It’s been six months since the Maui wildfires, and I still can’t believe it. I was sitting in my little back yard in Toronto working on a story on a lovely summer’s day last August 8 when I saw a note from my sister on Facebook to suggest something had happened in Lahaina. I had no idea. I checked the news and was dumbstruck at how a place I have visited 50-60-80 times over the years and loved with all my heart had been almost totally destroyed. I was on Maui in October of last year and saw the damage Read more
Maui fires
There’s a new action plan to boost Maui’s economy following the deadly August wildfires. The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority Board of Directors has furthered its ongoing commitment to mālama (care for) Maui and support the island’s recovery by approving an immediate six-month action plan for 2024 to help address major challenges confronting residents, small businesses, visitor industry providers, Maui’s economy, and families seeking housing. The action plan is designed to fulfill tourism’s responsibilities in alliance with the leadership established by Governor Josh Green, M.D. and within the broader scope of Maui’s recovery efforts being conducted by the State Department of Business, Read more
The swimming pools are divine, the food excellent. and the sunsets amazing. But as I sit at home writing a story about my two-day visit to the Wailea Beach Resort, I keep thinking about a pair of trees. As you walk along the paved foot path that stretches across the resort (and, indeed, most of Wailea) you’ll pass massive, finely manicured lawns on small, undulating hills, with grass so green it would make the Irish envious. Near one of the buildings at the south end of the resort are two towering Kamani trees that rise gracefully into the Maui sky. Read more
As you drive along the bypass road outside Lahaina, you’ll see several hand-made signs. “Respect the locals.” “Let Lahaina grieve.” And more. The sentiments are important. It’s only been three months and a few days since wildfires ripped through this once tranquil and beautiful seaside town, and many people are still living in hotels. Many others are still grieving lost parents and cherished uncles and aunties. Far too many children died in the fires, an unimaginable horror that a parent can never recover from. When we were on Maui recently, my wife chatted briefly with a hotel worker who said Read more
Wednesday night was the first Slack Key Guitar Show at West Maui’s Napili Kai Beach Resort since the August 8 wildfires that destroyed almost all of nearby Lahaina. The evening began with a Hawaiian chant from Wainani Kealoha (who later performed some extraordinarily graceful hula). and a thank you to the audience for coming out to the first show following a tragedy that took nearly 100 lives, gutted Lahaina’s treasured historical landmarks and razed the homes of thousands of people, including several workers at the resort. Having driven past Lahaina and seen some of the destruction first-hand on my Read more
