Maui after its fires is shaking, staggered by its pain and its loss. It will never be quite the same.
Yet the people of Maui have determination to recover and rebuild. And part of that rebuilding is welcoming the travelers on whom Maui’s economy has learned to depend.
I just returned from a two week visit to West Maui and offer this blog to my friends and readers to answer many of their questions, as an addition to my previous blogs about Hawaii.
Disclaimer. I am not Hawaiian, so far as I know not even a teeny bit. However, I have visited Hawaii dozens of times. My wife and I own a condominium at Honokeana Cove in West Maui, which we rent to vacationers. I have served on the homeowners association board multiple times. I set up its rental website and still maintain it. And during August 2023, when the property had neither electricity nor internet, I answered dozens of electronic inquiries from past guests, reacting to devastating reports about the fires hitting Maui. So perhaps I can answer your questions too!
Is Anything Left of Maui After Its Fires?
When a disaster occurs, initial reportage is long on drama and short on specifics. Heart-wrenching scenes are presented as representative, but often those scenes are the exception rather than the rule. It takes many days before the public learns the scope and exact location of the damaged area.
Maui after its fires was no exception. But eventually the truth became known: homes and businesses in the downtown part of Lahaina were mostly obliterated; there were brush fires causing destruction of some homes in other parts of Maui; and there were additional temporary power and water outages.
The streets into Lahaina Town are still barricaded: only property owners and residents are allowed in at this time. However, that’s only the 3.39 square miles that burned, of Maui’s 727.2 total square miles. Thus over 99% of Maui’s area, although deeply in sorrow, is intact.
Secondary Effects in Maui After Its Fires
The loss of lives, buildings and history is surely tragic. However, a disaster also causes secondary effects that are not immediately evident.
A few examples:
- Some undamaged businesses could not open due to lack of clean water or electric power.
- People whose job required smiling at tourists dreaded returning to their jobs and abruptly quit.
- As a perceived outsider, at least one teenager encountered such hostility in a Maui high school that his family left Hawaii altogether.
- Several business owners who were approaching retirement reacted to the disruption of Maui after its fires by closing their business.
However, opposite examples also abound:
- Local restaurants provided food and in some cases a place to sleep for the homeless.
- Hotels and many condo properties like ours made rooms available at no cost as temporary housing.
- Local charities received donated time, money and supplies from near and abroad.
What About Visiting Maui After Its Fires?
The Hawaii Tourism Authority asks visitors to come to Maui, and to show compassion. Specifically:
- Pack your patience and grace.
- Do not enter the impacted area of Lahaina Town or take photos of the area, even from afar.
- Support local businesses.
And here’s my common-sense addition:
- Don’t remind locals of their losses by talking about the fire. If they feel the need to share something, they will bring it up.
Touring Advice
There are literally hundreds of activities for you on Maui which were not damaged by the fires. Outside of Lahaina, there are a few businesses and attractions that are still closed because the lives of their employees were disrupted, either directly or indirectly. But unless you, personally, just HAVE TO GO to Fleetwood’s Bar in downtown Lahaina, you can still have a wonderful time, anywhere on Maui.
And bear in mind: it doesn’t require a fire to close a wonderful restaurant. Sometimes the passage of time will do it. Nola and I mourned the loss of Chez Paul, Gerard’s French Restaurant, Frida’s Mexican Beach House, Pineapple Grill, Lahaina Coolers and many others, long before the fires. However: we found substitutes, and trust me, we will not starve!
One Last Tip
If you’re on the Mainland reading this and decide to go to Maui, you will be a tourist, a visitor. So do the things that tourists do. Visit Haleakala, go to Hana, see the Iao Valley, enjoy the Ocean Center Aquarium, ride a Whale Watch cruise, shop at Whalers Village, attend a luau, and sample fabulous food. When you visit venues that tourists visit, you will encounter people whose jobs and lives depend on the dollars from vacationers. They are grateful for your visit and will help you have a wonderful time!
You should avoid doing things that only locals do, such as stopping at a roadside park where local families are picnicking, or getting into an argument in a neighborhood bar. There may be folks in those places who are suffering from their losses, and would rather not have you in their personal space.
Follow these cues and Maui will embrace you, showing all of its traditional Aloha spirit.
Drawing Credit: Photos taken by Art Chester at Honokeana Cove, West Maui, October 2023
Thank you for your heart felt blog Art. We have stayed in your lovely unit and many other units at Honokeana Cove over the past 20 years. We will return, maybe not in the next few months but we will return. I will never forget the feeling of dread we felt at the loss of Lahina town. Our minimal dread is nothing compared to each and every person directly affected. Our heart is with everyone at our “favorite place on earth.” Mahalo
Mahalo for your understanding and sympathy, April! When you are ready to return, Maui will welcome you, as will the turtles of course. Aloha!
My wife and I first visited HC in 1983, and of course witnessed the many changes, some good. We were planning on visiting in April 2024 but decided not to. I cannot in good conscience (this is just me) vacation to a place I’ve grown to love while the wounds are so fresh. Some may disagree, but I tend to agree with the Open Letter on Cafe Cafe Maui’s website, https://www.cafecafemaui.com/open-letter
My heart goes out to all of Maui.
Aloha Steve, each must follow their heart, and it’s evident that your heart needs time to heal. As you know, the Cafe Cafe Maui letter does not speak for all Mauians. I personally prefer the more optimistic perspective in, for example, https://www.napilikai.com/mauis-recovery/. However, there is no question that all have suffered terrible losses. For all Maui, we wish healing, and a future of strength and caring.
Hi, Art.
A couple of my husband’s employees are there working on the cleanup.
Hi Stephanie, I’m sure that Maui appreciates their time and effort. A heartbreaking and difficult job, but so necessary – Art
Thank you so much, Art for this bird’s eye view. My daughter-in-law lived in Hawaii for 4 years. Misses it terribly. I will forward this to her.
Keep up the great writing!
Dianne
Thanks so much, Dianne! There’s so much sorrow that some people are stuck and can’t move forward. But I place my hopes in the others, likely the majority, who swallow hard and then do what’s needed to rebuild. – Art
Art – I was hoping to hear from you after the Maui fire, and as always your missive was thoughtful, informative, and useful. Thanks for keeping in touch with your audience. With the vicissitudes of age, long intervals between communications are worrisome. Take care.
Hi Bob, or in this case perhaps, Aloha Bob! It’s good to hear from you too, and thanks for your concern. Sometimes I just don’t have anything to say, but following Maui’s terrible disaster, I had to speak up. I hope you are well and thriving in your mountainous surroundings! By all means, stay in touch… – Art