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Lahaina, Island of Maui, HawaiiTrip Day Ten: Monday, October 1, 2007 |
Lahaina
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We stopped for a brief rest, and this was the view from there. The mountains were the source of fresh water for the ancients and for those that followed. |
We were standing on the former site of the royal fish pond. This was the home of a powerful
water spirit in the form of a lizard or dragon. A tiny island in the pond was for decades a home of Maui
chiefs, and then the residence of three Kamehameha kings. Several important chiefs of the early 1800s
were buried there. Kamehameha III used to receive visitors at the royal tomb in
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the late 1830s and early 1840s showing them the large burial chamber, with its mirrors, velvet draperies, chairs and feathered staffs, and ornate coffins. Eventually the pond was filled and the island leveled and a ball park created. Maui Nei, a nonprofit organization dedicated to to the restoration of the Hawaiian culture and the royal pond in all of its former splendor provided the guides for our tour into Lahaina's past. Visit their web site to hear some chanting and learn more about their goals. |
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