I’m paid to have a way with words. But as the anniversary of a truly terrible day edges closer and closer, syllables and vowels and nouns and verbs aren’t coming easily.
It’s a lovely, sunny day in Toronto. I am surrounded by my little green garden, which is spiked with deep pink impatiens, hanging ivy and colourful coleus. I should be sitting in my big, blue, wooden chair with my feet up after finishing a couple of travel writing assignments. But I keep thinking about Hawaii. About Maui. About Lahaina.
It was a year ago tomorrow that the world came crashing in on beautiful Lahaina; a series of deadly fires that advanced with ungodly speed. People had almost no time to react as the flames raced towards their homes or places of business. Roads out of this beautiful seaside town were clogged with cars driven by fleeing residents.
More than 100 lives were lost; mothers, fathers, aunties, uncles, friends, and far too many children. Virtually the entire town was destroyed, leaving a few buildings here and there but levelling more than 2,000 homes, shops, historic sites, and small hotels.
Lahaina and Front Street before the fire. PHOTO COURTESY HAWAII TOURISM AUTHORITY
A year later it seems unimaginable. But it’s very real. Almost every day I see updates from various Facebook pages that are focused on Maui and Lahaina. There are photos of the famous Banyan Tree, which is being tended to with utmost care and might recover, and photos of homes being built.
There are also testimonials galore about favourite shops or restaurants lost in the fire: Kimo’s, Fleetwood’s on Front (owned by Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac fame), The Pioneer Inn, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Cool Cat Café.
I fell in love with Lahaina the first time I stepped foot in the city, back in 1968. I’ve probably been 100 times, and I mourn its loss. It was a glorious town, with wood-front buildings in a wild mish-mash of styles, a casual, hippie vibe and wonderfully relaxed people. I don’t think there’s a city on earth I enjoyed as much over the years as Lahaina.
I’ve said it before in this space, but I lost a place I love to visit. I didn’t lose my home. I didn’t lose my sister or father or, heaven forbid, my child. I didn’t lose my job. I didn’t lose my home.
My losses are nothing compared to what the people of Lahaina and Maui went through, and are still going through. Still, I think people take some comfort in looking back on some of the things that made Lahaina the great place it was. And perhaps can be again.
With that in mind, here are some things I’ll always treasure about Lahaina.
The view coming into town on a boat, with the white sails of the ships in the harbor fronting the old courthouse and the Pioneer Inn, with the deep green, folded West Maui mountains bathed in milky white/grey clouds in the distance.
Lahaina, Maui. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Dinner at the old Lahaina Broiler. It was my Mom and Dad’s fave spot for years and years before it closed.
Church services at Maria Lanakila Catholic Church. An Easter morning mass there was outstanding some years ago. Beautiful music in a lovely church that somehow survived the fires. A major blessing, for sure.
The Wo Hing Temple: I loved looking at the artifacts on display in the main building, and also the old Thomas Edison movies they used to show.
The Wo Hing Temple Museum, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii before the fires. JIM BYERS PHOTO
The Banyan Tree. I understand some people see it as a sign of colonialism, but I loved basking in the shade of the tree and strolling around when they had an art show going.
The Pioneer Inn: The rooms weren’t special, and they were pretty small. But you couldn’t beat the location, right on the harbor and smack dab across from the Banyan Tree in the heart of town. The courtyard was pretty and quiet, with a nice pool. And I LOVED having a room with a balcony overlooking Front Street, where I could watch the town slowly come to life while sipping my morning coffee. Something I will always cherish. Oh, and I loved the carved, wooden statue of the old whaling captain out front. I must have five or six photos lying around with that handsome guy standing alongside the front door.
It’s been gone for years, but I have this memory of a kind of odd pet shop and/or fish store on Prison Street in the 1960’s and 1970’s. No idea what it was called, and maybe I imagined it. But it’s a strong image in the back of my mind every now and then..
Cool Cat Café: We only started going when my sister-in-law told me about it a couple years ago, but I loved the old 60’s posters and the outdoor patio. Good burgers, too.
Lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise. The burgers weren’t that great, but the restaurant was right on the water and had great views of the harbor and of the neighboring island of Lana’i.
The old Cheeseburger in Paradise in Lahaina, Maui. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Fleetwood’s on Front: I only went once, but we loved seeing and hearing the sunset bagpiper upstairs, and I have a fun photo of me pretending to bang on Mick Fleetwood’s drum set that was on display.
The Old Lahaina Courthouse: The building had tremendous displays and great old photos illustrating the city’s colorful history. I’m hoping they had digital copies, as many of these were priceless.
Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop: So glad to see this tasty place has reopened on the south edge of town in the Olowalu area. I also love the big grove of trees that form a giant canopy over the road in Olowalu. So pretty.
Shopping on Front Street. I never bought anything at the galleries, but I always enjoyed poking my head inside to see what was on display. I loved shopping for t-shirts or Hawaiian shirts at Honolua Surf Company, possibly my fave store in the world. I loved the kitcsch on sale at the ABC stores and often bought small memo pads shaped like Hawaiian shirts, or with drawings of hula girls.
Front Street in Lahaina before the fires. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Wahikuli Wayside Park: There’s a nice beach here on the north side of town, as well as picnic tables and bbq’s. We had a party here for my niece the day before she got married on the beach (in the rain) at a nearby condo called Kahana Sunset.
The Parrot Guy. I’m not sure how great a life it was for the birds, but I always enjoyed seeing the guy with the parrots on Front Street, outside the Pioneer Inn.
The Plantation Inn: It wasn’t fancy, but the rooms were nice and they had a small pool and friendly staff at a fabulous, downtown location. The hotel was irreparably damaged by the fire.
The Baldwin Home Museum: Another sign of colonialism, this was a lovely old house that the Baldwin missionary family lived in for years. It was always fun to tour around. But, again, I understand it was a sore spot for many local residents.
The Baldwin Home Museum in Lahaina, Maui. JIM BYERS PHOTO
The Old Lahaina Jail: There were some cheesy bits, but it was an interesting place to explore local history.
Halloween night was special in Lahaina, with goofy costumes of all sorts and a fun parade.
Dining at Star Noodle. Tremendous food at this place, which was most recently located up near the Safeway. It doesn’t seem to have reopened.
Dining at Mala Ocean Tavern: This waterfront restaurant next to Star Noodle re-opened recently, which is great. Lovely food and great ocean views.
I could go on. But those are a few of the things that made me fall in love with Lahaina. The fires were a tragedy of horrific proportions, but I hope for better things for this wild and crazy little city in the future. Sending all the aloha in my heart.
