Lahaina is "cruel sun" in Hawaiian. Yet it is a tourist mecca for West Maui with the Banyan tree holding center court. From Hawaii Web (at this link),
This Banyan Tree was planted in April, 1873, and marked the 50th Anniversary of Christian missionary work in Lahaina. The tree was imported from India and was only 8 feet tall. It now stands over 60 feet high, has 12 major trunks in addition to a huge core. It stretches over a 200-foot area and shades 2/3 of an acre. Caring members of the community carefully maintain the symmetrical shape of the Banyan Tree. It is one of the largest Indian Banyan trees in the world.
On the makai (seaside) of the banyan tree is the Courthouse with the Hawaii State Flag.
Next to the courthouse is a fort from the Kingdom of Hawaii. Again from Hawaii Web (at this link),
These ruins are all that remain of a fort that stood just south of the courthouse. This fort overlooked one of the canals of Lahaina, now a paved street, and was built to protect the town after unruly sailors who fired a canon at Rev. Richard's house. The missionaries saw the womanizing and drinking of the whaling sailors as a danger to Lahaina. Rev. Richard convinced the king to ban women from the ships and this sparked the incident. Later visitors to the island thought the fort looked like it was more for show than force. It was finally torn down in 1850 and supplied the stone for the Hale Pa'ahao Prison.
On the mauka (mountain side) of the Banyan tree are historic houses. Above is made from lava rock ....
... and next to it is the Baldwin House. From the Lahaina Restoration (at this link),
The owner, the Reverend Dwight Baldwin had his medical training at Harvard College prior to his theological studies. As a practicing physician, Rev. Baldwin helped save the people of Maui, Molokai and Lanai from the scourge of smallpox during the terrible epidemic of 1853.
Mahalo,
Kim in Hawaii
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| Sunset from Ka'anapali |
