Maui Nō Ka ʻOi Magazine - Fall 2023 - Preview by Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Magazine

Maui Strong – Spirit of Laulima

Leilani Farm Sanctuary

advocates compassion for creatures great and small

Maui Gold Pineapple

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MauiMagazine.net

contents FALL 2023

Daniel Sullivan

Maui Fresh Streatery

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

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.

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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.

MAUI NŌ KA ‘OI | FALL 2023

PUBLISHER'S LETTER

For the people who love Maui

Chris Amundson

Publisher & Exec. Editor chris@mauimagazine.net

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.

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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

SUBSCRIBE Call 1-844-808-6284, visit MauiMagazine.net or return a subscription card from this issue to subscribe: 1 year (6 issues) for $30 or 2 years (12 issues) for $52. Call or email subscriptions@mauimagazine.net for fundraising opportunities and bulk rates. ADVERTISE For rates and premier position availability, call (808) 242-8331 or email advertising@mauimagazine.net. Reservation deadlines are three months prior to publication dates. CONTRIBUTE Send queries, stories, photos and letters to the editor to editor@mauimagazine.net. COPYRIGHT All text, photography and artwork are copyright ©2023 by Flagship Publishing, Inc. For reprint permissions, email editor@mauimagazine.net.

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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

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

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

MAUI NŌ KA ‘OI | FALL 2023

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

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

MAUI NŌ KA ‘OI | FALL 2023

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

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

MAUI STRONG: LAULIMA

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

MAUI NŌ KA ‘OI | FALL 2023

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

MAUI NŌ KA ‘OI | FALL 2023

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