Lahaina holds an important place in the rich history of the Hawaiian Islands. Lahaina was once one of the favorite places of Hawaiian Royalty, famed for the lush green backdrop of the West Maui Mountains and prized for its perfectly formed waves, used in the royal sport of surfing. At the turn of the 19th century, King Kamehameha, who had united the Hawaiian Islands under his rulership, chose Lahaina as his seat of power and made it the royal capital of the Hawaiian Islands.
By 1819, whalers from New England were using Lahaina's natural harbor as a base for the lucrative business of whale hunting. Normally god-fearing at home, here the sailors' drunkenness and debauchery laid claim to the town. In 1823, at the invitation of Queen Ke'opuolani, the first missionaries sailed into Lahaina Harbor. It wasn't long before the whalers and the missionaries were at war with the whalers at one point shooting cannon balls at the missionary's homes, hoping to help speed them on their way.
In 1831, the first school west of the Rockies was established in Lahaina called Lahainaluna School. Here the first newspaper west of the Mississippi was printed.
By the 1840s, whaling was at its peak with hundreds of ships sailing into the harbor each year. It was during this time that Kamehameha III decided to move the capital of the Islands to Honolulu, an up-and-coming harbor town on the Island of Oahu.
Forty years after its start in the Hawaiian waters, the whaling industry began to decline. By the 1860s Lahaina was no longer the capital of Hawaii or of whaling, and it slowly gave way to quieter times. Sugar was becoming king and Lahaina transformed itself into an important "sugar town."
All of these historical influences can still be felt today from the busy harbor, now filled with pleasure boats for sailing excursions, to the mango and breadfruit tree-lined streets providing shade to century old plantation houses. In fact, almost the entire town is now a national historical landmark. Yet, Lahaina Town, while prizing its past, is very much a thriving place of the present. Its art community is world famous as are its top rated restaurants. Many Maui businesses are based in Lahaina and commerce as well as pleasure keep Lahaina a thriving sea-side location.
The Lahaina real estate market offers a variety of options for buyers. In the residential neighborhoods, there are the older tract home areas where you might find a buy under $500,000. Other neighborhoods contain mid-range homes which currently sell for around $1 million while the most prestigious areas of Lahaina contain uber-mansions located on the ocean with what amounts to a private resort setting of your own. These beauties may be right near Lahaina town in an area known as Baby Beach or nestled in the outskirts closer to Ka’anapali, Napili, Kahana or Honokawai.
Condos in the Lahaina district can range from a one bedroom / one bath for under $300,000 to ocean or beach front luxury units for close to $5 million.
Options abound on the West Side of Maui for the first time homeowners, discriminating second home buyer as well as investors.
Lahaina, resting between the lush West Maui Mountains and the sea, is an ideal location for those seeking a warm and sunny location. The average daily temperature is usually very consistent, ranging a few degrees from 82 to 87 in the summer season and between 79 and 83 during winter months. As with all of Maui, nighttime temperatures are usually between 10 and 15 degrees cooler than during the day.
Address: 142 Baker St., Lahaina, HI 96761
Ph: (808) 661-8281
Address: 565 Front St., Lahaina, HI 96761
Ph: (808) 667-9058
Address: 5960 L. Honoapiilani, Lahaina, HI 96761
Ph: (808) 669-5577
Address: 816 Niheu St, Lahaina, HI 96761
Ph: (808) 662-4020
Address: 611 Front Street, Lahaina, HI 96761
Ph: (808) 662-3955
Website: http://www.k12.hi.us/~kamehame/
Address: 816 Niheu Street, Lahaina, HI 96761
Ph: (808) 662-4020
Website: http://www.k12.hi.us/~nahienae/
Address: 871 Lahainaluna Road, Lahaina, HI 96761
Ph: (808) 662-3965
Website: http://www.k12.hi.us/~lahaina/
Address: 980 Lahainaluna Road, Lahaina, HI 96761
Ph: (808) 662-4000
Address: 239 Dickenson Street, Lahaina, HI 96761
Ph: (808) 661-4720
Address: 286 Lahainaluna Rd., Lahaina, Maui HI 96761
Ph: (808) 661-4476
Address: (just north of Kapalua Airport), Lahaina, HI 96761
Ph: (808) 669-5600
Address: 164 Fleming Rd., Lahaina, Maui HI 96761
Ph: (808) 661-4017
Address: 209 Shaw St., Lahaina, Maui HI 96761
Ph: (808) 661-3725
Web Site: www.maui.net/~lbc
Address: 551 Wainee St., Lahaina, Maui HI 96767
Ph: (808) 661-0640
Address: 712 Wainee Street, Lahaina, Maui HI 96761
Ph: (808) 661-0552
Address: 1518 Malo, Lahaina, Maui HI 96761
Ph: (808) 661-4202
Address: 590 Luakini Street, Lahaina, Maui HI 96761
Ph: (808) 667-1959
Address: 1594 Malo, Lahaina, Maui HI 96761
Ph: (808) 661-3529
Address: 561 Front Street, Lahaina, Maui HI 96761
Ph: (808) 661-4202
Address: Wahikuli Wayside Park, Lahaina 96761
Ph: (808) 667-7880
Web Site: http://www.calvarychapel.com
Address: Princess Nahiehaena School Auditorium), Lahaina 96761
Ph: (808) 276-7167 (661-3497)
Address: P.O. Box 13062, Lahaina 96761
Ph: (808) 667-7880
Address: King Kamehmeha Elementary, Lahaina, HI 96761
Ph: (808) 669-6330
Address: 75 Puunoa Place, Lahaina 96761
Ph: (808) 661-3330
Address: 1370 Lower Honoapiilani Hwy., Lahaina, Maui HI 96761
Ph: (808) 669-8200
Address: 1211 Front Street, Lahaina, Maui HI 96761
Ph: (808) 661-3480
Address: 320
Olona Place., Lahaina, Maui HI 96761
Ph: (808) 667-5491
Address: 655 Wainee, Lahaina, Maui HI 96761
Ph: (808) 661-6195
Address: 535 Wainee, Lahaina, Maui HI 96761
Ph: (808) 661-4349
Address: 988 Front St., Lahaina, Maui HI 96761
Ph: (808) 661-3320
P.O. Box 1733, Makawao, Maui, HI 96768
Phone: (808) 298-6938
Email: Katrina@KatrinaPitmanRealEstate.com
Credits: Photo of Hawaiian Torch Lighting Ceremony by Kristin Fein of Fein Art Photography: (808) 281-1302
© 2007 Katrina Pitman Consulting Services