Washington Post readers share their memories from Maui

May 02, 2024

Maui’s idyllic landscape was scorched earlier this month when deadly wildfires swept through the island, devastating the community of Lahaina. The island has been a home to Hawaiians and Hawaii residents for generations, as well as a destination for honeymoons, family trips and life-changing journeys. In the aftermath of the fires, we asked Washington Post readers for their memories from Maui, and they shared hundreds of stories and photos. Here is a selection of our favorites.

Memories and captions have been edited for length and clarity.

My (now) wife and I took our first trip to Hawaii in 2003. We stayed for two weeks at the Lahaina Inn and loved exploring Lahaina and Maui every day. We came back in 2005, when this photo was taken, for the destination wedding of our dreams, joined by 20 of our closest family and friends. We are devastated at the loss of a place so rooted in our memories, and the people who so warmly greeted us. Most people have a few places that are intensely meaningful to them, and Lahaina was one of those anchor points in our life. — Glenn Rempe, Ashburn, Va.

My mother was born in Paia, Maui, and my parents owned a condo at Puamana on the south end of Lahaina. We are so privileged to have spent a week in Puamana with our grandson and his family six years ago — our last trip to Maui. We introduced them to many places throughout the island that are special to our family. The Banyan tree was planted by an ancestor of my first cousins 150 years ago, and I remember playing under it in the 1950s when spending the summer with my grandmother and great-grandmother. — Rik Anderson, Bellevue, Wash.

My husband and I just celebrated five years of marriage. When it came to planning our wedding day, it was a no-brainer. We knew we’d get married in my hometown on Maui. Getting to share such a special place with my favorite people was nothing short of magical. But I didn’t realize that it was going to be the last time I ever saw my home the way I remember. My parents have a long-standing business on Front Street that’s completely gone. Lahaina is where I grew up, went to school and made all my childhood memories. In this picture from 1994, I’m the little Snow White and Barney is my best friend of 32 years, Kaitlin Leonard. Every year, there is a huge Halloween parade in Lahaina with floats, music, crazy costumes and people tossing candy from the balconies like it’s Mardi Gras — they go all out. Maui nō ka ‘oi. — Janna Mauger, Sydney

My mom had always dreamed of a trip to the Hawaiian islands since before she married my dad in 1967. In 2017, she and I were finally able to make her dream come true. We visited Lahaina on our first day, and I will always cherish the memories of seeing her get to experience something she’d dreamed of doing over 50 years. — Christy Bohlen, Atlanta

In the summer of 1982, I came to Maui fresh out of high school. My brother, Bob, and sister-in-law, Susan, were caretakers for a rehabilitation house near Lahaina. I remember I had only $100 for my three-week visit, and we spent every cent of it cooking up a multicourse dinner for all the residents in the house. I don’t know what I did for food the rest of the time I was on Maui, but that dinner is a treasured memory. Bob loved Maui’s natural environment so much that it spurred him to study global climate change, and he went on to become an internationally recognized climate scientist. He passed away in 2021 at his retirement house on the Honduran island of Utila. Here I am with Bob, who is holding Mocha the cat, during that unforgettable summer. — Liz Oglesby, Tucson

Watching the sunset in Lahaina was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. Maui has a special place in my heart. The people there taught me what the true meaning of aloha is. — Natalie Roy, Alberta, Canada

I have gone to Maui annually for the past five years as part of my research for graduate school. We survey coral reefs around Maui and the surrounding islands to track how the ecosystem is changing over time. Each year we stay with friends in Lahaina, and the town began to feel like a home away from home. The words that come to mind when I think of the people of Lahaina are kind, hard-working, environmentally minded and community-oriented. I hope they can hold onto that spirit as they recover from this tragedy. — Orion McCarthy, Philadelphia

I played piano at the historic Pioneer Inn in the late 1970s. I came to play piano for two weeks and stayed for three years. During that period, Maui was just being discovered and all the big rock stars came, including Mick Fleetwood and Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Boz Scaggs and many more. I also played the Blue Max on Front Street. One night David Bowie came in and put four hundred dollar bills on the piano. We later found out he may have been an impersonator. I am mourning the loss of such a beautiful historic town, especially the Pioneer Inn and its legacy. — Mitch Woods, Sausalito, Calif.

Our family spent two weeks in Maui in 1999. One of the highlights of our trip was the Haleakala bike ride my daughter and I took. We met our group for an early morning van excursion to the top of the Haleakala volcano at approximately 10,000 feet in elevation. We were dressed in alpine gear as the temperatures hovered around freezing to watch a specular sunrise. As the landscape appeared before us, we felt overwhelmed by its beauty. Then we mounted our bikes and headed down the volcano, shedding clothes as the temperatures warranted. About a third of the way down, we stopped to take photos of our descent. For my daughter and I, it’s one of our top life experiences. — Robert Depczenski, New York City

I was born in Lahaina and lived there until my college years. My mother worked at the Pioneer Inn, which unfortunately burned down. I attended the elementary school that used to be next to the banyan tree, and we had school events under that tree. As kids, we used to watch the fisherman bring in their marlin catches at the boat harbor. — Chad Calimpong, Las Vegas

In March 2023, my daughter and I were able to go to Maui for the first time. Maui Bread Company’s coconut iced coffee and Paia Fish Market’s dinner were out-of-this-world delicious. We enjoyed Keawakapu Beach all week, especially at sunset. — Paul Landeene, Spokane, Wash.

In April 1969, my husband and I met in Hawaii for R&R while he a 24-year-old first lieutenant platoon leader with the First Infantry Division. He was coming from Vietnam, and I was coming from Colorado. We had married Aug. 31, 1968. In early October 1968, I had put him on an airliner to fly to the war. We met in Honolulu and flew on to Lahaina to spend our few allowed days together. It was perfect. He had lost 30 pounds he could not afford to lose. We safety pinned onto him the civilian clothes I brought for him, and he ate and ate. Every morning fresh pineapple was delivered to our hotel room. We spent one afternoon drinking gin and tonics in the bar at the Pioneer Inn and talking. We bought a pink conch shell. We took bad Instamatic photos under the banyan tree. On our last night, he put me on a plane in Honolulu and stood in the lights of the terminal watching the plane, and I watched and watched him through the dark standing there as I taxied away. Then he flew back into the war. Lahaina for all these years has been a memory so lovely we surely might think we dreamed it if not for the conch shell. — Leigh and John McCarthy, Yarmouth, Maine

My stepdad, who died this past January, was Japanese American born in Wailuku, Maui. I spent a year after college with both family and friends on this idyllic island. I lived in West Maui and caught a ride, sometimes hitchhiking, to my hostess job at the Maui Surf Hotel on Kaanapali Beach (here I am in my uniform). It was Christmas 1978 and I was assisting “Santa” with keychain viewer photos of our guests. Before taking her turn next to Santa, a woman declared she was certain she knew me. After sharing a few life details we landed on the mutual ground of college baseball. I was a batgirl for Ashland College in Ohio and her son’s Ohio team had been an opponent. She begged for a photo to take home to her son so I obliged by giving her my personal keychain viewer — a picture of me with Santa, of course. This is a lighthearted memory which I need to hold right now as I mourn both my stepdad’s and his homeland’s passing. Everyone who comes to Maui, as a resident or a tourist, leaves with my stepdad’s favorite words forever in their hearts: Maui no ka ‘oi, or “Maui is the best.” — Leanne Omland, South Riding, Va.

My father, Henry Bellmon, was stationed on Maui with the 4th Marine Division during World War II. He developed friendships with many on the island and returned with his family in 1959 for a six-week stay. We rented a house on the side of Haleakala and attended school on the island. I was 9 and remember much about the island, especially the endless beautiful beaches we walked every day after school. We returned to Maui a few more times during my parents’ life to reconnect with friends they had made. My heart is breaking. — Gail Bellmon Wynne, Enid, Okla.

We’ve been taking our children to Maui from early childhood to their 20s, and just celebrated my birthday there in April (pictured here). Our favorite memory is when my daughter forgot her favorite toy in the condo we rented, and she didn’t discover it until we got to the airport, so we went back and almost missed our flight. — Lita Dotson, Oakland, Calif.

We had a family reunion in Maui back in 2018. We had a great time in Lahaina. The people, the banyan tree and the Old Lahaina Luau were the highlights of the trip. — Noel Abejo, Philadelphia

On our many trips to Maui, my husband Mark is always anxious to be in Lahaina sitting under the banyan tree with his friends, the birds. To him, this is a special and almost spiritual activity: getting a bag of chips and feeding the pigeons. I call him the “Bird man of Lahaina.” — Dana Combs, Reno, Nev.

My first trip to Maui in 2018 was my “therapy” in the midst of some devastating circumstances I was going through back home. The trip helped to restore my soul. Since then, Maui has held a special place in my heart and has become a sanctuary of sorts for me. — Kathy Hebble, Perth, Australia

Enjoying a buffet for runners after a 10K race through the sugar cane fields bordering Lahaina in 1980. My wife and I spent most of 1979 to 1981 on Maui. We studied an endangered seabird, the Hawaiian petrel, that nested along the cliffs on the summit of Haleakala. We would head to Lahaina on days off to enjoy the relaxed and welcoming ambiance along Front Street, a swim or a special dinner at Longhi’s. Cherished memories. Our hearts ache for the kind people of Maui. — Ted Simons, Cary, N.C.

I was first introduced to Maui at the age of 14 in the late 1970s and visited over a dozen times in the next 15 years. When visiting with my grandparents and sister, we frequented the local markets, the neighborhood shops and churches. I had my first mango and my first pineapple on Maui. We went snorkeling, drove to Hana, made the early morning trek to Haleakala for the sunrise and ate many pounds of Azeka ribs. As a parent, I introduced my teenage children in 2012 to my experiences in Maui. I weep for the loss of life, the devastation of livelihoods and the irreparable destruction to some of Maui’s most memorable places. — Traci DeMarco, Walla Walla, Wash.

My wife and I were married at D.T. Fleming Beach in 2011, and we’ve been back several times, most recently last spring 2022. We’ve been back so often, this last trip we were determined to make it our “last” trip to Maui, figuring we had to see some of the other islands. But now, I really hope to return to Maui in the coming years, if only to support the years-long rebuild that will be needed. — Alain Grissette, Oakland, Calif.

When I was a child, I watched the movie “Blue Hawaii” starring Elvis Presley and always dreamed I would vacation there one day. That dream came true in the summer of July 2004. My family and I stayed on the island for 10 days and each morning we were greeted with a gorgeous sunrise and each evening a sunset. Sitting in the rocking chairs on the porch was something I looked forward to each day. Hearing of the tragedy that has happened breaks my heart, and I pray the people and the island will be restored to its full beauty. — Greta Dickerson, Culpeper, Va.

My favorite memory in Maui was hiking up the bamboo forest on Maui’s Pipiwai Trail. It was a long, arduous hike with a wonderful view. It taught me a lesson: We need to uphold perseverance, even if the path ahead of us seems never-ending and difficult. Eventually we will reach a beautiful destination. — Pooja Patel, Elmwood Park, N.J.

I first visited Maui in February 1984 and took these photos of its timeless beauty. — Ron Davis, Princeton, N.J.

In 2012, my husband of 18 years and I had just broken the news of our impending divorce to our three children (at that time, ages 14, 11 and 8). We decided to take our children on separate vacations: He arranged a trip to Yellowstone, and I took them for a week to Hawaii. The boys and I stayed on Maui, just up the road from Lahaina, in our first vacation without their dad. It was a wonderful week as we explored the island, including Haleakala National Park, surf lessons in Lahaina and a memorable drive to Hana along the famous winding road. The warmth of the residents, the beauty of the island, and especially the laid-back pace of life are standout memories for me during a chaotic and sorrowful time. Maui was just what we needed. — Heather Rodriguez, Tampa

This photo is from a trip to Lahaina in November 2022 celebrating our three-year anniversary and my partner’s birthday. We love to surf at the Lahaina Pier and usually rent boards and gear from Maui Surf Culture on Prison Street. We travel to Maui for special occasions every year. His parents have lived on Maui for many years; my family also has a residence near Lahaina and has frequented Maui every year for 20-plus years, so the island has represented a bridging of our narratives. — Halle Sparrow, Malibu, Calif.

As a teenager in the early 1980s, Lahaina was the only place on Maui that had any nightlife and if you went early enough, you always got in without being carded. The bands were great at Longhi’s and places were never that crowded. But by far my best memory is running the Maui Marathon up Front Street. — Michael Cairns, Hoboken, N.J.

In 1963, I and a group of friends from our church youth group were camping at Olowalu near Lahaina. When camp was over, four of us got up to Lahaina somehow and camped on the lawn of a Baldwin relative among us. We were painfully underage — 17 years old — and Lahaina was celebrating the 2nd “Lahaina Whaling Spree,” an event cooked up by the visitors bureau to draw some tourists to West Maui. The whole town was a wide-open party and the beer, song and food were available to all. I don’t think we slept, but we somehow got on the plane to Honolulu the next day looking proper enough to fool our parents picking us up. It is a party I will never forget. — Dewey Watson, Sebastopol, Calif.

My husband proposed to me in the basin of the caldera of Haleakala in the summer of 2005 after we hiked down to retrieve the soil temperature gauges he had buried as part of his studies on the silversword plant. We were not students but a professor and a clinical nursing instructor in our very early 50s. We were hot, sweaty and still had to hike up the sliding sand trail, but I couldn’t have been more happy. — Martha Kowalak Perez, Austin, Texas

I was born in Maui and have lived here most of my life. I was evacuated during the Upcountry fires. When I returned home, my house was okay but the sense of relief was short-lived after seeing the devastation in Lahaina — the town where I was born and that acted as my family’s safe place during covid. — Sean Yannell, Kula, Hawaii

My trip to Ka’anapali was the first “vacation” I ever took with my mom and sister in 2013. It was special for many reasons: My parents had recently finalized their divorce, and my mom was never able to do anything for herself in her life. She planned this trip on a whim, always having dreamt of going to Maui. I was 19, and the idea of going to paradise was a dream come true. Every moment on the island was pure magic, and I was able to finally be in paradise. It will forever be my favorite spot on Earth. — Evelyn Evjen, Gilbert, Ariz.