Maui - Hawaii with Kids - page 273

from India is more than 50 feet tall, has 12 major trunks, and shades two-thirds
of an acre in Courthouse Square. A quick walk around the banyan will take 10
minutes, but plan to stay longer.
At the Courthouse Building, 649 Wharf St.
Maluuluolele Park All ages. At first glance, this Front Street park appears to
be only a hot, dry, dusty softball field. But under home plate, buried beneath tons
of red dirt and sand, is an edge of Mokuula, where a royal compound once stood
more than 100 years ago. Here, Prince Kauikeaolui, who ascended the throne as
King Kamehameha III when he was only 10, lived with the love of his life, his
sister, Princess Nahienaena. Missionaries took a dim view of incest, which was
acceptable to Hawaiian nobles in order to preserve the royal bloodline. Torn
between love for her brother and the new Christian morality, Nahienaena grew
despondent and died at the age of 21. King Kamehameha III, who reigned for
29 years—longer than any other Hawaiian monarch—presided over Hawaii as
it went from kingdom to constitutional monarchy, and as power over the islands
began to shift from island nobles to missionaries, merchants, and sugar planters.
Kamehameha died in 1854; he was 39. In 1918, his royal compound, contain-
ing a mausoleum and artifacts of the kingdom, was demolished and covered
with dirt to create a public park. The baseball team from Lahainaluna School,
the first American school founded by missionaries west of the Rockies, now
plays games on the site of this royal place, still considered sacred to many Hawai-
ians. If you are just looking, you can see this site in 5 minutes.
Front and Shaw sts.
Riding the Sugarcane Train All ages. Small kids love this ride, as do train
buffs of all ages. A steam engine pulls open-passenger cars of the Lahaina/Kaana-
pali and Pacific Railroad on a 30-minute, 12-mile round-trip through sugar-
cane fields between Lahaina and Kaanapali while the conductor sings and calls
out the landmarks. Along the way, you can see the hidden parts of Kaanapali,
and the islands of Molokai and Lanai beyond. Tickets are available at the sta-
tion; call for details.
975 Limahana Place. & 808/661-0080. Admission $16 adults, $10 kids 3-12, free for kids under 3. Daily
10:15am-4pm.
SEEING STARS AT A WHALE OF A PLACE IN KAANAPALI
After sunset, the stars over Kaanapali shine big and bright, because the tropical
sky is almost pollutant-free and no big-city lights interfere with the cosmic view.
Amateur astronomers can probe the Milky Way, see the rings of Saturn and
Jupiter's moons, and scan the Sea of Tranquillity in a 60-minute star search on
the world's first recreational computer-driven telescope. This cosmic adventure
takes place nightly at the Hyatt Regency Maui, 200 Nohea Kai Dr. ( & 808/
661-1234 ), at 8, 9, and 10pm, and should thrill your kids from ages 4 and up.
(Even bored teenagers love this.) If you are staying at the hotel, it's $20 for adults
and $10 for children 12 and under; nonguests pay $25 for adults and $15 for
children 12 and under.
While you are in Kaanapali, if you haven't seen a real whale yet, go to
Whalers Village, 2435 Kaanapali Pkwy., an oceanfront shopping center that
has adopted the whale as its mascot. You can't miss it: A huge, almost life-size
metal sculpture of a mother whale and two nursing calves greets you. A few
more steps, and you're met by the looming, bleached-white bony skeleton of a
40-foot sperm whale; it's pretty impressive.