Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In ancient times Lahaina - known as Lele - housed a royal court for high chiefs, and its
lands were the fertile breadbasket of West Maui. After Kamehameha the Great unified
the islands he chose Lahaina as his base, and the capital remained there until 1845. The
first Christian missionaries arrived in the 1820s and within a decade Hawaii's first stone
church, first missionary school and first printing press were all in place in Lahaina.
Lahaina became the dominant port for whalers, not only in Hawaii but also for the en-
tire Pacific. The whaling years reached a peak in the 1840s, with hundreds of ships
pulling into port each year. The town took on the whalers' boisterous nature, opening
dance halls, bars and brothels. The whaling industry fizzled in the 1860s, followed a dec-
ade later by the arrival of sugarcane, which remained the backbone of the economy until
tourism took over in the 1960s.
The focal point of Lahaina is its harbor and the adjacent Banyan Tree Sq. The main
drag and tourist strip is Front St, which runs along the shoreline, offering views of
Lanaʻi. The city is flanked to the east by Honoapiʻilani Hwy and the West Maui moun-
tains.
Sights
Historic attractions in Lahaina reflect the influence of missionaries, whalers and Hawaii-
an royalty. Most sites are within a few blocks of the harbor.
Old Lahaina Courthouse
MUSEUM
landmark banyan tree and the harbor, Lahaina's 1859 courthouse is a repository of his-
tory and art. During the whaling era, smuggling was so rampant that officials deemed
this the ideal spot for customs operations, the courthouse and the jail. It also held the
governor's office, and in 1898 the US annexation of Hawaii was formally concluded
here.
The visitor center, where you can pick up a downtown map, is on the first floor. A
small museum on the second floor presents the history of Lahaina, with a focus on Nat-
ive Hawaiians. There are also two art galleries in the building, both operated by the La-
haina Arts Society.
The Banyan Tree Gallery is on the first floor, in the former post office. The Old Jail
Gallery can be found in the basement, and cells that once held drunken sailors now dis-
play artwork. The paintings, jewelry and woodwork are creations of island artists who
