Lahaina was the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the Pacific's great whaling port. The fire of 8 August 2023 destroyed much of the historic district — the Pioneer Inn, Waiola Church, and Wo Hing Hall among the losses. The Baldwin Home survives as a masonry shell, with restoration planned toward 2028 as part of the wider rebuild. The great Banyan Tree lives and is regrowing, though the park around it remains fenced for now, and Maria Lanakila Church survived and remains an active parish. Visit with patience and respect: this is a community rebuilding its home, not an attraction — follow posted access, and spend where businesses have reopened.
Checked against current sources, October 2026.