Lahaina (; ) or Lāhainā is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. On the northwest coast of the island of Maui, it encompasses Lahaina town and the Kāʻanapali and Kapalua beach resorts. At the 2020 census (before the 2023 wildfire), Lahaina had a resident population of 12,702. The CDP spans the coast along Hawaii Route 30 from a tunnel at the south end, through Olowalu, and to the CDPs of Kaanapali and Napili-Honokowai to the north.
A series of wildfires destroyed approximately 80% of Lahaina in 2023, resulting in the deaths of 102 people.
History
Name
Both Lahaina and Lāhainā are correct orthography in modern Hawaiian.
Modern name, etymology and pronunciations Protestant missionaries sent by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) began organizing a way to write the Hawaiian language with English letters between 1820–1826 after they reached Hawaii.
According to Thrums Hawaiian Annual of 1921 the proper pronunciation of Lahaina is La-hai-ná.
Lahaina has different pronunciations depending on how diacritical marks are applied.
Lahaina is a combination of two Hawaiian words, “lā” which means sun, and “hainā” which means cruel. The varied spellings Lāhainā and Lahaina are commonly interchanged when written in modern English, although the traditional spelling “Lāhainā” is still considered proper.
Ancient names Lahaina was originally called Lele in Hawaiian and was known for its breadfruit trees. Lele means jump or fly. Albert Pierce Taylor explains its relationship to the area as the "flying piece of kuleana, that which sticks out from the sea".
In 1915, James N.K. Keola, in an article in Mid-Pacific Magazine entitled "Old Lahaina", wrote: "Lahaina is said to have received its name from Lā, the sun, and hainā, merciless. A bald-headed chief who lived at Kauaula Valley, while going to and fro without a hat, felt annoyed at the effects of the scorching rays of the burning sun. He looked up and gazed into the heavens and cursed at the sun thus: He keu hoi keia o ka la haina!" ("What a merciless sun!"). On July 13, 1920, the Star Bulletin published several theories on the name's origins that included the bald-headed chief legend, as well as theories that included the belief that the name goes back to 11th century as Laha aina (Proclaiming land).
Other interpretations of the name include "day (of) sacrifice" and "day (of) explanation". Inez MacPhee Ashdown (1899–1992), historian and founder of Maui Historical Society, believed the name was Lahaʻaina, meaning "land (of) prophecy", because of the number of kahuna nui (high priest) prophecies made there.
Early rulers The first mōʻī or aliʻi nui (supreme ruler) of western Maui was Haho, the son of Paumakua a huanuikalalailai. This line produced the subsequent rulers.
The name Lele was adopted during the reign of Kakaʻalaneo. He held court there during joint rule with his brother Kakae, while living on a hill called Kekaʻa. They were the sons and heirs of Kaulahea I. Kakaʻalaneo first planted breadfruit trees while his son Kaululaʻau is credited with expelling ghosts from Lānaʻi and putting the island under the rule of his father and uncle. Kakae's son Kahekili I succeeded his father and uncle as ruler. Kahekili I's successor was his son Kawaokaohele, who was succeeded by his own son Piʻilani
Piʻilani was the first ruler of the entire island of Maui when he extended his sovereignty over East Maui. The aliʻi of Hāna district accepted him as supreme ruler. Piʻilani also controlled the neighboring islands of Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, and parts of Molokaʻi.
In 1738, Lahaina and most of West Maui were the sites of a series of battles between the forces of Kamehamehanui Aiʻluau with his uncle and ally Alapaʻi, the ali‘i nui of Hawaii Island, against his half-brother Kauhiʻaimokuakama with his ally Peleʻioholani, the ali‘i nui of Oʻahu. The war ended in a truce between Alapaʻi and Peleʻioholani and the capture and execution of Kauhiʻaimokuakama by drowning. The remains of the fallen soldiers from both sides are said to be buried in the sands of Kāʻanapali district.
Western contact
On November 26, 1778 Captain James Cook's ships appeared near Maui while the island's monarch Kahekili II battled the forces of Kalaniʻōpuʻu, the ali‘i nui of Hawaii Island. He did not land on the island but was greeted by the warriors of Kalaniʻōpuʻu including a young Kamehameha I in their war canoes. The base of the Kamehameha statue in Honolulu depicts the warrior meeting Cook off the coast of Lahaina.
Kahekili II British explorer George Vancouver visited in 1793 and unsuccessfully attempted to mediate a peace between Kahekili and Kalaniʻōpuʻu's successor Kamehameha I. During his visit, he gave a description of the constant warfare on Lahaina: The village of Raheina ... seemed to be pleasantly situated on a space of low or rather gently elevated land, in the midst of a grove of bread-fruit, cocoa-nut, and other trees...In the village the houses seemed to be numerous and to be well inhabited. A few of the natives visited the ships; these brought but little with them, and most of them were in very small miserable canoes. These circumstances strongly indicated their poverty, and proved what had been frequently asserted at Owhyhee, that Mowee and its neighbouring islands were reduced to great indigence by the wars in which for many years they had been engaged.
Kamehameha I and Kamehameha II From 1802 to 1803, Kamehameha I stationed his large fleet of peleleu war-canoes in Lahaina. While there, he wrote to the last independent ruler of Kauaʻi, Kaumualiʻi, asking him to acknowledge his overlordship. Although an invasion failed in 1804, Kaumualiʻi surrendered in 1810, uniting the Hawaiian Islands for the first time. Kamehameha II resided in Lahaina from December 1819 until February 1820, when he returned to Honolulu.
Christian missionaries
American Protestant missionaries from the ABCFM arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in 1820, setting up stations on Hawaiʻi, Oʻahu and Kauaʻi. However, the first mission station on Maui was not established until 1823 by Reverend Charles Stewart and William Richards. The two men and their family accompanied Queen Keōpūolani, the wife of Kamehameha I, and her daughter Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena from Oʻahu to Lahaina. They were tasked with instructing the queen about Christianity, to which Keōpūolani converted on her deathbed. The missionaries erected a temporary church made of wooden poles and a thatched roof. In 1824, at the chiefs' request, Betsey Stockton started the first mission school open to common people. Maui Governor Hoapili ordered the construction of a stone church. The cornerstone of the Waiola Church (originally named Ebenezera or Waineʻe Church) was laid on September 14, 1828. In 1831, missionaries founded Lahainaluna Seminary (present-day Lahainaluna High School) where Hawaiian boys and young men (among them historian David Malo) were educated in the religion and in crafts such as carpentry, printing, engraving, and agriculture. The school published the first Hawaiian language newspaper in 1834. Teachers and students were instrumental in the translation of the Bible into Hawaiian.
Whaling Lahaina was an important destination for 19th-century whalers who came to reprovision their ships with fresh water, fruit, potatoes and other vegetables. The town provided ample rest and recreation for their crew whose presence frequently led to conflicts with the local missionaries. On more than one occasion the conflict became so severe that sailors rioted. The British whaling ship in 1827 shelled Lahaina. In response, Governor Hoapili built the Old Lahaina Fort in 1831 to protect the town from disorderly conduct of sailors.Maui Historical Society. (1971) . Lahaina Historical Guide. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle.
Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III resided in a traditional royal compound on the sacred island of Mokuʻula located on Mokuhinia lake in the middle of Lahaina from 1837 to 1845. He built a two-story, Western-style palace in 1838 named Hale Piula, although it was not completed before the court moved. During his residence, Kamehameha III signed and proclaimed the first Hawaiian constitution on October 8, 1840, at Luaʻehu, in Lahaina. The legislature's first meeting was held on April 1, 1841, also at Luaʻehu. With the growing commercial importance of Oʻahu, Kamehameha III moved the capital to Honolulu in 1845. Hale Piula was then transformed into a courthouse until it was heavily damaged in an 1858 storm. The following year, the Old Lahaina Courthouse was built as a replacement courthouse and customhouse at a site near the old fort.
A banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) was planted near the site of Kamehameha I's first palace by William Owen Smith on April 24, 1873, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of Christian missionaries. It survived as the oldest banyan tree in the state.
20th century On January 1, 1919, a major fire destroyed more than thirty buildings in Lahaina before it was extinguished by residents. The 1919 fire led to the creation of the island-wide Maui Fire Department and adoption of fire safety standards.
21st century
Over August 8–9, 2023, much of Lahaina was destroyed by a wildfire amid dry and windy conditions exacerbated by Hurricane Dora, with 102 fatalities occurring in the town.
In 2024, Maui County released plans for rebuilding the commercial district, infrastructure and affordable housing with a completion estimate of six years.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 16%, is water.
Climate Lahaina town is one of the driest places in Hawaii, because it is in the rain shadow of Mauna Kahālāwai (West Maui Mountains). Many different climate zones define Lahaina's districts. Kaanapali is north of a wind line and has double the annual rainfall and frequent breezes. Kapalua and Napili have almost four times more annual rainfall than the town.
Lahaina has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BShs) with warm temperatures year-round, fairly wet winters, and dry summers.
Demographics
The population of Lahaina was 6,654 at the 1980 Census and 9,189 in 1990.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Lahaina had a population of 12,702. The median age was 38.8 years. 22.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.7 males age 18 and over.
94.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 5.4% lived in rural areas.
There were 3,589 households in Lahaina, of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 43.5% were married-couple households, 21.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 4,191 housing units, of which 14.4% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 3,134 24.7% Black or African American 102 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native 65 0.5% Asian 5,017 39.5% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 1,322 10.4% Some other race 678 5.3% Two or more races 2,384 18.8% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 1,423 11.2% Arts and culture