If you’re a Maui lover and you’re wondering if it’s the right time to go, the Hawai’i Tourism Authority has an emphatic answer for you. “Yes.” I caught up with Kalani Ka’ana’ana, the authority’s chief brand officer, for an update on Maui tourism as he was boarding a plane on Wednesday. There have been suggestions in some quarters that it’s too early to return to the island, which saw the town of Lahaina burned to cinders earlier this month. At least 115 people are confirmed dead, and the missing persons count could be as high as 1,100. “I know it’s Read more
Lahaina fire
I’ve been telling myself it’s only a tree. But it seems to be a lot more. Lahaina, Maui has been home to a massive banyan tree for decades. It’s said to be the second largest Ficus benghalensis in the world, and it spreads over an entire block on Front Street, just steps from the Pacific Ocean. Planted 150 years ago, this handsome, romantic, shady tree has witnessed wedding proposals and probably a few break-ups. It’s thick vines have been swung on by kids for generations, and its multiple trunks carved into far too many times by visiting lovers. Still it’s Read more
The warning bells are going off in Hawai’i, and around the world. With the achingly beautiful town of Lahaina lying in smouldering ruins, locals and lovers of Maui and Hawai’i (such as me) are sounding the alarm about deep-pocket developers swooping in and grabbing gobs of property, and what that might mean in terms of over-development. Surely the city and Maui county have rules in place that have kept hotel chains from building 10-storey towers on Lahaina’s Front Street. But can government officials insist that new structures reflect the character of the old Lahaina? Can they demand that weathered wood Read more
