Maui Nō Ka ʻOi Magazine - Fall 2023

Maui Strong – Spirit of Laulima

Leilani Farm Sanctuary

advocates compassion for creatures great and small

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Daniel Sullivan

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LEILANI FARM SANCTUARY Story by Mona de Crinis Photographs by Ryan Siphers Leilani Farm Sanctuary, a haven for animals in Ha‘ikū, champions compassion for all living beings through tours and educational programs.

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LAULIMA MAUI

HALE OF HOPE

Story by Mona de Crinis

Story by Mona de Crinis

Meaning “many hands at work,” laulima held together an island broken after August's deadly wildfires. Gathered from every corner, mauka to makai, these collected stories reflect laulima in action. They are #MauiStrong.

Ryan Siphers

Photographs by Daniel Sullivan Exploring the sacred spaces and places of worship of East Maui — a multidenominational mosaic with a singular message rooted in lava rock and carried by the trades: Live Aloha.

Stone Tile | Porcelain Tile | Glass Tile Granite & Stone Slabs | Quartz Slabs • Custom Fabrication & Installation • In Stock & Special Order Cabinetry 25 Kahului Beach Rd., Kahului CeramicTilePlus.com | 808.871.7595 Contractor’s License #C-32353

ON THE COVER

Organized paddle outs in South and West Maui in memory of Lāhainā and the lives lost united the island in a powerful show of laulima and hope.

contents departments

Photo by Daniel Sullivan

14 Publisher's Letter

Stories and lessons from life on Maui by Chris Amundson.

16 Talk Story

Tales of the island fresh off the coconut wireless.

52 Craving Maui 60 60

Lāhainā restaurants update, plus what’s new and exciting in Maui’s dining scene.

Island Kitchen

Pineapple recipes from Maui Gold Pineapple and Hali‘imaile General Store.

66 Calendar of Events

Find out what’s happening on and around Maui.

70 Photo Contest

Celebrating Maui’s night sky.

72 In Their Own Words Meet Hōkūlani Holt, Hawaiian cultural arts program director at University of Hawai‘i Maui College.

POSTMASTER: MAUI NO KA OI MAGAZINE, ISSN 2473-5299 (print), ISSN 2473-5469 (online) is published bimonthly for $30 per year by Flagship Publishing, Inc., 5131 S College Ave, Unit A, Fort Collins, CO 80525. Standard postage paid at Denver, CO, Wailuku, HI, and at additional offices.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Maui No Ka Oi, c/o Subscriptions Dept, PO Box 270130, Fort Collins, CO 80527. (808) 242-8331.

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PUBLISHER'S LETTER

For the people who love Maui

Chris Amundson

Publisher & Exec. Editor chris@mauimagazine.net

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YES, THERE IS PAIN. There is heartache. There is sadness on this island.

There is also immense love, hope and an abounding spirit of aloha. There is joy.

The fires of Aug. 8 have punctured the hearts of all those who love Maui, her land and her people.

But know with certain truth that this island is united, and the spirit of these Hawaiian Islands has wrapped Maui in a warm embrace that will carry her forward, day by day, into a new future.

For all those who know and love Maui, they will forever remember where they were on Aug. 8 and the early morning hours of Aug. 9. Some were battling through an inferno — we mourn those who perished and are missing.

Others were turning on the news to unbelievable images from Kula, Kīhei and especially Lāhainā.

Immense sadness descended on the island and rippled around the world.

Intermingled with shocking social media videos, there began to emerge a trickle of sweet stories about those who helped others in need. They rushed into the fire zones with catamarans to rescue their neighbors. They sent boats laden with ice, drinking water, food and fuel.

They opened their homes and set up neighborhood distribution hubs and shelters.

MAUI NŌ KA ‘OI | FALL 2023

Business owners who lost their life’s work turned their attention to the safety and needs of their employees’ ‘ohana. Maui demonstrated the good that happens when many hands work together — laulima.

But the goodness did not stop at the shoreline.

Prayers, supplies and financial donations began to flow to the island. The community of Maui is eternally grateful for the support from so many people around globe.

One of the things I love about Maui and the culture of the islands is how important it is to respect one another — especially our wise elders, our kūpuna.

After the fire, I sat down to talk story with one of Maui’s most respected cultural leaders, Hōkūlani Holt, for this issue’s “In Their Own Words.” As a lifelong educator — a kumu — Auntie Hōkūlani shared how important it is for Hawaiian children to be proud of their heritage. “They come from people who are brave, people who are resilient … ” she said. She also shared how all people can live with Hawaiian values.

Then, I asked her what the future holds for Maui.

“I don’t think Maui can ever be ruined,” she said, “because the people who love her will never allow that to happen.”

Those people who love Maui live here on island and span the world. Mahalo nui loa for your support of Maui and her people. Come visit us, come help us celebrate all that is good and share in the aloha spirit.

Watch how Maui rallies, because Maui is forever nō ka ‘oi.

FALL 2023 VOL. 27, NO. 5 Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi is an internationally-distributed magazine dedicated to exploring the life and culture of Maui Nui. There’s a saying known in the islands: Maui nō ka ‘oi, Hawaiian for “Maui is the best.” We hope you think so, too.

Publisher & Executive Editor Chris Amundson Associate Publisher Angela Amundson EDITORIAL

Editor Mona de Crinis Group Photo Editor Amber Kissner Dining Editor Carla Tracy ADVERTISING SALES

Chris Amundson GRAPHIC DESIGN

Karlie Pape, Hernán Sosa SUBSCRIBER SERVICES

Lea Kayton, Katie Evans, Janice Sudbeck DIGITAL MEDIA

Karlie Pape

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TALK STORY Fresh off the coconut wireless

Humuhumunukunukuāpua‘a Hawai‘i’s Reluctant Celebrity of the Sea story by Mona de Crinis • photographs by Cesere Brothers

There may be plenty of fish in the sea, but there’s only one humuhumunukunukuāpua‘a — Hawai‘i’s official state fish and rebel with a schnoz, shown here near Pu‘u Keka‘a (aka Black Rock) at Kā‘anapali Beach.

SPORTING A RAD RETRO LOOK — dramatic eyeliner, blue lips, neon stripes all akimbo — the humuhumunukunukuāpua‘a may be Hawai‘i’s most famous, feisty fish.

Crowned the official state fish not once, but twice, this tiny, toothed tough guy has one heck of a backstory.

Let’s start with the name. It’s a mouthful — one of the longest words in the Hawaiian language — and the standing joke is that the moniker is longer than the fish. Breaking it down, humhumu (fish) plus nukunuku (nose) plus āpua‘a (pig-like) equals “triggerfish with a snout like a pig” or humuhumunukunukuāpua‘a (humuhumu or humu for short).

While it may take a few tries before the name rolls off the tongue, spotting a humu is much easier — especially if this 1980s throwback is in a bodacious mood.

The yellow V-shaped markings, diagonal coal-black bands between the eyes, cerulean upper lip and slashes of orange near the gills brighten and fade with the underwater vibe. When stressed, threatened, sleeping or showing submission, the humu’s signature vibrancy dims considerably.

Snorkeling or scuba diving is the best way to catch sight of a humu. There are plenty of Maui snorkel sites, most accessible by foot, where these aquatic dignitaries circulate in quiet contentment, regaling onlookers with their pop-art splendor. A visit to Molokini Crater with one of several reputable snorkel tour companies operating on Maui all but guarantees communing with humu (and about 250 other species of fish, many endemic, and almost 40 types of coral).

While there may be plenty of fish in the sea, the humu is no ordinary reef dweller.

This little piscine is a rebel with a schnoz. A school dropout, humuhumu prefer solitude over shoaling and can be a bit of a bully.

They are notoriously intolerant of others in their space, which typically include shallow outer reef habitats throughout the Hawaiian Islands and the South Pacific, and have been known to grunt, squawk or even nip at the feet of intruding humans.

One of approximately 40 species of

triggerfish, the humuhumunukunukuāpua‘a has powerful jaws and sharp teeth for feeding on snails, shrimp, sea urchins and other invertebrate, which it flushes out of the sand with jets of air.

To avoid being prey themselves, the humu’s eyes operate independently for optimum surveillance potential. When perceiving danger, the humu erects its spine to wedge itself tightly into nooks and crannies, frustrating would-be predators hoping to dislodge the bite-sized morsal for a little undersea dim sum.

A fixture in Hawaiian folklore long before Hawai‘i state legislature first designated the humu as state fish in 1985 (the esteemed title lapsing after a five-year trial basis, only to be reinstated permanently in 2006), this plucky fish has serious underworld connections.

Associated with the kupua (demigod) Kamapua’a, a shape-shifting chief revered as the earthly manifestation of the fertility akua (god) Lono with the power to control rain and fruitfulness, legend holds that the humu’s unusually thick skin formed as a shield against Pele’s wrath.

Enamored by the goddess of fire and volcanoes, the capricious “hog-child” morphed into a handsome suitor and eventually won Pele’s hand with his porcine charms and impressive show of strength. The marriage was short-lived, as Pele soon grew weary of his piggishness. Her weapons no match for Kamapua‘a’s might, she enlisted a squadron of netherworld gods to force

Kamapua‘a off a cliff into the swirling seas below. Upon hitting the water, the kupua turned into a fish with armor-like skin to protect him from Pele’s fiery ire, forever fated to dart among the reefs as the humuhumunukunukuapuaa‘a.

With such a storied pedigree, the humuhumunukunukuāpua‘a was destined to rise above its more monochromatic brethren, its Valley Isle status further elevated as the namesake of a Grand Wailea Maui restaurant (humu is NOT on the menu).

Whether divine intervention or dumb luck, this briny rags-to-riches tale of a stout, flat, cranky, cartoonish, recluse turned celebrity is a fish story worth remembering.

TALK STORY

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Celebrate the Season Island Style Collectible Hawaiian Santas bring aloha home for the holidays

by Mona de Crinis NESTLED ON THE SLOPES of Haleakalā, Deborah Sawyer’s Upcountry home studio is a dollmaker’s dream (and a nightmare for those with pediaphobia).

Porcelain heads with rosy old-man faces in various stages of evolution gaze unblinking from their shelved perches. Those already glued to wooden stands dry in a basket near bolts of thick Hawaiian-print fabrics. White foam batting — used to shape the jolly bellies of Sawyer’s Hawaiian Santas — hover like persistent clouds. Organized neatly on tables, premade Lilliputian surfboards, coconut palms, lei, sunglasses and baskets packed with miniature picnic items

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give her collectible Father Christmas dolls a festive, tropical flair.

Sawyer, who grew up on O‘ahu, has been crafting tropical-themed Santa and Tutu dolls on Maui for over 20 years. Inspired by her artist mother, Barbara, she remembers hanging out in mom’s studio rich with diverse fabrics. Now 87 and into oil painting, Barbara lives in West Maui and still helps her daughter produce Santas every year, making the miniscule baskets, foaming the Santas and completing other bits and pieces of Sawyer’s craft.

Crafted in an assembly-line style of sorts, Sawyer first sands the 9-inch wooden bases,

Mona de Crinis

then glues the porcelain heads to the bases and puts them in a basket face-down to dry for a few weeks. Then Barbara wraps the foam to create Santa’s legendary girth, after which Sawyer meticulously drapes with bark cloth in various Hawaiian prints — introducing a new print each year to keep Santa fresh and fashionable. Once the Santas are glued, foamed and dressed, standing about 21 inches tall, Sawyer works in threes: three feather beards, three haku lei, three sunglasses, three baskets — three Santas.

Over the years, Sawyer has dabbled in clothes pin ornaments, muumuu dolls, angels, mermaids, hula girl and tree toppers, but the Surfin’ Santas and other Hawaiian Father Christmas lines are by far her bestsellers and primary focus. “There are Father Christmas collectors all over the world who love tropical Santas,” Sawyer said, adding that she was unaware of this particularity when she launched her business, Maui Moonbeams, so dubbed after witnessing a rare moonbow cresting against the silhouette of Haleakalā.

Most of the accessories she uses to make

the Santas are inspired by or sourced from Maui. The tiny ipu gourd at Santa’s feet, the haku lei royally appointed with shells and ribbons of gold, the palm festooned with itty bitty “coconuts” — Indian almond pods collected in West Maui — are rooted in the culture and the ‘aina. And the perfectly shaped mouse-sized surfboards? They’re exquisitely crafted by a woodworker on island.

Sawyer creates approximately 200 Santas annually and is never at a loss for inspiration. All she has to do is look outside. “The trees, the flowers, the ocean and crater views — Maui offers the most amazing setting for creativity.”

This year, she’s hoping for a successful holiday season as interest in Maui-based products remains high, and feels a powerful sense of kuleana, or responsibility, as a resident artist specializing in handmade collectibles with an island flavor.

“Representing Maui authentically and respectfully is really important, especially right now,” Sawyer said. “And that’s what I hope to do through my art — bring island aloha home.”

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Deborah Sawyer’s Hawaiian Santas are available for purchase in person at Totally Hawaiian Gift Gallery in West Maui’s Whaler’s Village, Maui Hands in The Shops at Wailea and online at mauimoonbeams.com or her Maui Santas shop on Etsy.

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TALK STORY

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Big Beach at Mākena glows at sunset. Baby Beach at Spreckelsville hosts families on their first swim. Visitors learn from the masters at The Shops at Wailea’s Tuesday night tiki carving demonstrations.

Travis Morrin

Returning visitors ‘mālama’ Maui after fires

by Chris Amundson PEOPLE HAVE LONG visited Maui to heal their body, mind and soul.

Now, in the wake of the Aug. 8 fires, it is Maui that will be healed with the return of visitors.

Don’t be afraid to come back, say tourism leaders — the island needs you.

“Maui needs the support of visitors now more than ever,” said Sherry Duong, executive director at Maui Visitors & Convention Bureau. “The people of Maui need your compassion and support.”

While parts of the beloved and historic Lāhainā Town were devastated by the fire and are permanently closed, the rest of the island is still beautiful, still paradise, and still open and welcoming to visitors.

“Respectful, responsible and compassionate travel helps our residents and our local businesses to recover,” Duong said.

Visitors who return to Maui will receive an outpouring of aloha, just as Maui has received so much love and support from around the world since Aug. 8.

“It is important to pack kindness, patience and grace when traveling to Maui with the understanding that some people have suffered great losses,” Duong said. “Through this lens, visitors will also be able to embrace and enjoy the beauty, serenity and

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Chris Amundson (top) The Shops at Wailea (above)

healing spirit of Maui.”

Lisa Paulson is the executive director of the Maui Hotel and Lodging Association and has been a Maui resident for 29 years.

“Maui is a magical island,” she said. “We still have beautiful beaches, sunset cruises and delicious meals featuring local produce and fresh-caught fish.”

And while damaged parts of Lāhainā Town are closed, Paulson encourages visitors to explore other iconic parts of Maui: “Visit, Kapalua, Nāpili, Honokoi,” she said.

“Enjoy the sunrise from Haleakalā, drive out to Hāna and experiece the national park, go on a snorkel cruise, or take the drive to Makawao Town and Pā‘ia Town.”

In the days and weeks after the fire, the world saw devestation through news reports and social media. But Paulson points out that a very small portion of Maui was damaged. The fires have long been extinguished, the air is clear, and the water is safe for surfing, snorkeling and swimming.

“We are a beautiful place — come make some memories with us,” Paulson said.

The West Maui Lāhainā fire seemed a world away from South Maui’s Wailea beach resort community, which came through Aug. 8 physically unscathed. Yet, on an island, everyone is connected.

“At Wailea, travelers are going to find people here trying to be even more helpful with even more aloha spirit,” said Frank “Bud” Pikrone, executive director of the Wailea Resort Association, “because we’ve all had to go through this.”

Pikrone recognizes that some visitors might have mild trepidation about returning to Maui after the fires. “Come,” he said, “come here and see what this island is doing to help. You may be sitting at a restaurant and the server may have lost everything, but they are keeping busy — they’re moving forward.”

Enjoy the beaches, restaurants, parks and resorts, Pikrone recommends. And visitors who want to give back — mālama — also can volunteer to plant trees in Upcountry, clear invasive plants from hiking trails, participate in organized beach cleanups and help those in need by sewing clothes and serving food. Many of the islands resorts — including those in Wailea — have lists and schedules of mālama opportunities for visitors who return to Maui to help our island heal.

To learn more about how to help when you come to Maui, visit gohawaii.com/malama and mauinuistrong.info.

TALK STORY

WE MOURN THE LOSS OF OUR TOWN AND OUR DEAR FRIENDS. WE ARE STILL STANDING AND COMMITTED TO HELP LAHAINA COME BACK IN THE HAWAIIAN SPIRIT IT HAS HELD FOR CENTURIES. MAHALO FOR HELPING US SUPPORT OUR OHANA. #MAUISTRONG

WITH ALOHA, MARY ANNE FITCH AND NAM L. LE VIET

As founder and director of Leilani Farm Sanctuary in Ha‘ikū,

Laurelee Blanchard provides refuge and second chances for animals with the help of a dedicated team of volunteers.

Chris Amundson

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A North Shore animal haven advocates compassion for all living beings story by MONA de CRINIS • photographs by RYAN SIPHERS

LAURELEE BLANCHARD SIPS COFFEE

as dawn spills across eight lush acres nestled in the embrace of Ha‘ikū’s wild jungles. Looking through the window of her cheery yellow cottage, she sees ducks and geese splashing happily in a pond as guinea pigs by the dozen emerge from cozy shelters curious about the new day.

A tribe of animals — goats, sheep, deer, pigs and a donkey named Lehua — meanders from barn to pasture for some early morning grazing. In a nearby aviary, turkeys and chickens peck and scratch at the straw-covered floor in anticipation of breakfast.

Watching this scene unfold day in and day out, there is no doubt in Blanchard’s mind that ditching a lucrative career to launch a sanctuary on Maui for abandoned, abused and orphaned animals was the best decision she ever made.

In her former life as a successful Southern California commercial real estate broker, Blanchard might have opted for a luxurious Newport Beach penthouse. Today, her palace of riches is a little cottage perched on a hill in Ha‘ikū surrounded by animals she adores. As founder and director of nonprofit Leilani Farm Sanctuary, Blanchard is on a mission to inspire compassion for all living things no matter the sacrifice.

“I no longer measure success by how much money I make, how many deals I broker or how I can out-earn my competitors,” she said. “I now find fulfillment in animal rescue and humane education, work that aligns with my deepest, heartfelt desire — to do all I can to reduce suffering in the world.”

LEILANI FARM SANCTUARY

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Named for the farm’s first resident donkey, Leilani Farm Sanctuary evolved as an extension of Blanchard’s cat rescue efforts. After witnessing the abuse of “food animals” in “factory farms,” she wanted to provide a safe place for chickens, turkeys, pigs, goats, sheep, cows and other often mistreated animals.

Her first rescued farm animals were a pair of newborn goats whose mother had

been shot. “They were the size of cats, and their umbilical cords were still wet.” As she did not yet have a barn or fencing on property, Blanchard kept the kids in the house with her, diapering and bottle-feeding them around the clock. “I felt so much love for these little beings.”

Providing a space where the public can interact intimately with a variety of animals, Blanchard hopes to instill a collective

understanding that a goat, cow or chicken is not that different from the dog or cat curled up at home.

“Many people love animals in general, but their circle of compassion generally doesn’t include farm animals, assuming as I once did that the laws in place ensure the ethical treatment of animals raised for food,” she said. “They rarely do.”

Employing a largely volunteer workforce to help care for the property and her flock, Blanchard and her team hope to change hearts and minds through weekly farm tours and educational programs that teach empathy and respect for all life. Introducing youth, particularly those at-risk or with special needs, to rescued animals can have a profound impact on a child’s future, Blanchard said. “Exploring how abused animals have learned to forgive and overcome their pasts, the animals become role models,” she continued. “When we share their stories with children, it helps them relate to and better manage their own pain.”

There’s Charlotte, a pink pig with brown spots rescued after getting caught in a snare, who zips around the sanctuary on her three good legs with attitude to spare.

A farm visitor feeds guinea pigs that have found a forever home coexisting with deer, pigs, goats, sheep, ducks, chickens and other rescued animals.

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A goat named Nancy leads another rescued goat along a well-worn path connecting the sanctuary’s verdant pastures.

Below, a resident ginger kitty chills in the cat lounge where feline lovers can visit with the farm’s many cats.

And Dorothy, the “spent” dairy cow with big brown eyes that was saved from slaughter at the eleventh hour.

Other animal ambassadors include an impressive turkey named Matthew who thinks he is a lap dog, and Berney, the wild boar orphaned as a piglet with the soul of a poet. “He’s the gentlest pig on the farm and helps dispel the myth that boars are inherently vicious and mean,” Blanchard said.

These are only some of the many stories told during the farm tours as participants discover the idiosyncrasies that define each animal as a unique individual.

Visitors are typically greeted by one or more of the sanctuary’s many cats that live in harmony with rabbits, guinea pigs and other small creatures considered prey. More feline love can be found in the cat lounge where comfortable seating invites languid communing with assorted rescued kitties.

Every evening at sunset, Blanchard sprinkles catnip along the red walkway leading up to her cottage and watches with delight

as kitty happy hour ensues. She grows the catnip in raised garden beds along with spinach, basil and parsley and other greens that the animals love to eat. Ornamentals and other food plants — papayas, pineapples, bananas, berries — help round out their daily diet and round down the sanctuary’s bottom line. Each month, Blanchard spends thousands of dollars just on feed.

A more immediate pressing financial

quandary is the sanctuary land itself, which Blanchard currently leases. Although she purchased the acreage in 1999 with her life’s savings, circumstances later forced the sale of the property and future uncertainty.

Blanchard is determined to buy back the land, which will require considerable funds in addition to monies raised through tours, fundraisers, private donations, sales of memoir Finding Paradise: Leilani Farm

Sanctuary tours, programs and volunteer opportunities TAKE a guided one-hour tour of Leilani Farm Sanctuary. Tours are 12 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays; 10 a.m. Saturdays. Reservations are required. Tax-deductible donations per person are appreciated.

CONSIDER a visit to the sanctuary for at-risk youth programs, school field trips, special needs children and elder activities for a hands-on experience that stimulates social and emotional growth.

DONATE. There are several ways you can help. Sponsor your favorite resident. Be a one-time or monthly donor. All monetary donations are applied to food, shelter and veterinary care.

VOLUNTEER time, love and energy as a weekly rounds person helping with day-to-day care or on special volunteer days to assist with landscaping and property upkeep.

Visit leilanifarmsanctuary.org for more information and ways to help.

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Sanctuary of Maui (available on Amazon and at the sanctuary) and a dedicated Promise Fund.

“By owning the property, we can ensure that sanctuary animals always have a home,” Blanchard confirmed.

Experiencing this home, this sanctuary, is well worth the tax-deductible donation.

Red and white barns dot gentle slopes of green pasture that rise and fall in perfect harmony. To the north near the entrance, thickets of towering bamboo stand sentry like a garrison of slender wooden soldiers.

A knoll stretches across the western edge revealing a brilliant expanse of Pacific blue.

Etched into the red earth, a well-worn path snakes along the ridge to the fields below.

Dubbed Animal Alley, the rutted trail runs directly behind the cottage where Blanchard sips her morning coffee as goats, sheep, deer, pigs and the donkey named Lehua parade outside her window.

Blanchard’s metamorphosis from driven, designer-suited real estate magnate to agrarian kama‘āina raking muck in rolledup jeans and rubber boots has all the

makings of a made-for-TV-movie — successful professional cashes in and moves to a tropical island to chase her dream. Only this is not fiction. It’s the real-life story of an impassioned activist following her true calling who willingly surrenders all in her quest to advocate compassion for all living creatures … one changed heart, one rescued animal at a time.

From donkeys and goats to guinea pigs and cats, a safe space for all life.

LAULIMA

The community comes together on the one-month anniversary of the fires during paddle-out ceremonies at West Maui’s Ukumehame (pictured) and Hanakao‘o beaches and Kalama Park in Kīhei.

Daniel Sullivan

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MAUI

THE MANY HANDS OF AN ISLAND UNITED IN HOPE

‘A‘ohe hana nui ke alu ‘ia kākou ‘Let us wield our paddles together so that we may all move forward.’

MAUI STRONG: LAULIMA

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O

N AUG. 8, 2023, THE WORLD watched as wildfires fanned by hurricane-force winds ravaged the island of Maui, charring Upcountry and incinerating downtown Lāhainā. Many lives were lost and hundreds more missing as the voracious blaze devoured homes, businesses and cultural sites by the thousands. In the hours, days and weeks that followed, accounts of heroism and selfsacrifice flooded the media.

While thinking of others first during a disaster may make for compelling global headlines, acts of selflessness — common on Maui — are rooted in a single word: Laulima.

Meaning “many hands working together,” laulima touched every corner of the island — Hāna to Kahakuloa, Pa‘uwela to Kanaloa, Kula to Kīhei, and Olowalu to Kapalua. Like a phoenix rising, wings spread in an embrace of hope, laulima stories continue still, bolstering our resolve, inspiring our humanity and consoling our grief.

Trilogy Excursions

Ocean tour company Trilogy Excursions sails its remaining fleet into the inferno of Lāhainā Harbor, pulling victims from the water in those first 24 hours of utter chaos. Below, historic Māla Wharf and Lāhainā Town after the fires.

Travis Morrin

L AULIMA WEST MAUI The heroic efforts of Lāhainā residents before, during and immediately following the incinerating firestorm were among the earliest stories of laulima in the face of tragedy.

“It’s hard to even talk about what happened,” Kekoa Lansford told Outside magazine about the day he loaded neighbors and strangers into the bed of his pickup truck to escape the white-hot inferno, dropping them in a safe zone before going back at least five more times. The parents of a childhood friend were among the last Lansford rescued before the flames grew too intense.

Ariel Ferrer, who ran a jet-ski rental business in Lāhainā, was miles away at home when the US Coast Guard alerted all available vessel operators to assist with Lāhainā Harbor rescues as hundreds fled to the sea for safety. His business in ashes, Ferrer was one of the first to pull people from the harbor as flames and smoke blanketed the water.

Boat captain Chrissy Lovitt was on an offshore skiff when the fire came for her town. Watching in horror as desperation drove people toward the ocean, she sprang into action. Joining forces with another vessel operator, she rescued two children before flames engulfed her 36-foot catamaran right before her eyes.

One of the first international news bytes featured anonymous “hero firefighters” delivering a severely burned dog to Maui Humane Society for urgent medical care. The photo of the black pup with scorched whiskers and burned paws became a rallying cry for animals impacted by the fires (see “Many Hands. Holoholona” page 39). As for Maui’s hero firefighters, they were Capt. Ikaika Blackburn, Tye Perdido, Kainalu Kealoha and newly minted MFD rookie Jordan Dunn out of Station 11 in Nāpali. Perdido rescued the dog in the Lāhaināluna area, Dunn said. The firefighters kept it with them in their fire truck before handing it off to medics later that night.

In the days immediately following, the greater Maui ʻohana didn’t wait to act, filling in the emergency response puka (holes) where needed without request or reward. Boats, skiffs and recreational water vehicles helmed by private and commercial operators ferried desperately needed supplies donated from around the island — water, food, clothing,

Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea

Kai Kanani Sailing, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea and other businesses transport relief supplies to Kā‘anapali Beach. Blue Hawaiian Helicopters receives authorization to airlift supplies from the Kahului to Kapalua Airport.

Blue Hawaiian Helicopters

baby products, generators, propane — to beaches in Kahana and Kā‘anapali. A chain of volunteers waist-deep in water passed the provisions from boats to shore for disbursement.

In nearby Olowalu, Eddy and Sam Garcia turned their sustainable, off-the-grid farm into a westside shelter and donation dropoff site. Even as portions of their farmland burned, the couple pledged unaffected acreage for displaced families and individuals to safely camp, as necessary.

Surfing legend Archie Kalepa was working on the mainland when he learned of the fire ravaging his hometown. Returning as quickly as he could, Kalepa immediately cleared space in his spared Hawaiian Home

Lands front yard for requested supplies, establishing one of several makeshift distribution centers in West Maui erected in advance of an organized response.

Ke‘eamoku Kapu, steward of the Na ‘Aikane o Maui Cultural and Research Center, held onto a sliver of hope that a few priceless artifacts — old maps, genealogy documents, books signed by Hawaiian kings — survived the flames. Allowed to return to the burnedout site of the former center, Kapu walked away clutching a single stone carving — the only item spared. An integral member of Lāhainā’s close-knit Native Hawaiian ‘ohana, Kapu channeled the pain of irreplaceable loss into action, working with Maui’s Emergency

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OUTRIGGER Kā‘anapali Beach Resort

Management Agency to help run a West Maui distribution center.

It was a common thread woven into story after story: Those who lost the most were among the first to give. The Lāhainā surfshop owner who raffled off her one surviving board to help others rather than herself.

Award-winning chefs donating their time and talents to Chef Hui — a consortium of volunteer chefs that prepared 50,000-plus meals for first responders, displaced survivors and others impacted by the wildfires — while their Front Street restaurants smoldered.

“We are witnessing a true testament to the power of unity and community action …” Papa ‘Aina Chef Lee Anne Wong told Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Dining Editor Carla Tracy (see “Craving Maui” page 52 for more chef responses and restaurant updates).

Although Wong lost her home and livelihood, that didn’t stop the “Top Chef” All-Star from volunteering her considerable abilities to Chef Hui efforts to feed the hungry. Even local keiki did what they could to help, raising donations through bake sales and drink stands in West Maui neighborhoods untouched by flames.

Luxurious West Maui resorts that escaped damage morphed into relief centers offering supplies, shelter, medical attention and counseling. A FEMA trailer set up on the grounds of Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa

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Associated Press

Lāhainā relief gathering (top) organized by Maui Brewing Co., Chef Hui and OUTRIGGER Kā‘anapali Beach Resort showcases the power of food and community. Above, Alicia and Archie Kalepa turn their spared Lāhainā home into a disaster-relief distribution hub. provided general assistance as the resort initiated the Aloha for Sheraton Maui ‘Ohana Fund. Farther west, The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua and Montage Kapalua Bay also established emergency assistance funds for affected employees and affiliates.

At Royal Lāhainā Resort & Bungalows — a hearty stone’s throw from the fire’s epicenter — doors opened for displaced residents,

long before the promise of repayment, as response organizers scrambled to arrange housing. Working with the Red Cross, Royal Lāhainā ultimately provided more than 375 rooms that sheltered approximately 1,000 displaced residents. To ensure support is ongoing, parent company Highgate Hotels established the Love Maui assistance program.

Hyatt Regency Maui

Hyatt Regency Maui hosts a family fish fry for Lāhainā residents temporarily sheltered at the resort. A contractor with tools provided by Trilogy Excursions shares a shaka of appreciation. Moloka‘i residents are among the first to respond with supplies the day after the Lāhainā fire — boating food, water and fuel across the Pailolo Channel to Kā‘anapali.

Trilogy

Piilani Augustiro

Selket Kaufman

Ocean conservation nonprofit Pacific Whale Foundation uses its vessels to transport donations from its Mā‘alaea headquarters to waters off West Maui, where volunteers on jet skis run the supplies to land.

LAULIMA CENTRAL MAUI With multiple fires burning across the island, emergency personnel were already mobilizing when disjointed reports of a reignited Lāhainā fire swept across Central Maui. As the reality of the devastation in West Maui took hold, emergency response officials set up evacuation centers at Maui High School and War Memorial Complex. King’s Cathedral, Grace Bible Church and The Church of Latter-day Saints Maui Lani provided shelter as well as the whole of the island prepared for what a week earlier had been unthinkable.

At War Memorial, where hundreds of displaced evacuees huddled, a volunteer approached a middle-aged man sitting alone, his head cradled in his hands. The noise, he said, was making him crazy. The volunteer promised to return with earplugs. Upon discovering there were none at the medical tent, she used her own money to purchase several boxes of foam earplugs: two pairs for

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her auditory-challenged friend and the rest donated to the shelter.

Throughout Central Maui, warehouses, conference rooms and home garages morphed into donation drop-off sites in a collective show of kuleana (responsibility).

Businesses shifted priorities as recovery eclipsed revenue. While international disaster relief organizations were still enroute, Hi-Tech Surf Sports employees dispersed more than 20 truckloads of organically collected food, blankets and water. Locally owned Mauliola Pharmacy stepped in to provide shelter medical units with vital pharmaceutical support for an estimated 500 affected individuals. And BMW of Maui’s luxury fleet vehicles turned utilitarian, providing shuttle services and transporting three boatloads of supplies to Mā‘alaea Harbor for delivery to West Maui.

Home to Maui Ocean Center, Maui Harbor Shops, and other visitor-oriented businesses

and services, Mā‘alaea Harbor transformed overnight from popular tourist destination to disaster-relief hub rivaling those of the biggest non-governmental units.

In a groundswell of self-organized support, volunteer groups formed through social media and word of mouth connected with boat operators to arrange transport of collected goods to West Maui. Supply-laden pickup trucks chugged in and out of the Harbor Shops parking lot with minimal direction as rag-tag crews — some assembled as early as that morning — sorted and loaded donations onto partnering vessels.

What some might have viewed as outlaw altruism — the unauthorized distribution of disaster aid — those working the front lines simple saw as mālama kekahi i kekahi, Hawaiian for “taking care of each other.”

Headquarted at Mā‘alaea Harbor, conservation nonprofit Pacific Whale Foundation and social enterprise PacWhale Eco-Adventures

suspended educational ecotour operations and used its six remaining vessels (one was destroyed, in addition to the organization’s Lāhainā Ocean Store) to deliver food, water, fuel, medication, baby supplies and camp gear to survivors stranded in West Maui.

Caitlin Carol, one of 22 PWF employees who lost her home in the Lāhainā fire, refused to let grief paralyze her. Unloading crates at Mā‘alaea Harbor helped temper the trauma of surviving hours in Lāhainā Harbor with a kupuna neighbor and the image of the elderly man who escaped with them slumped in the water only a few feet away.

Although not directly impacted by the Lāhainā wildfire, Daimus Kanahele was determined to contribute what he could. “We make clothing, so the first thing we did was fill up our truck with blank T-shirts from our warehouse to donate to the closest shelter,” said the owner of Manafacture print shop in Wailuku and founder of Na Koa Brand island apparel.

“But we knew we had to do more. Our mantra through this has been, ‘Do what you know.’ We know apparel, and we know design.”

The stars aligned when Lāhainā Restoration Foundation approached Kanahele to collaborate on a Lāhainā Strong clothing line focusing on the beloved banyan tree. “Lāhainā’s roots run deep with history and culture, and I wanted to highlight that through the art,” he explained, adding that incorporating symbols of the people of Lāhainā into the image illustrates working together as one to preserve and rebuild. Featuring Kanahele’s stylized banyan tree, each T-shirt is hand-printed with proceeds donated to Lāhainā restoration efforts.

To assist displaced families struggling to rebuild with little ones underfoot, IMUA Family Services partnered with The Nanny Connection and Maui Dive Shops to provide free daycare in West Maui until school began in the fall. More than 50 children are dropped off on the first day. The nonprofit committed to island keiki also partnered with JAKKS Pacific toy company on the mainland to open the “Play IMUA” pop-up store at Mā‘alaea Harbor Shops where children could “shop” for free toys, books, Halloween costumes and more until supplies ran out. By providing a safe space for impacted children and their families to enjoy toys and activities, IMUA and JAKKS Pacific helped encourage healing.

Maui Fresh Streatery

Food-truck chefs and other volunteers feed first responders and those impacted by the fires. Wailuku artist and Na Koa Brand apparel founder, Daimus Kanahele, creates “Lahaina Strong” design to raise recovery funds.

Daimus Kanahele

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Maui Brewing Company

Cammy Clark

Maui Brewing Co. develops Kōkua label — one beer brewed by many hands — to support the island’s impacted residents.

Volunteers LouAnn Walker (far left), Jenn Payne, Elizabeth Sirois and Jackie Foster at a child-focused distribution hub in Kīhei’s Azeka Shopping Center. Below, World Central Kitchen teams prepare thousands of nutritous meals daily.

World Central Kitchen

Eskimo Candy

Eskimo Candy distribution company delivers 500 shipments meat, seafood and other necessities to response centers at Lāhainā Gateway shopping center.

LAULIMA SOUTH MAUI Although Maui Brewing Company’s West Maui locations still stand, the Kīhei-based beverage company immediately began collecting monetary donations and household supplies at its South Maui store. In a matter of weeks, the island brewery developed Kōkua (to help, care) Beer to fund ongoing recovery efforts with donated sales profits.

At Kīhei Boat Landing, ocean-tour company Blue Water Rafting worked with local captains and truck drivers to organize donation deliveries from South Maui to affected areas on the west side. Farther north, Sugar Beach Events pivoted from upscale wedding parties to food prep and delivery for those in need.

Family-owned and -operated commercial food distribution company Eskimo Candy, Inc., which supplies fresh seafood and meats to resorts and restaurants, quickly regrouped in the days following to aid. CEO Jeffry Hansen and sons Joshua and Jordan delivered shrimp, mahi-mahi, angus burgers, ground beef, chicken and more to West Maui.

Although much was pulled from their Kīhei inventory, Hansen generously purchased

pallets of water, Gatorade, diapers and other necessities to the tune of more than $10,000 a day — a considerable financial sacrifice for any island business — and orchestrated donations of paper products from Crackin’ Coffee and ice from Kīhei Ice. In addition, Eskimo Candy gifted every on-island fire station a case each of Wagyu ribeye steaks and baby back pork ribs.

Azeka Shopping Center and Nalu’s South Shore Grill in Kīhei hosted the Lāhainā Keiki Relief Concert. Among the musicians donating their time and kanikapila (impromptu jam session) skills were Anthony Pfluke, Kawika Ortiz, Brother Noland and Sista Robi Kahakalau. Organizer Ron Panzo of Nalu’s had “no words” to describe the aloha, the love — the laulima — coming from so many.

Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort contributed a full emergency kitchen in coordination with World Central Kitchen and other hotels to provide thousands of hot meals and sponsored the Wiwo‘ole Maui Benefit Concert for the Maui Strong Fund. And neighboring Four Seasons Maui, which donated pallets of linens, bedding, diapers, toiletries and more to Maui shelters,

later housed emergency personnel, first responders and displaced employees and their families. The resort also established the Four Seasons Golden Rule Relief Fund to support employees in need directly, with the remaining funds distributed to the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund, and the Maui Strong offer encouraging guests to dedicate a portion of their stay (up to $200 per night) to the Maui Strong Fund.

Kīhei resident Kevin Watkins, who owns Maui Sustainable Solutions, initiated his own fundraising drive to place clean water stations in areas where drinking water is, was, or at risk of contamination due to damaged infrastructure from the wildfires.

Three weeks and counting, nearly 100 people paddled out from Kīheiʻs Cove Park in memory of Lāhainā lives lost. This marked the first of two organized paddle outs that took place on the one-month anniversary of the tragic fires: a full day of healing at Kalama Park that lasted until sunset and the emotional paddle out, boat lineup, flower drop and convoy at Ukumehame Beach Park, south of Olowalu.

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LAULIMA EAST MAUI On the far side of the island, where the wildfire smoke didn’t reach, Hāna neighborhoods and businesses collected donations, and volunteers delivered them by the truckload to support early relief efforts spearheaded

by Kā‘anapali’s Kanamu Baninbin. Hāna Tropicals, a flower farm and moringa orchard specializing in Hawaiian arrangements, harvested as much as could be arranged to sell at the Hāna Farmers Market. All proceeds were donated to Maui wildfire recovery efforts.

Six days after the Maui wildfires, Hāna School’s 6th- and 8th-grade students in Kumu Pi’ilani Lua’s Hawaiian Studies classes created artwork inspired by love for impacted Maui keiki. Guided by Kumu Pi’ilani and international artist Blessing Hancock, the series sends a message of support from the children of Hāna to the children of Lāhainā.

The Hāna Arts community art project, now known as Healing Rainbow Waves, is on display at the Hāna School campus.

Hāna Farmers Market was the site of the 2023 Levitt AMP Hāna Music Series’ Concerts with a Cause fundraiser in late August with headliner Paula Fuga. Presented

by Hāna Arts with several major sponsors, the event raised over $40,000 to support Common Ground Collective and community-based agriculture to help feed displaced and food-insecure families.

LAULIMA NORTH SHORE Surrounded by properties in Spreckelsville, Maui Country Club wasted no time reaching out to club members and staff to organize daily donation drives and supply runs via boats, airplanes and trucks to evacuation shelters.

A large meeting room was converted into a shelter for the club’s displaced families and employees impacted by the Lāhainā and Kula fires. As the shelters emptied, MCC focused on arranging housing for visiting chefs volunteering with Operation BBQ Relief, which provided more than 30,000 meals.

Pāʻia’s hip, artsy surf community flexed its humanitarian muscles with myriad businesses, organizations and individuals stepping up. Youth With a Calling, part of the nonprofit Youth with a Mission Maui, volunteered its one boat to deliver food and supplies to West Maui and assisted in damaged property

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recovery and retrieval in collaboration with insurance giant Allstate’s Catastrophe Team.

Pāʻia Fish Market, which lost its Front Street Lāhainā location in the fire, matched donations up to $20,000 to support island-wide relief efforts. And the Boba Bar Pāʻia + Anthony’s Coffee kept first responders and emergency personnel hydrated and fed with free water, coffee, breakfast, lunch, snacks and more.

Owner of Deep Relief Peak Performance Athletic Training Center in Haʻikū, Samantha Campbell donated her specialized skills with offers of free injury evaluations for first responders and complimentary children’s classes for Maui keiki affected by the fires. And a mobile unit established by Haʻikū’s Pacific Birth Collective provided free essential care for displaced and impacted pregnant, birthing and postpartum families.

LAULIMA UPCOUNTRY Even as the Olinda fire spread to Upper Kula, igniting blazes that consumed 19 homes and more than 200 acres, Upcountry residents and businesses joined forces to help friends and neighbors around the island. The first Upcountry evacuation orders were issued early Tuesday morning just before dawn, 12 hours before Lāhainā burned. Evacuees were housed in Pukalani’s Mayor Hannibal

Tavares Community Center.

On Crater Road, Kula resident Matson Kelly was clearing fire-fueling brush from an empty lot next door when neighbors noticed and voluntarily joined in the effort.

With hotspots still flaring up in gulches and grasslands, a grassroots community group formed on the social app Next Door seeking volunteers and heavy equipment to remove vegetation and other wildfire incendiaries from vulnerable Kula neighborhoods.

“Neighbors are taking care of neighbors one Toyota Tacoma at a time,” said recovery organizer Kyle Ellison, whose family lost their Upcountry home to the fires.

The spirit of laulima is so firmly anchored in volcanic rock that even a surfer from Kīhei, Gabriel Morgan, trekked up the mountain to assist Upcountry homeowners in cleaning up properties destroyed by fire.

Help also came from the pineapple fields of Hali‘imaile. Maui Gold Pineapple immediately suspended tours and instead delivered cut pineapple by boat to impacted areas. The iconic Upcountry pineapple farm also initiated the “Pineapple Pledge” — a commitment to support aid organizations one purchased pineapple at a time through donated profits.

And in nearby Makawao, the organic, regenerative family farm Simple Roots donated

Many Hands Holoholona

Skyrim Studio

Many Hāna hands come together in Hāna Arts’ Healing Rainbow Waves community art project. Below, Hawai‘i Community Foundation partners with Maui nonprofits to provide supplies from baby formula to pet food.

T

Maui Humane Society

HOSE WHO ESCAPED the Lāhainā fire with their very lives say it came on like a bullet train — fast, furious and white-hot. Some were able to grab their animals (holoholona in Hawaiian); others were not so lucky.

“I cried every day, feeling so guilty that I couldn’t just break down the door and save them,” one survivor said of her two cats, Finn and Bali. “We just keep picturing their faces, hoping beyond hope that they somehow made it.”

Not knowing the fate of their beloved pets was a shared lament heard in Maui evacuation shelters in the days following, stretching into weeks as displaced residents were moved to temporary housing and shelters dismantled. It would be more than two and a half weeks before authorized animal-rescue personnel were allowed in the burn zone where four-legged survivors were forced to fend for themselves for 18 long days.

It would take many hands, much laulima, to help West Maui’s non-human fire victims. Maui County’s humane enforcement arm, Maui Humane Society (MHS) guided local and off-island efforts to attend to as many displaced, injured and deceased animals as possible.

The quickly expanding animal-welfare hui included island-based Hawai‘i Animal Rescue Foundation (HARF), Honi Honi Cats Maui, Valley Isle Animal Rescue, Kitty Charm Farm, plus hundreds of volunteers and myriad mainland and Neighbor Island partners. As rescuers waited to access West Maui, they took preparative action. To ensure adequate space for the anticipated influx of animals in need, hundreds of dogs and cats were transferred from Maui animal-care facilities to rescue organizations in Oregon, Continued on pg 41

Hawai‘i Community Foundation

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poundfuls of freshly harvested chicken originally earmarked for West Maui restaurants. A desired protein source, the chicken meat fed first responders, emergency workers and displaced families in West Maui.

THE ROOTS OF HOPE The stories of laulima in the hours, days and weeks following the Maui wildfires held us together when we felt broken and carried us when our legs were weak. It is the island way, to spread aloha and care for others, whether strangers, ‘ohana or a 150-year-old tree.

In what has become a symbol of hope and regeneration, Lāhainā’s iconic banyan tree somehow still stands — singed and scorched — in the torched courthouse square named in its honor. Although its thousands of leaves were severely burned, the massive tree’s 40-plus trunks fared better than originally feared. A hui comprising arborists, landscapers and concerned volunteers formed right after the fire to care for the tree in the days that followed. Water tankers doused the tree every few hours and hui members bathed the banyan in love and light.

Arborist Steve Nimz, a first responder and unofficial hui leader, expressed early optimism after discovering living tissue under the bark of the tree’s lower trunks and new life in the roots.

To stimulate growth and nourish the base, the team has been aerating and treating the soil with a specialized compost mixture.

In the months since, new sprouts have emerged on the mauka (mountain) side of the banyan and there is growth high in the canopy.

With a third of the beloved tree already showing strong recovery, the island holds hope for its reawakening.

The Front Street square itself, once the vibrant hub of Lāhainā Town, remains unrecognizable. The courthouse, little more than a burned-out shell. Steps away, a placard that survived still reads “Lāhainā’s Banyan Tree — A Gathering Place.”

Whether these words belong to the past or the future remains to be seen. But when many hands work together, miracles come true.

Collected from news and media reports, personal experiences and word of mouth, these stories represent a fraction of the laulima that holds us close and keeps us #MauiStrong.

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Continued from pg 39

Travis Morrin’s aerial photo of August’s first super moon cresting the West Maui Mountains — taken only days before the fires — holds Lāhainā forever in its embrace.

Washington, California and on O‘ahu.

Many hands were hard at work across the island. HARF provided food, shelter and medical care for hundreds of evacuated dogs, cats and farm animals and offered to board displaced pets free of charge at its Waihe‘e Maui Humane Society facility.

Makawao Veterinary Clinic set up the Maui Fire Animal Relief Fund to assist impacted animals and their guardians.

And Leilani Farm Sanctuary in Ha‘ikū partnered with MHS to arrange temporary shelter for horses, cows, goats and other large animals impacted by the Lāhainā and Upcountry fires.

Emergency provisions collected through donation requests were delivered to pet-friendly shelter. Rehomed families, foster volunteers and animal rescue groups in need of food, water, bedding, toys, etc. could pick up supplies for free at MHS’s Pu‘unene campus and participating businesses and community centers around the island. Working with Lāhainā Veterinary Clinic, Kīhei Veterinary Clinic, West Maui Animal Clinic and visiting veterinarians, MHS offered free clinics daily at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa in Kā‘anapali for the first month, continuing on a weekly basis thereafter.

Once access to the burn zone was granted, MHS enforcement officers, Animal Search and Rescue (ASAR)/Animal Incident Management (AIM) and Greater Good Charities trapping teams worked around the clock responding to lost-animal calls, searching abandoned structures, trapping injured or struggling animals as possible, leaving food and water for displaced animals yet to be trapped, and collecting remains to provide closure for pet parents.

To facilitate reuniting found animals with their people, dedicated groups popped up on Facebook and other socials to support MHS’s official database of missing animals. More than 400 Lāhainā animals, mostly cats and dogs, have been brought to MHS as of mid-October. Forty-plus of those included rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, large tortoises, one chinchilla and a pig. MHS has over 200 strays in its care and has successfully reunited more than 100 fortunate holoholona with their ‘ohana.

And that tormented evacuee who had to leave her two cats? Maui Humane Society reunited her with Finn, who was located weeks later relatively unscathed. She continues to have faith that Bali will be found alive, too. And nothing is more powerful than faith, except perhaps laulima.

Travis Morrin

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HALE of HOPE

EXPLORING THE SPIRITED HOUSES OF WORSHIP AND SACRED SPACES OF EAST MAUI

Erected in stages beginning in the 13th century, Pi‘ilanihale Heiau holds great cultural and spiritual significance as one of the largest, best preserved heaiu in the Hawaiian Islands.

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Story by MONA de CRINIS Photographs by DANIEL SULLIVAN

A

S DIVERSE AND CULTURALLY RICH as the island itself, houses of worship have long sheltered and ministered to Maui’s faithful. Buddhist temples and Christian churches of nearly every stripe — Evangelical, Episcopal, Baptist, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — coexist with Catholicism’s striking cathedrals and agrestic heiau where early Hawaiians, influenced by Polynesian culture, venerated nature and channeled mana (divine energy or life force).

Whether historically significant, architecturally masterful, devoutly spartan, pagoda-like or enshrined in the ‘āina, the sacred spaces of East Maui reveal a multidenominational mosaic with a singular message culled from lava rock and carried by the trades: Treat others with kindness and be in harmony with the planet. In other words, live aloha.

Maui Nō Ka HALE ‘Oi Fall OF2023 HOPE4343

Built in 1853 from stone-cut coral, Kaulanapueo Church was named for the owls heard roosting in the trees at night.

Kaulanapueo Church

27 Door of Faith Road, Ha‘ikū Built in 1853 in Ha‘ikū Town with large coral stone cut and hauled by hand from Waipi‘o Bay, Kaulanapueo Church appears as if plucked from a gothic novel with rough-hewn walls and gravestones bleached white. Think Wuthering Heights with a tin roof and tropical backdrop.

Named for the owls heard roosting in the trees at night — “kaulana” meaning famous and “pueo” meaning owls — the church sits on land that once nurtured an ancient hala grove.

Lime mortar, used to bind blocks of coral, was mixed in a pit makai (ocean side) of the main building. Atop the United Congregational Church, a green steeple reaches toward the heavens. The church bell, cast in Pennsylvania and delivered to Maui in 1862, still peals to summon the faithful.

Lanakila ‘Ihi‘ihi O Iehowa O na Kaua Church (Ke‘anae Congregational Church)

316 Ke‘anae Rd, Ha‘ikū (Ke‘anae) In 1946, a massive earthquake off Alaska sparked a tsunami that swept across East Maui’s Ke‘anae Peninsula, destroying much in its path. The only structure said to survive the briny assault was Lanakila ‘Ihi‘ihi O Iehowa O na Kaua Church, commonly known as Ke‘anae Congregational Church. Built in 1856 from lava rock and coral mortar, the church was restored in the 1990s.

Today, white double-pane windows illume the rustic architecture. Outside, a pastoral graveyard memorializes those who lived and worked among Ke‘anae’s fields of taro. Etched above the altar, the words “‘Ihi‘ihio lehowa o na Kaua” offer hope to all who read them: “Sacredness of Jehovah, the Son of God.”

Lanakila ‘Ihi‘ihi O Iehowa O Na Kaua Church, built in 1856 with lava rock and coral mortar, survived a 1946 tsunami that swept across Ke‘anae Peninsula.

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St. Gabriel Mission Church, Our Lady of Fatima Shrine 135 Wailua Rd, Ha’ikū (Wailua)

Although the quaint wooden Catholic church that fronts Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, erected in 1860 with lime-plastered coral and rubblestone, sadly burned to the ground last year, the tale of “The Coral Miracle Church” in Wailua lives on.

According to island lore, the ocean gifted parishioners the coral during a fierce storm.

When building was complete, a second squall returned the unused coral back to the sea. In 1937, the congregation constructed a larger church in Gothic Revival style, rededicating the original coral-and-stone structure behind Our Lady of Fatima in 1951 for special services and ceremonies. A mission of St. Rita since the 1960s, the St. Rita Parish is raising funds to restore Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, which was spared by the fire but in need of repair.

Pi‘ilanihale Heiau & Kahanu Garden 650 Ulaino Rd, Hāna

As the story goes, Our Lady of Fatima Shrine — known as “The Coral Miracle Church” — was originally built with coral gifted by the sea.

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A few miles north of Hāna Town, Pi‘ilanihale Heiau rises from the rain forest like the regal ‘io (hawk). With 50-foot lava rock walls, some comprising multiple stepped terraces, this heiau is considered the best-preserved temple in the Hawaiian Islands and the largest in Polynesia.

Erected in stages beginning as early as the 13th century, the massive 4-acre complex is constructed of basalt rock transported from as far away as Hāna Bay. It’s believed the stones were shaped by hand and somehow puzzled together without the use of mortar.

A registered National Historic Landmark, the ancient temple and surrounding grounds hold great significance as a multifaceted space with historical functions and stories unique to early Hawaiians. While inherently spiritual, the heiau carries distinct meaning and context that is markedly different from worship sites associated with post-contact religions.

Pi‘ilanihale Heiau is also the piko (cultural center) of Kahanu Garden, a National Tropical Botanical Garden spread across 294 acres that showcases Hawai‘i’s indigenous flora, including rare and endangered species, and home to the Pi‘ilanihale Heiau Visitor Center.

A massive 4-acre complex constructed of basalt rock hauled from Hāna Bay, Pi‘ilanihale Heiau features 50-foot lava rock walls and multiple stepped terraces.

Built in 1940 to replace the original 1926 structure, Hāna Hongwanji Gakuen Buddhist Temple reflects an architectural style later coined Hawaiian eclectic.

Associated with Hāna’s first Western missionaries, Wananalua Congregational Church sits on the hallowed ground of an ancient heiau.

Iconic cranes and elephants carved into portico beams silently trumpet the temple’s Eastern influence associated with Hāna’s once-thriving Japanese community, which suffered a sharp decline after WWII and closing of the sugar mill. While the Hāna Nisei imprint survives to this day, the temple itself was in disrepair. A community organization formed in 2015 is committed Gakuen Temple’s restoration and preservation.

Wananalua Congregational Church 10 Hauoli Rd, Hāna

Hāna Hongwanji Gakuen Buddhist Temple 5305 Hāna Highway, Hāna

First built in 1926, the original austere Gakuen Temple (Learning Garden Temple) was replaced in 1940 with a more ornate version befitting the Buddha. Japanese carpenters crafted the new, one-story temple in a style fusing Western plantation and traditional Japanese later termed “Hawaiian eclectic.”

Located on Hāna Highway next to HānaMaui Resort, this large stone worship house of the United Church of Christ was built in 1842 on the hallowed ground of an ancient heiau. Associated with one of the first Western missionaries to settle in Hāna, the church was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1988.

With thick plastered walls and an outset bell tower that serves as the entry, the Romanesque architecture is reminiscent of a medieval Norman cathedral. In the nearby cemetery, an outstretched banyan tree’s

long arms drape protectively over aging gravestones and mausoleums.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Chapel 4836 Uakea Rd, Hāna

In June 1851, missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints organized the first congregation on Maui, called a “branch,” near Kula. By the end of the summer, the Church expanded to East Maui with three branches in Honomanū, Waianu and Wailua Nui, then added Ke’ane, Nāhiku and Hāna. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the six East Maui branches consolidated into one branch in Hāna, meeting in a single-room white clapboard chapel.

By the 1990s, membership outgrew the little chapel, which was replaced with a new chapel in 1999. With Asian design influences, a large overhanging roof covering wide wrap-around porches and a foundation of lava stone, Maui architect Ed Akiona designed the plantation-style chapel to blend into the tropical Hāna landscape, as if it had been here for generations.

HALE OF HOPE

49

Built in 1862 on a thrust of rocky coastline near Kaupō, St. Joseph Catholic Church invites exploration by all who pass.

Below, Palapala Ho‘omau Church enjoys a rich history as the final resting place of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh.

Palapala Ho‘omau Church

8 miles south of Hāna past mile marker 41, turn makai (ocean side) Palapala ho‘omau roughly translates to “Church of enduring Scriptures,” and this missionary-era jewel with thick walls, peaked roof and a bell tower really lives

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up to its name. Built by New England Christians in 1864 at Kipahulu Point — a feral swath of Pacific raging below — the modest limestone-coral and lava-rock church with the million-dollar view soon became Kipahulu’s worship and community hub for local families and immigrant sugar plantation workers.

Neglected for a full century as congregants abandoned Kipahulu for employment opportunities elsewhere on island, the “Church of the Enduring Scriptures” found new life when Sam Pryor discovered the remnants slowly being devoured by a hungry jungle.

Pryor was determined to restore the property with friend and aviator, Charles Lindbergh, who was later laid to rest in the graveyard he helped revive.

As news of the restoration spread, community members returned the original organ and pews they had safely stored at home. On Thanksgiving Day 1965, the enduring little church opened its doors to worshippers for the first time in many years. Greeting them was Pryor’s final gift: a Polynesian Christ draped in the sacred ‘ahu‘ula — red-andyellow feather capes reserved for Hawai’i’s highest chiefs — illuminated in stained glass.

Catholic Churches of East Maui Beginning in the early 19th century, Catholic missionaries arrived on Maui intent on spreading their teachings and faith across the island. They succeeded.

In the 17 miles from Hāna to Kaupō on Maui’s rugged southeast shore, four active Catholic Churches serve their flock. A parish church of St. Paul and St. Peter Churches, St. Mary’s Catholic Church at 5000 Hāna Highway west of Hāna-Maui Resort dates to 1850 and boasts stunning stained-glass windows.

Farther south are the mission churches of St. Peter Catholic Church at 37 St. Peter Church Rd. in Pu‘uiki and St. Paul Catholic Church at 41145 Hana Highway in Kīpahulu. On a thrust of rocky coastline near Kaupō, St. Joseph Catholic Church at 33622 Pi’ilani Highway invites exploration by all who brave the lonely stretch of Pi‘ilani Highway casually known as the backroad to Hāna.

Built on this isolated point in 1862, the weathered two-tiered stone church is flanked by stone ruins and, behind, lies a graveyard full of stories.

Perched on wild, wind-whipped Mokulau Peninsula, Huialoha Church was hand-built with rock and coral over a 10-year period beginning in 1849.

Huialoha Church

Mokulau Peninsula, Kaupō Perched on Kaupō’s wild, wind-whipped coastline of Mokulau Peninsula, Huialoha Church was hand-built by Christian missionaries and native Hawaiian converts over a 10-year period beginning in 1849.

Hauled rock cemented together with coral mortar formed the two-foot-thick

walls. Logs brought down from Haleakalā’s wooded upper slopes provided material for the roof, window frames and doors.

Once boasting more than 200 church members, the humble whitewashed sanctuary has endured storms, earthquakes and a dwindling congregation as economic opportunities continued to flourish elsewhere on the island.

During the mid-1970s, community

efforts to restore the modest little church to its former glory unearthed an unexpected treasure within its walls: A bottle stuffed with handwritten notes, some scrawled in Hawaiian, dated Feb. 9, 1942 — a mere two months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor ­— spoke of war and the hope for peace, with one message in particular lamenting that, with the men away, “the women have done most of the work.”

Photographer Daniel Sullivan Goes Deeper Author of “The Maui Coast: Legacy of the King’s Highway” and award-winning Maui photographer, Daniel Sullivan has traveled the world chronicling cultures in remote, exotic locations, but his greatest adventure, he says, was right here in his own back yard.

Inspired by legendary Eddie Pu, who walked the entire island in 1976 to honor the ‘aina, Sullivan spent nine days hiking and photographing Alaloa Kihapi‘ilani, today known as the King’s Highway, a once-vital 138-mile road hand-paved with basalt stones that rings the whole of Maui.

The 2013 oddessy taught him to go deep, not far, Sullivan said about the immersive experience he discovered just beyond his doorstep. Exploring East Maui’s jungled coastline revealed a spiritual landscape both beautiful and battered. His arresting images deftly capture a layered worship history not unlike the very road traveled — disjointed and fragmented, yet forming a clear path forward when pieced together.

Some East Maui places of worship, built of coral and lava rock, stand tall while others have suffered the winds of time. Yet all have a story to tell. Turning the lens on his island home, the prolific, globe-trotting photographer sparks renewed passion for East Maui’s hale of hope and encourages their preservation for future generations. | danielsullivanphotography.com

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West-side restaurant updates and fresh starts in Maui Nui

By Carla Tracy Dining Editor LOVE FOR LĀHAINĀ ... Tony Bennett may have left his heart in San Francisco, but I definitely left mine in Lāhainā. Fond memories include getting married at Puamana, judging a Lāhainā Halloween contest under the stars near the banyan tree, joining Lāhainā Yacht Club and fishing in a Lāhainā Jackpot Wahine Tournament.

In the 1990s, the Navy even sent a pair of nuclear submarines into Lāhainā waters specifically for a lifestyle piece I wrote about sailors on shore leave in the historic town. True story.

But keeping fond memories close is difficult when living in an almost unbearable reality after the Aug. 8 fire. So many lives lost, businesses and homes in ruins, and constant worry about brothers, sisters, aunties, uncles and other family first responders, like my nephew — a fire captain with the Lāhainā ladder.

We have collectively suffered an unimaginable loss, which we are trying to wrap our minds around. After feeding survivors and support teams, which has been so critical, will the glass be half empty or half full with regard to West Maui restaurants in the coming months?

“Miraculously Old Lāhainā Lū‘au, Star Noodle and Leoda’s had minimum damage,” said Kawika Freitas of the Nā Hoaloha ‘Ekolu restaurant group.

“Sadly, sister company, Feast at Lele, was completely destroyed. All together, nearly half of the combined 402 employees lost their homes and belongings, many are traumatized, and everyone knows someone who perished from the fire.”

Old Lāhainā Lū‘au, which miraculously sustained minimal damage during the fires, hopes to delight guests again with its awardwinning traditional Hawaiian experience in early 2024.

Joshua Hardin

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Chef Hui

“It does not seem we will be able to operate the lū‘au for a while,” Freitas continued. “our guess is that we won’t be opening earlier than February 2024”. Star Noodle and Leoda’s will likely reopen before the end of the year, he added. While Leoda’s is in Olowalu, much of its food production is in a Lāhainā commissary kitchen that was affected by the fire.

Hāna Hou Hospitality Group also shared details: Down the Hatch Maui and Breakwall Shave Ice Co. were destroyed in the fire as was the rest of Wharf Cinema Center, but Māla Ocean Tavern and Duckine near Safeway still stand. Their Pizza Paradiso in Honokōwai Marketplace was already open for lunch three weeks after the fire.

Māla Ocean Tavern and Duckine coowner Ashley Davis confirmed that out of nearly 200 employees, more than 100 lost their homes. “The group has been assisting employees in finding shelter and jobs, while supporting them in whatever else they might need,” she added. “Even with losing everything, many still show up to volunteer and support others.”

Although the zone where Māla Ocean Tavern is located recently opened, Davis said that due to infrastructure damage, they will have to wait to reopen the restaurant. “Right now, we continue to pause as events unfold,” she continued. “We are taking this time to focus on our teams and to assess their individual situations, in hopes that we can help. Mahalo nui loa for your support, prayers and donations.

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We continue to pray for the people of the Lāhainā community and keep hope in our hearts.”

Chef Lee Anne Wong of Papa ‘Aina at the Pioneer Inn lost her job and place of residence (but not the parrot!), yet still tirelessly volunteered at University of Hawai‘i Maui College with the Chef Hui Maui Fire Relief group following the disaster.

“We are witnessing a true testament to the power of unity and community action; however, our local resources are struggling to keep up with the island’s hardships,” said Wong, an “All-Star” on the televisions show Top Chef and head chef of Koko Head Cafe on O‘ahu. “We are urging our community and nation to please make donations to our partnering agency Chef Hui.” Collaborating chefs include Isaac Bancaco of Pacific’O, which was destroyed in the fire, along with Sheldon Simeon of Tiffany’s, plus Tin Roof in Central Maui, Greg Shepard of Pā‘ia Bay Coffee Bar, Taylor Ponte of Kamado Maui, Madame Donut of Donut Dynamite, Mike Lofaro of Fairmont Kea Lani, Perry Bateman of Mama’s Fish House, Grey Rollins of Left Coast Kitchen in Santa Rosa, Calif., Sunny Savage of Savage Kitchen, Zach

Sato of Havens and Keli‘i Heen of Argex Beverages.

Owner Denise Black of Lāhainā Loft event venue on Front Street watched flames engulf her business repeatedly on TV, as it was part of the now iconic Lāhainā fire footage. “I was horrified by what I was seeing of our quaint town, not registering the actual location,” Black said.

“I was numb and in utter disbelief with the ferocious flames. My mind then went to people, our Lāhainā families, the team that works in CocoNene and Tabora, and the Lāhainā Pizza Co.” Nevertheless, Black redirected her pain into volunteering with Operation BBQ Relief. Working out of Fat Daddy’s in Kīhei, Operation BBQ Relief has been making chicken, pork loin, pork butt and brisket while providing volunteers and food at places like Sugar Beach, Merriman’s and Leilani’s on the Beach.

TS Restaurants lost Kimo’s on Front Street, but Leilani’s and Hula Grill in Kā‘anapali survived, along with other restaurants. In the weeks following the fire, it provided employees with thousands of breakfasts, lunches and dinners that were said to be quite tasty.

To assist restaurant, bar and hospitality

Chefs Madame Donut, Sheldon Simeon, Taylor Ponte and Lisa Villiarimo are among the volunteers who helped feed Maui after the fires. Below, volunteers prepare meals at University of Hawai‘i Maui College’s Pā‘ina Market.

Chris Amundson

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Quentin Bacon (both)

workers affected by the devastating wildfires, the Hawai‘i Ag and Culinary A l l i a nc e re s u r re c t e d t he Kōk u a Restaurant and Hospitality Fund for Maui. “Our hearts go out to all who have been impacted by this disaster, and we are committed to supporting the island’s recovery,” said James Beard Awardwinning chef Roy Yamaguchi on Good Morning America.

Yamaguchi owns a number of restaurants, including Roy’s in Kā‘anapali, which reoponed after the fire. He also is the cofounder of the statewide Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival that will present related Kā‘anapali events in spring 2024.

Signs of recovery, such as West Maui restaurants reopening, offer much-needed hope. However, West Side restaurant woes likely will continue for months, possibly years, making continued donations, volunteers and visitors vital over the long haul.

SOUTH SIDE STORIES ... Over the summer, Gannon’s: A Pacific View

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restaurant in Wailea morphed into Gather on Maui under the expert guidance of General Manager Kris McMillan.

The expansive 13,000-square-foot Maui restaurant boasts panoramic views and amazing private event spaces from the lower pond to the wedding knoll.

Part of a brand owned by Graeme and Mara Swain, which also includes Upcountry Maui’s renowned Hali‘imaile General Store, Wyoming’s Gather & Palate in Jackson Hole, and Gather in Omaha and Gather Urban Farm in Nebraska, Gather on Maui has been completely renovated. Look for the beautiful new bar manned by craft mixologists concocting weekly specials such as Caribbean Coffee Punch with Cane Rock spiced rum, pineapple rum, lemon simple syrup and coffee concentrate.

Carrying on the culinary tradition of former owner and celebrity chef Beverly Gannon, Gather on Maui boasts a mouthwatering menu with reimagined dishes including adobo-braised pork shank with Israeli couscous, sweet-pea puree, cherry tomatoes and pea tendrils; and mojoroasted chicken with sour-orange mojo

sauce, papaya salad and confit of fingerling potatoes.

Salad lovers are pouncing on hearts of palm with citrus segments, arugula, toasted palms and citrus vinaigrette. A lū‘au dinner show is swaying its hips in anticipation of future fun in South Maui.

According to owner Graeme Swain, the word “gather” signifies a belief in the power of coming together, which takes on even greater meaning on Maui.

“Gather on Maui is a new name for fresh beginnings, and our team has carefully curated a new menu featuring fresh ingredients,” Swain said. “Locals and visitors alike will love our new bar while enjoying panoramic views from Haleakalā to the deep blue waters of the Pacific Ocean out to Molokini [Crater].”

Check out Gather on Maui for an experience that captures the essence of fresh starts and shared moments.

Another restaurant that debuted in South Maui during the summer was Olivine, situated oceanfront in the former Molokini Bistro at Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort. Cool

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pumpkin-colored cushions complement vibrant artwork and teal tables illuminated by chic Italian lamps in hues inspired by Positano on the Amalfi Coast of Italy — all

by Tihany Design. Olivine specializes in coastal Italian cuisine prepared with local ingredients, as well as craft cocktails and an expansive wine list, each pairing seamlessly with views of the Pacific Ocean.

“The resort’s property-wide refresh has given us the opportunity to reimagine the Grand Wailea experience, and Olivine is a perfect example of how that will manifest in our food and beverage programming,” said Grand Wailea Managing Director JP Oliver. “We’ve been highly meticulous during this process to ensure that every change we implement aligns with our commitment to a retreat grounded in harmony, and we couldn’t be happier to see it come to life for our guests.”

Executive Chef Ryan Urig added, “Bringing the best of Maui ingredients to the art of Italian cuisine resulted in a menu that beautifully showcases our island’s sustainably sourced seafood while evoking a sense of place. We can’t wait for guests to

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CRAVING MAUI

Rachel Olsson Photography

experience the best of Maui and beyond at this new concept.”

Seafood is sourced from Hawai‘i-based, sustainable aquaculture operation Blue Ocean Mariculture at Kona on Hawai‘i Island. Herbs grown on property by the resort’s Head Landscaper Jim Heid are infused into menu items, olive oils, cocktails and more to reflect the resort’s lush bounty.

Signature menu items include Moloka‘i sweet potato ravioli with lemon-almond pesto, cacio e pepe prepared with tonnarelli, Parmigiano Reggiano, pepper and caviar; Hawaiian kampachi crudo plated with aged pancetta, smoky Romanesco, candied kumquats and ogo, and a selection of woodfired pizzas topped with seasonal ingredients.

And handmade pastas by Chef Michele di Bari of Sale Pepe — Maui’s beloved Italian bistro destroyed in the Lāhainā fire — have been featured on the menu.

Grand Wailea also recently launched its Aloha Sunshine juice created in partnership with Erewhon, the iconic Los Angeles grocer and wellness cafe. A refreshing combination of all-organic ingredients including Maui Gold Pineapple, ginger, fresh lime juice and mint, the juice is available exclusively at Grand Wailea’s artisanal cafe-market concept, Loulu, and at Erewhon markets throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

Those with a penchant for things gourmet should head over to Lāna‘i, where

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Alvin Dela Cruz has been appointed executive chef at Four Seasons Resort Lāna‘i. (Expeditions Ferry is operating regular service to Lāna‘i from Mā‘alaea Harbor until further notice).

Born in the Philippines and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, Chef Dela Cruz brings a wealth of operational knowledge from Montage Los Cabos, Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills and The Ritz-Carlton properties across the United States.

A CrossFit coach on the side who likes to host culinary workshops and demonstrations, Chef Dela Cruz oversees the resort’s culinary program, including the American-Hawaiian steakhouse and seafood restaurant ONE FORTY, in-room dining and extensive catering offerings.

Maui Ocean Center in Mā‘alaea and its Seascape Restaurant invite island visitors to view boats in the harbor and the waters beyond, with complimentary binoculars provided during whale season. However, it may be hard to tear your eyes away from, say, the fresh island catch enhanced with Maui Nui avocado, heirloom tomato compote and pickled Kula red onion or

the Pua’a bowl filled with soy-glazed pork belly, calamansi lime and free-range, sixminute egg served with curried pea salad.

Executive Chef Henry Tariga was born in the Philippines where his family raised livestock and grew their own produce.

On Maui, he’s a James Beard Foundation award-winner who hand selects fresh fish from Mā‘alaea Harbor fishermen, grass-fed meats from island ranches and canoe crops (coconuts, taro, etc.) from local farmers.

Tariga’s obsession with things “local” propelled Seascape to be deemed platinum award-winner by the Surfrider Foundation and voted Best Restaurant of the Year by Pacific Edge magazine.

Maui Ocean Center General Manager Tapani Vuori offered a deep-felt mahalo for the donations and support delivered to those who suffered so much on Maui, adding that an employed Maui is a resilient Maui.

“Many of our local businesses depend on the visitor community. As such Maui welcomes respectful, thoughtful tourism,” Vuori said. “While respecting Lāhainā and its residents, we welcome you to visit the rest of our large and diverse island.”

Above, Executive Chef Ryan Urig leads the culinary team at Olivine, a new Italian restaurant at Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort. Below, Seascape Restaurant at Maui Ocean Center serves farm-to-table dishes, such as the Island Green Salad, Li‘i Li‘i Hanapa‘a and Maui ‘ulu pie for a sweet sendoff.

Seascape Restaurant

Exceptional culinary experiences for any occasion.

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RECIPES

The Pineapple Expressed

Maui Gold + Hali‘imaile General Store equals one delicious partnership Story by Mona de Crinis | Photographs by Ryan Siphers | Recipes by Hali‘imaile General Store RUDY BALALA lights up when he talks about Maui Gold Pineapple. It’s what he knows. Working the fields since before he could drive, today Balala manages the Upcountry farm that built a town around a piece of fruit.

But it’s not just any fruit. And it’s not just any town.

Nestled in Maui’s farming heartland, Hali‘imaile is home to Maui Gold Pineapple and culinary gem, Hali‘imaile General Store.

Together, this pineapple ‘ohana is redefining the iconic tropical fruit.

Maybe it’s the rich volcanic soil gifted

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from Haleakalā, or the dappled kiss of sunshine softened by the trades. Whatever the magic of this place, you won’t find a bettertasting pineapple anywhere on the planet.

Meticulously developed, Maui Gold Pineapple’s hybrid varieties bathe the tastebuds in sugary goodness without the sharp acidity and resultant pucker of standard products. Handpicked and harvested at the peak of flavor, these pineapples are quintessential Maui.

Bev Gannon, the groundbreaking chef that championed “farm to table” cuisine long before it was de regueur, understood the power of the pineapple in cuisine. And

she wisely capitalized on that power in 1987 when she turned an old plantation store into an award-winning restaurant known for its pineapple-enhanced dishes and cocktails.

Although Gannon has since retired and no longer owns the restaurant (Gather Restaurant Group purchased it in 2022), her imprint is present in every bite of Hali‘imaile General Store’s signature pineapple upsidedown cake. Baked in individual ramekins and topped with carmelized, just-plucked Maui Gold Pineapple, the heralded dessert tantalizes in a symphony of complementary flavors enhanced by the sassy, spiked fruit.

Such sweet solidarity! Maui Gold Pineapple General Manager Rudy Balala (left) and Director of Agriculture Darren Strand flank Hali‘imaile General Store’s Wendy Romlein and Chef Rheyden Lagazo, who go for the Gold in their pineapple-inspired creations. Visit mauigold.com to mailorder pineapples. Visit hgsmaui.com for restaurant reservations.

Literally surrounded by pineapples, Hali‘imaile General Store has a direct line to the freshest available. More family than neighbors, the restaurant and farm enjoy a symbiotic relationship formed over time and sustained by mutual appreciation. The bond has grown so close that it’s not unusual for chefs and bartenders to walk into the factory and grab a freshly harvested pineapple.

“Nobody even thinks twice,” said Maui Gold Pineapple Director of Agriculture Darren Strand with a laugh. “They might as well be on our payroll.”

The love goes both ways. When customers rave about the pineapple fruit salsa garnishing Hali‘imaile General Store’s popular macademia nut-crusted mahi-mahi, restaurant staff give much of the glory to Maui Gold Pineapple.

“Their pineapples add just the right amount of tangy sweetness to balance an entree’s savory flavor,” said Chef Rheyden Lagazo, who oversees Hali‘imaile General Store’s bustling kitchen. Smitten with Maui Gold’s singular quality, he envisions expanding the menu to further spotlight Maui Gold Pineapple as the standout fruit it is.

When it comes to thinking outside the fruit stand, Hali‘imaile General Store gets the gold star. According to Strand, no other restaurant comes close to using his pineapples as creatively. From the spicy sweet fruit salsa and bold chutneys enlivening locally raised meats and fresh-caught fish to sweet treats and craft cocktails divined by longtime Lead Mixologist Wendy Romlein, Maui Gold Pineapple is the secret sauce drawing foodies time and again to Hali‘imaile General Store.

You don’t have to travel across the Pacific to enjoy Hali‘imaile General Store’s pineapple-infused favorites. The featured recipes bring the flavor of Maui to your doorstep — but only if you bring home the Gold.

Straight from the imaginative mind of Hali‘imaile General Store Lead Mixologist Wendy Romlein, who’s been delighting guests from behind the bar for 23 years, this refreshing Maui Gold Pineapple-inspired libation — specially crafted for Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi readers — is like a dip in the ocean on a hot summer day. Enjoy with or without alcohol.

Hali‘imaile ‘Ohana Craft Cocktail 2 oz Pau Vodka from Hali‘imaile Distillery (or similar) 2 oz fresh Maui Gold pineapple juice (there’s nothing similar) or best alternative 1 oz cane sugar syrup 1 oz fresh lime juice 1 handful fresh mint 1 /2 cup fresh Maui Gold Pineapple (or best alternative), cubed 1 oz cream of coconut

In a shaker, combine vodka, pineapple juice, cane sugar syrup, cubed pineapple, cream of coconut, mint and ice. Muddle. Pour. Garnish with fresh pineapple, mint and toasted coconut. Serve with a handblown straw from Makai Glass Maui or straw of your choosing.

Serves 1

ISLAND KITCHEN 61

RECIPES

Hali‘imaile Pineapple Upside-Down Cake 1 large fresh Maui Gold pineapple (or best alternative) 2/3 cup butter 1 cups firmly packed light brown sugar 3/4 cup sugar 3 Tbsp butter 4 egg yolks 1/3 cup cake flour 1 Tbsp baking powder 1/2 cup whole milk 1 Tbsp vanilla extract Salt

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Prepare four 8-ounce ramekins. Trim top and bottom of pineapple and remove skin. Slice into 4 thick rings, removing the core. Trim pineapple rings to fit ramekins. Set aside.

To make the caramel, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside. Using a hand mixer, cream butter and sugar for 3 minutes. Add egg yolks and mix at medium speed for 1 minute. Sift cake flour, baking powder and salt together. Add flour mixture to butter-sugar-egg mixture and mix on low. Slowly add milk and vanilla.

Mix for another 30 seconds. Spread caramel evenly over bottom of ramekins. Place pineapple rings on top of caramel base. Pour cake batter over the pineapple ring, leaving a 1/4-inch space at ramekin top.

Transfer ramekins on a baking sheetand bake at 300° for 35 minutes. Rotate ramekins and bake another 10 minutes until center is cooked.

Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes. Carefully invert ramekins to release cake on serving plate.

Serves 4

Served on a rich, tangy Mango Buerre Blanc sauce with a sassy dash of Hali‘imaile General Store’s famous Fruit Salsa made with Maui Gold Pineapple, this Maui-inspired “catch of the day” brings the islands home.

Macadamia Nut-Crusted Mahi-mahi

Sweet Potatoes

Mango Lilikoi Beurre Blanc

/2 cup mayonnaise 1 Tbsp sriracha or Thai chili sauce 1 tsp salt 2 tsp fresh chopped basil 1 /2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) 1 /2 cup diced macadamia nut 4 (6-oz) fillets fresh mahi-mahi or other fresh white fish Salt and ground black pepper Canola or olive oil for sautéing

2 lbs Moloka’i or purple sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes 1/4 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup coconut milk 2 Tbsp butter Salt and white pepper

1 ½ cups heavy cream 1 Tbsp shallots 1 cup, plus 2 Tbsp butter 1 cup white wine 1 cup mango chunks 21 oz lilikoi fruit base 3 oz fresh chopped ginger Salt and ground white pepper

1

Process nuts, panko and basil in a food processor until finely ground. Spread mixture on a plate. In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise and sriracha or Thai chile sauce; mix well. Lightly season fish with salt and pepper. Lightly coat one side of each fillet with chili mayonnaise.

In an ovenproof sauté pan or skillet, pour just enough oil to coat the bottom and heat over medium heat. (Be careful not to heat the pan too hot or the macadamia nuts will burn.)

Add fish, crust side down, and sauté for 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn the fish and cook in an oven at 400° for 5 minutes, or until cooked through and firm to the touch.

Serve topped with Mango Lilikoi Beurre Blanc and Fruit Salsa with Sweet Potatoes on the side (see below.)

Place potatoes in a pot of salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease heat to low and cook until tender, or about 20 minutes.

Drain potatoes in a colander.

Fruit Salsa 3 cups diced Maui Gold pineapple /2 cup diced red onion 1 /2 cup diced cucumber 1 /2 cup red bell pepper 1 fresh lime juice 1 /4 cup honey 2 Tbsp fresh chopped mint 2 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro Salt and ground black pepper 1

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Place the milk, cream and butter in a bowl. Using a potato ricer, rice potatoes into the bowl. With a rubber spatula, mix potatoes thoroughly with butter and cream. Season with salt and white pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

Melt 2 tsp butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots, cook 2 minutes. Add white wine; bring to a boil, then decrease heat and continue to cook until liquid is reduced to 1 Tbsp.

Add cream and cook until reduced by half.

Add mango chunks, passion fruit base and ginger. Strain mango mix into another saucepan with a fine mesh strainer. Place saucepan over low heat. Add the remaining butter a few pieces at a time until sauce becomes silky and slightly thick, whisking constantly. Season with salt and white pepper. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Serves 4

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SEA-TO-TABLE CUISINE On Napili Bay

AWARD

WINNING

Hawaii Magazine’s Third Annual Reader’s Choice Awards: Named One of the Top Five ”Best Hotel/Resort Restaurants” and “Best for Breakfast” in the state of Hawaii

OCEANFRONT Rated “Excellent”

by Zagat

DINING

Maui No Ka Oi Magazine’s Annual Maui Restaurant ‘Aipono Culinary Awards: Best Ocean Front Dining: Gold

Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner • Happy Hour Celebrating 60 Years of Aloha at Napili Kai Beach Resort 5900 Lower Honoapiilani Rd • Napili • Maui • Hawaii 96761 • 808.669.1500 Hours and More Information at SeaHouseMaui.com

Hanana Maui's Calendar of Events

by MONA de CRINIS

PGA TOUR

PGA TOUR’s The Sentry Returns to West Maui Jan. 1-7, 2024 • Plantation Course at Kapalua Boasting dramatic views of the blue Pacific from every meticulously designed hole, the stunning Plantation Course at Kapalua has been the favored site of the PGA TOUR’s The Sentry for more than two decades.

Taking place each January, The Sentry attracts TOUR winners from the previous year and the top 50 of FedExCup standings. The event's past champions include golf greats Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, among many others. The first of eight Signature Events in the 2024 PGA TOUR season, the tournament promises an exciting field with Jon Rahm returning as the defending champion.

In the wake of August’s tragic wildfires that claimed almost 100 lives in Lāhainā and resulted in billions of dollars in damages, it was questionable whether the iconic tournament would take place in early 2024.

That question has been answered. The PGA TOUR officially confirmed that The Sentry will proceed as planned Jan. 1-7, 2024, to kick off the New Year and pump much-needed tourism dollars into the Maui economy. Fortunately, the Kapalua resort escaped structural damage from the devastating West Maui blaze. However, nearly a third of the staff lost homes and possessions, according to Kapalua General Manager Alex Nakajima, making the resumption of the popular event

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a Godsend for displaced employees.

“Although it will be a long road to recovery for West Maui, we hope The Sentry can provide support while remaining thoughtful and respectful of the Valley Isle’s needs,” said The Sentry Executive Director Max Novena, a West Maui resident. “Like so many around the world, we’re absolutely heartbroken. PGA TOUR players, their families, Sentry Insurance and golf fans around the world love Maui, and the TOUR plans to come with care to the island in January to host this event with purpose.”

Throughout its storied love affair with Maui, The Sentry has donated millions to Maui charities and nonprofits — $694,705 alone in 2022.

This year, the tournament pledges to help with ongoing recovery and rebuilding efforts. Sentry Insurance, based in Wisconsin, initially contributed to Maui United Way, Maui Food Bank and other organizations with players Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa also donating to early relief efforts.

“The Maui community has hosted The Sentry for the last 25 years,” Novena said. “We feel it’s our responsibility and privilege to use our platform to help ensure continued awareness, fundraising and community service for Lāhainā and West Maui as it recovers and rebuilds.”

For tournament schedule and tickets, visit thesentry.com.

Made in Maui County Festival Nov. 3-4 • Maui Arts & Cultural Center Attracting retail and wholesale shoppers, foodies, fashionistas, collectors and the curious, the 10th Annual Hawaiian Airlines Made in Maui County Festival celebrates and supports Maui Nui artists, crafters and manufacturers. The largest product expo in Maui County, the festival encourages “shop local” and is dedicated to growing small businesses throughout the three-island region.

The two-day event, held the first weekend of November at Maui Arts & Cultural Center, features more than 140 vendors offering unique products that reflect Maui Nui’s talents, creativity and ingenuity. Explore aisles and aisles of handcrafted jewelry, art, fashion, locally made delicacies, home goods, botanicals, accessories and more while enjoying live music, product demonstrations, entertainment and select ono food trucks.

Inspired by O‘ahu’s successful Made in Hawai‘i Festival, the inaugural Made in Maui County Festival took place in 2014 drawing 130 vendors and more than 9,400 visitors and residents.

Since that time, the festival continues to grow in participants and stature as Maui County’s largest products show.

Title sponsor since 2019, Hawaiian Airlines joins Maui Chamber of Commerce in promoting Maui County manufacterers who take great pride in sharing the spirit of aloha through quality products forged by local hands and hearts. Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Magazine is proud to be a sponsor as well — come talk story with our staff while you shop local for the holidays. Visit madeinmauicountyfestival.com for event specifics and updates.

Mālama Wao Akua 2023

Hula O Nā Keiki Competition

Through Nov. 3 • Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center

Nov. 9-11 • OUTRIGGER Kā‘anapali Beach Hotel

The Hui, in collaboration with East Maui Watershed Partnership, presents Mālama Wao Akua, a juried art exhibition celebrating native species of Maui Nui and raising awareness of the need to protect our islands’ unique species and ecosystems. Jurors Kirk Kurokawa and Dr. Scott Fisher selected 84 works from 254 entries combined in elementary school, middle school, high school and adult divisions. | huinoeau.com

Beginning Nov. 9 • Montage Kapalua Bay

A three-day cultural festival and keiki hula competition with children ages 5 to 17 vying for coveted hula titles. Participants and attendees are invited to learn about Hawaiian values through cultural demonstrations, presentations and workshops. Created to foster awareness of Hawaiian culture and language through hula, oli (chant) and mele (song), the festival and competition encourages the creation of new mele and the perpetuation of hapa haole (mixed race) music. | Check Kā‘anapali Beach Hotel website for updates and more information.

Montage Kapalua’s Sunset Lū‘au returns with top-notch Polynesian entertainment, tasty drinks and delicious, chef-crafted Hawaiian fare for an intimate cultural experience. As the sun sinks into the Pacific under peachlavender skies, a conch sounds and the celebration begins. Gather as Hawaiian families have for millennia, enjoying delicacies from land and sea and traditional together under the stars. Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning Nov. 9, check-in at 5:30 p.m. (808) 662-6627; eventbrite.com | montage.com/kapaluabay/ sunset-luau

Maui OnStage's 'Raise Your Voice' Nov. 9-12 • Historic ‘Īao Theater Maui OnStage's Education and Youth Program presents “Raise Your Voice," a fun, family-friendly introduction to the magic of musical theater through musical revues featuring moving and uplifting Broadway Junior offerings. New for 2023, “Raise Your Voice" showcases junior versions of classic titles like “Guys and Dolls” and “Oliver!” to Disney’s beloved “The Little Mermaid” and “Mary Poppins.” | mauionstage.com

Montage Kapalua Sunset Lū‘au

Maui Chamber of Commerce

Chris Amundson

Maui Chamber of Commerce

Chris Amundson

HANANA

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

50th Maui County Senior Fair

A Night of Grief & Mystery

Holiday Wreath Workshop

Nov. 11 • Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center

Nov. 19 • ProArts Playhouse

Dec. 1, 8, 15 and 22 • Hui No‘eau

This free annual event, presented by Maui Economic Opportunity in partnership with the Maui County Office on Aging, invites vendors, nonprofits and community organizations to share information and offer services to local kupuna. The fair runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with entertainment, prize giveaways, food and plants for purchase and more. | (808) 243-4306

Two Canadian artists, an author and a singer, craft a love letter to everything that won't last in a ceremonial night of words, wonder and spirit work. The pair have been exploring the intersection of their work for eight years, in three recordings, two short films and across three continents. Now, in 2023, they hit the road as the did in the beginning when days were still a mystery. | proartsmaui.org

Create a unique holiday wreath showcasing native plants and flowers at the Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center in Makawao. Led by legendary Maui lei maker Rose Bailey, the workshops are from 12 to 3 p.m. Materials and guided instruction are provided. | huinoeau.com

An Evening with Nara Boone Nov. 17 • ProArts Playhouse

Krishna Das & Friends Annual Thanksgiving Sunday Maui Satsang

Known for her vulnerable yet powerful delivery, Nara Boone's voice takes audiences on an emotional journey as she shares life experience through song. Lead vocalist of Maui’s musical production, ‘Ulalena, Boone got her start singing with island favorite, Marty Dread & Culture Shock. She's been featured in the Maui band, Crazy Fingers, opened for The Wailers at L.A.'s House of Blues and performed throughout the islands.

Presented with Mana‘o Radio, this show features Josh Hearl on guitar, Jonathan Cua on bass and Jordan Kamikawa on drums. | proartsmaui.org

Inspired by Indian saddhu Neem Karoli Baba’s teaching, Serve People > Feed People, Krishna Das and Friends Annual Thanksgiving Sunday Satsang and food drive honors the Ram Dass legacy on Maui with satsang, kirtan, chanting, reflection, contemplation, meditation and laughs. Originated

by Ram Dass in 2005, the long-standing gathering continues the Maui Food Bank food drive tradition by encouraging donations of organic canned and/or boxed food.

Doors open at 3:30 p.m. with satsang/kirtan beginning at 4:30 p.m. | krishnadas.com

The Reluctant Elf

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FESTIVALS OF ALOHA

Nov. 26 • Nāpili Kai Beach Resort

Maui's beloved Christmas buddy, Steve the Elf, is back by popular demand in ProArts Playhouse's original holiday adventure jam packed with the favorite songs of the season.

Join in this joyous, family-friendly holiday celebration featuring some of the island's favorite performers.Thurs.-Fri. 7:30 p.m.; Sat. 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. | proartsmaui.org Pukalani Christmas Fair and Electric Golf Cart Parade Dec. 2 • Pukalani Country Club

See dazzling, decorated golf carts and enjoy tasty treats, keiki fun, music by DJ Zeke Kalua and holiday-themed drinks from Pukalani

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Dec. 1-10 • ProArts Playhouse

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A 60+ year tradition stemming from Aloha Week, Festivals of Aloha is O Maui Nui’s premiere ‘Hawaiian Cultural Showcase with events Ō W on Maui, Moloka‘i, throughout the months of and October LSeptember A A Ktheme Lāna‘i, Hāna and in Wailea. OurO 2023 honors the Year of the Kāhuli - calling attention to the plight of Hawai‘i’s precious kāhuli.

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FESTIVALSofALOHA.com

A balance of the purity and freshness of the islands, with old world perfection and quality

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piz z amadn essmau i.com 1455 S Kīhei Rd #3, Kīhei • 808-270-9888

Club House at the 5th annual Pukalani Community Association's Christmas Fair and Electric Light Golf Cart. This free, familyfriendly event kicks off at 4 p.m. with Santa arriving at 4:30 p.m. The parade begins at 6 p.m. Bring blankets or chairs and a sweater for cool Upcountry evenings. | facebook.com/ pukalanicommunity Haleakalā Waldorf Holiday Faire Dec. 9 • Haleakalā Waldorf School

Find great holiday gifts and accessories, such as holiday wreaths and make-and-take crafts, made by local artisans while enjoying entertainment, children's games, puppet show, bakery and coffee shoppe and ‘ono food! 9 a.m.-4 p.m. $5, 12 and younger admitted free. | waldorfmaui.org Holiday Pops Dec. 10 • Maui Arts & Cultural Center

Ring in the holiday season with Maui Pops Orchestra under the direction of James Durham and special guest, three-time Grammy Award-winning singer Kalani Pe’a of Maui. Enjoy beloved songs of the Islands and holiday favorites. | mauiarts.org

Yessah: Iam Tongi

Ka‘ehu Beach Cleanup

Dec. 12-13 • Maui Arts & Cultural Center

Dec. 17 • Ka‘ehu Beach

Catch Hawai‘i’s own Iam Tongi, winner of American Idol’s 21st season, at the MACC's Castle Theater as he returns with a series of homecoming performances. Hailed by reviewers as “one of the show’s strongest victors ever,” Tongi made history as the first Pacific Islander to win the popular vocal competition show. Astounding judges with his heartfelt auditions, he became the show's most viral contestant. Yessah: Iam Tongi encourages coming together in celebration of this amazing young man. | mauiarts.org

Join SHARKastics for a special holiday cleanup event from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Ka‘ehu Beach in Paukukalo. Collected debris is sorted, weighed, counted and added to an ongoing database to help influence local, national and global legislation. All ages welcome. Supplies provided, but wear sturdy shoes and sun protection. | sharkastics.org/ events.html

Festivus 5K Run & Keiki Dash Dec. 17 • Kanaha Beach Park,

Work off some of those holiday calories and help Maui Food Bank feed those in need at Valley Isle Road Runners' Festivus 5K and a Half Mile Keiki Dash at Kanaka Beach Park in Kahului. Bring a non-perishable food donation and get ready to run for fun. No bib numbers and run times for the Half Mile Keiki Dash for keiki 8 years and younger.

Free registration for VIRR members; $35 for non-members. | runsignup.com/Race/ HI/Maui/Christmas5KRunSantaKeikiDash

Nutcracker Sweets Dec. 14-17 • Historic ‘Īao Theater This holiday season, watch as Clara embarks on her fantastical adventure through the Land of Sweets in Momentum Dance Maui's version of The Nutcracker, directed by Kathleen McKeon with a cast of 60 players.

Clara dreams of a magical world filled with dancing creatures when she falls asleep beside her nutcracker doll after a Christmas party. She visits the Land of Sweets where she meets the Sugar Plum Fairy and is enchanted by the Waltz of the Flowers, the Dew Drop Fairy and other characters from Russia, China and Spain. Thurs.-Sat. 7 p.m.; Sunday 3 p.m. | mauionstage.com

HOME|LIFESTYLE|DESIGN INFO@MAUIHUE.COM WWW.MAUIHUE.COM @MAUIHUE KAHULUI 210 ALAMAHA STREET KAHULUI, HI 96732 808.873.6910

WAILEA 112 WAILEA IKE DRIVE WAILEA, HI 96753 808.879.6910

HANANA

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A HUI HOU

Star Power Photograph by CARL YOSHIHARA SONY A7R3, 1/8 SEC., F/2.0 ISO 250, 85MM LENS CARL YOSHIHARA has been snapping photos his whole life, but don’t call him a photographer; he’s an artist with a camera.

Versed in multiple creative mediums — digital, graphic, oils — the Pukalani resident is drawn to photography as a way to talk story without words. A single image, he believes, can tell much about a place, a people, a culture — a moment.

Chasing Comet Neowise, the newly discovered ice ball that streaked across the heavens for a week during the summer of 2020, Yoshihara captured this stunning scene at Baldwin Beach Park on July 21.

Dwarfed by the comet’s luminousity, the tiny lit figures below — other photogs just setting up — add a touch of contextual irony.

“That happy accident provided just the right amount of human drama,” he said of having first dibs on the money shot.

Yoshihara credits Maui’s brilliant night sky with documenting this onceevery-68,000-year occurance. Part of the world’s most remote inhabited archipelago, the island’s negligible light pollution and location 20 degrees north of the equator invites viewing of almost all 88 constellations throughout the year.

For seasoned and budding astrophotographers, few locations on the planet can rival Maui’s night-time show, Yoshihara said. “It’s where the stars and celestial bodies come out to play.”

Send your best Maui Nui photos to photos@mauimagazine.net for the chance to be published. The next theme is “Whale Breaches” for the Jan-Feb 2024 issue, deadline Dec. 1.

The March-April 2024 issue theme is “Big Waves,” deadline Jan. 15.

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IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Hōkūlani Haila Hi‘ileiali‘i Holt KUMU HULA OF PĀ‘Ū O HI‘IAKA DIRECTOR OF KAHŌKŪALA, HAWAIIAN CULTURAL ARTS INSTITUTE AT UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I MAUI COLLEGE

“

I WANT EVERY Hawaiian child to know how important it is for them to be Hawaiian. There is great reason to be proud of their ancestors that got them here over 3,000 miles of ocean.

They come from people who are brave, people who are resilient — people who were creative in order to land in a place they knew nothing about and to flourish to 800,000 people at the time of Western contact — completely able to live and flourish off of their own land.

We want our children to carry forward the best Hawaiian values, outlooks and behaviors. If the best part of your life was going to your grandmother’s house and always being welcome, always having your favorite food and always being surrounded by cousins — that was the best part of your life.

Share that with your children: having family around, having an open household so people can find comfort in your home. If you continue those best things of your life, when you were growing up, that is the best way to share Hawaiian outlooks and values.

I was raised by my maternal grandparents on Maui from when I was a baby until I was 5. And then the agreement with my parents is that I would go back to them, and they would educate me.

Chris Amundson My maternal grandparents lived a “We want our Hawaiian lifestyle. They didn’t go, ‘OK, Hōkū, today children to carry we’re gonna learn about aloha.’ No, I lived with forward the best people who exhibited, lived, shared aloha.

If you were to look up ‘aloha’ in the Hawaiian Hawaiian values, language dictionary there are more than 12 outlooks and definitions before you get to ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye.’ behaviors." Hello and goodbye is at the end of all the definitions — things like ‘love’ and ‘compassion and ‘charity’

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and all those words are before ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye.’

Words like ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ are not a Hawaiian concept. You knew everybody around you, so you didn’t say ‘hello.’ You say, ‘I’m so glad you came to see me,’ or ‘So happy to see you in my home.’ That is how they would have interacted with one another.

I always wonder why people are so enraptured

by Hawai‘i and Hawaiian culture when there are so many other cultures in the world. I think it’s what we automatically do and we automatically are — when you think of the word ‘aloha,’ for us, it is a deep-seated feeling and behavior.

It’s also because we share freely without any real thought of payback. We have the concept of reciprocity — absolutely, we have reciprocity. Let’s say I help somebody. I know that if I ask them later, they will help me back. But if I ask them and they say, ‘Oh, not this time,’ I don’t worry about it, because maybe their children will be helpful to my children. Maybe their grandchildren will be helpful to my grandchildren. And that’s it.

When my grandparents raised me, my grandfather had already retired from the government, and my grandmother was always a stay-at-home mom. We never went without, but I had a humble upbringing.

We had a farm. We raise pigs. We raise goats. We raise ducks and chickens.

You know people who come from farm upbringing, they understand that kind of upbringing. Family was close; neighbors were close. We give that freely to everyone. We give that experience of welcoming and inclusion freely to all. All we ask of those that come to Hawai‘i is you respond in like form: You are open. You are giving.

You are welcoming.

We all can tell if people are genuine or not. We always welcome genuine. It really is how you approach your life. You approach your life with joy and with wanting to be inclusive and becoming a part of the community? We will suck you right in just like everybody else!”

Proceeds go to Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund — helping those impacted by the Maui wildfires. Mahalo for your support!

Aquarium admission is NOT required to shop!

Locally designed & printed Maui Strong stickers & T-shirts at Maui Ocean Treasures, benefitting Maui wildfire relief efforts. Available in-store or online at mauioceancenter.com/shop | 8 0 8 . 2 7 0 . 7 0 6 1

Email: shop@mauioceancenter.com | While supplies last | 192 Mā‘alaea Road at Maui Ocean Center

DISCOVER A MOMENT

The place, the people, the taste, a moment | theshopsatwailea.com

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