On August 8, 2023, as most people know, the great cataclysm of the Maui fires happened. The wildfires were attributed to dry conditions and ferocious winds created by a high-pressure area north of Hawaii and Hurricane Dora to the south. It was, as they say, the “perfect storm”, only sadly, there was no merciful rain.

For me and for many, there are no words to express what the loss of Lahaina means to the millions of people who enjoyed visiting her over the years and, most especially, to the locals who called it home. Over 100 people died, thousands of buildings and homes were destroyed, causing, it is believed, a financial loss in excess of 6 Billion dollars and the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history.

Personally, I was living in California when it happened.  I couldn’t believe it.  I was truly “beside myself” with grief and hunger for any information.  I almost got on a plane to help out.  But caring for family members here made that impossible.   I had this wierd deja vu feeling.  I lived in NYC for ten years in my 20’s and 30’s.  When 9-11 happen a few years after I left, I like so many was just devastated.  So much loss and grief happened in both these amazing places, which only a little time before, was unimaginable.

When the fires happened, I found myself thinking, why had I moved there?  Why had I left? How would I be handling it, if I still lived there? I found it seriously hard to sleep at night.  I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.  I felt so powerless.  I am (I believe) what is called an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person, i.e., the “personality trait that was first used by psychologists in the 1990s to describe someone with a deep sensitivity to the physical, emotional or social situations and information around them.” https://health.clevelandclinic.org/highly-sensitive-person   Thinking, or seeing others suffering, in pain, etc… is close to impossible for me. It’s a miracle I was once an intensive care nurse.

Because I am such a HSP, thankfully, my own personal memories of Lahaina are few.  I don’t know why, but I always had a bad feeling driving over there. You see, I lived in a different part of the island, in South Maui (Kihei) and, later, in Wailuku.  Over the years, I certainly went to Lahaina to shop and go to the beaches that are just past Lahaina town. While I loved to visit the outlet mall, or eat lunch and lazily look out at the water, or head to Sephora at Whaler’s Village, I often got a bit of an ominous feeling coming and going there.  This was largely because there was really only one road in and out (Oh, a very crazy road called Kehekili Hwy does run up north and winds around the island to Wailuku, but having travelled this road once (commonly thought of as the most dangerous road in the U.S. due to the cliffs, falling rocks and one lane that drivers must share coming and going), I knew I’d never travelled it again!  But, the way I and everyone else travelled normally, still made me feel anxious.

What I want to remember about Lahaina is it’s charm, the people, the history.  The beautiful little shops and restaurants. The first time I went there, I checked out this artist’s studio on Front Street, owned by an older lady, who was very friendly indeed.  She told me about moving to Kihei, Maui years before. Her and her husband ultimately moved to Lahaina, because it was more of an artist colony.  All the beautiful paintings in artists’ studios on Front Street!  Anyone lucky enough to have purchased one of those jewels must treasure them always.

The immigrant experience of the Hawaiian Islands always touched me so very deeply.  The story of how people from different parts of the world, speaking different tongues came to work in the fields, marry brides and grooms they never met, started families, shared fortunes and food, to make the blend of cultures that is Hawaii today.  The Hawaiian Islands is surely a place of too many ghosts and too much tragedy, but it is clearly made up of deeply resilient people as well.

Another memory I have is  taking my daughter to Lahaina to visit the now destroyed Wo Hing Society Hall Museum. There, we got a taste of Chinese culture and learned about the history of Chinese immigration to Maui.  We were so happy to discover that they were selling Moon Cakes that day, which had special meaning for us. She was adopted during the Autumn Festival in China, when Moon Cakes are traditionally served. While they generally lack the sweetness I am used to in my baked goods, there WAS something lovely about enjoying them with her, with a cup of tea and good girl talk.

Of course, as in the photo above, I brought my little girl to the famous Banyan Tree,  to see its interwoven canvas of branches.   I checked in with the “Google machine” tonight to find reports of how it is doing.  From a couple months back, arborists appear to be hopeful.  https://youtu.be/fAp5SZx5-Nw?si=qHmzixEs7KmN25XV.   I’m very hopeful both Maui and the Banyan Tree will flourish once again.

In closing, here’s a compilation of what Lahaina was once known for, at least from the “Tourist Perspective”.  I know it’s not the “local” story, but it is the story many outsiders once viewed from a distance.  I’ll leave it to the Kanaka Maoli to talk story about their personal connection to Lahaina.

Much aloha and prayers for Maui,

Mrs. Sassy Pants