afterwards we go shopping under the banyan tree at Banyan Tree Park
a humpback whale surfaces just in front of us
we go for a whalewatching trip
the Atlantis is a commercial submarine that brings customers to a depth of 30 meters
whalers used ships like this one, the Carthaginian
he guards the Whalers General Store with his harpoon
three in a row
Lahaina is situated on the northwestern coast of Maui and features a pleasant yearround tropical climate.
The town used
to be the royal seat of the
rulers of Maui and later was the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii till 1845, when the capital
seat was moved to Honolulu.
In the 19th century Lahaina became a center for a booming
whaling industry ,
often leading to collisions between the resident missionaries guarding their Christian serenity, and rowdy whalers
who just wanted to have booze and fun, and lots of it please.
Frontstreet saw much of the action in those wild days, but
today serves the throngs of tourists that come to shop here.
Lahaina is a popular tourist destination with services like
whale watching and
deep sea fishing. You can even book a trip on the
Atlantis submarine that will dive to 30 meters deep.
We visited several times,
lastly in 2003.
Disaster struck in August 2023 when a killer wildfire claimed more than a hundred lives and laid the
old town in ashes.
a huge wooden statue of Kamehameha I dominates the Lahaina Center
he and his rowdy mates came later
this one is going for a deep dive
checking out the parrots
Frontstreet has many eateries
where they serve tastful diskes
sunset at Frontstreet