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Location
Lahaina is in west Maui on the western slopes of the West
Maui Mountains next to the coastline.
Information & History
Take a trim, tidy New
England whaling town, plunk it in the middle of the Pacific,
sketch in some rainbow-crowned mountains, and add a generous
helping of palm trees. Stir in the biggest Buddha outside of
Asia, a banyan tree the size of a city block, and a history
that reads like an epic novel, and you might come close to
defining Lahaina, Maui.
This fun-loving historic town was once the capital of the Hawaiian kingdom
and the seat of power for the Kamehameha dynasty in the
early nineteenth century. By the mid-1800s, with as many as
400 ships at a time berthed in the harbor, spilling up to
1,500 sailors ashore, Lahaina went on to become the lusty
port of the Yankee whaling fleet. The whalers went wild
until a band of puritanical missionaries arrived from New
England. The battles between the whalers and the
missionaries became legendary.
The missionaries built the first high school west of the
Rocky Mountains, Lahainaluna, and, in a move that changed
the course of Hawaiian history, installed Hawaii‘s first
printing press. They introduced a written form of the
Hawaiian language and forced the Hawaiian's to change their
way of dressing, introducing the mu'umu'u, a close version
of the New England nightgown to cover the bodies of island
women.
Lahaina today is a reflection of its colorful past.
Approximately 55 acres of the town have been set aside as
historic districts containing several sites designated as
National Historical Landmarks. An excellent walking tour is
available. Walking maps are readily available marking the
historic sites including the Baldwin Mission House, Seamen's
Hospital, Lahaina Prison and much more.
Links:
Maui Map
West Maui Museums & Landmarks
West Maui Beaches
West Maui Hiking & Camping
West Maui Snorkeling & Scuba
Diving
West Maui Watersports
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