Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [271]
SIGHTS
Many of Lahaina’s sightseeing attractions date to the whaling era and include the homes of missionaries, prisons for sailors and graveyards of both. Click here for a recommended walking tour that takes them all in.
Banyan Tree Square
Forget water fountains and war memorials – the centerpiece of Lahaina’s town square is the USA’s largest banyan tree. And what a sight it is! Planted as a sapling on April 24, 1873, the tree now sprawls across the entire square, a virtual forest unto itself with 16 major trunks and scores of horizontal branches reaching across nearly an acre. This magnificent tree is so revered that throngs of townsfolk gather each year just to celebrate its birthday. When it’s not hosting a party it makes a shady respite from the crowds on Front St. Grab a bench and enjoy the scene.
Old Lahaina Courthouse
Lahaina’s old courthouse (648 Wharf St; 9am-5pm), built in 1859, packs a wealth of history. It’s no coincidence that it overlooks Lahaina’s bustling harbor. Smuggling was so rampant during the whaling era that officials decided this was the perfect spot to house the customs operations, the courthouse and the jail – all neatly wrapped into a single building. It also held the governor’s office and in 1898 the US annexation of Hawaii was formally concluded here.
The old jail in the basement has been turned into a gallery for the Lahaina Arts Society (Click here) and the cells that once held drunken sailors now display fine artwork, making for fun browsing.
Lahaina Heritage Museum ( 667-1959; admission free; 9am-5pm) celebrates Lahaina’s culture and history through changing exhibits. The focus could be on anything from ancient Hawaiians to 19th-century whaling, but whatever it is it’s well worth hopping the stairs to the 2nd floor to check it out. And don’t overlook the fascinating period photos of Lahaina in the 2nd floor hallway.
Wo Hing Museum
The most colorful building in town, this museum ( 661-5553; 858 Front St; admission $1; 10am-4pm) was originally a meeting hall and temple for the Chinese benevolent society Chee Kung Tong, providing Chinese immigrants with a place to preserve their cultural identity. After WWII Lahaina’s Chinese population spread far and wide and the temple fell into decline. Now restored and turned into a cultural museum, it houses period displays and a Taoist shrine.
Whatever you do, don’t miss the tin-roof cookhouse out the back, which holds a little theater showing fascinating films of Hawaii shot by Thomas Edison in 1898, soon after he invented the motion-picture camera. These grainy B&W shots capture poignant images of old Hawaii, with paniolo (Hawaiian cowhands) herding cattle, cane workers in the fields and everyday street scenes. Take a look at the wall behind the screen to find a collection of opium bottles unearthed during an excavation of the grounds.
Hale Pa′ahao
A curious remnant of the whaling days, this old prison ( 667-1985; cnr Prison & Waine′e Sts; admission free; 10am-4pm Mon-Sat) was built in 1852 by convicts who dismantled a harborside fort and carted the stones here to construct the 8ft-high prison walls. Hale Pa′ahao means ‘Stuck-in-Irons House.’
Inside one of the whitewashed cells you’ll find an ‘old seadog’ mannequin spouting a recorded description of ‘life in this here calaboose.’ Another cell displays a list of arrests for the year 1855. Top offenses were drunkenness (330 arrests), adultery and fornication (111) and ‘furious riding’ (89). Other wayward transgressions included profanity, aiding deserting sailors and drinking ′awa (kava moonshine).
Baldwin House
The oldest Western-style building in Lahaina is the Baldwin House ( 661-3262; 696 Front St; adult/family $3/5; 10am-4pm). It was erected in 1834 by Reverend Dwight Baldwin, a missionary doctor. It served as both his home and Lahaina’s first medical clinic. The coral and rock walls are a hefty 24in thick, which keeps the house cool year-round. The exterior walls are now plastered over, but you can get a sense of how they originally