some of the best snorkelling anywhere in the world.
“There’s a lot to do here, even for a small town,” Fuqua said. “It’s just a cool town.” The Associated Press