Presentation, Freshness, and Flavor Tasting Chef Niko’s latest additions to Castaway Cafe When you think of a great dining experience there are so many factors that can come into play. I headed to Castaway Cafe for a casual Sunday sunset meal and I got so much more than I bargained for in the best way. […]
Kaanapali
Community Design Workshops for West Maui Community Plan
Community opinion about the future of West Maui is being sought by the County of Maui Department of Planning. The department will host a series of community design workshops from Feb. 4 to 7, where the public can provide input on how West Maui should plan for preservation and change over the next 20 years. […]
Christmas 2018, Maui Style!
PAUSE!!! Christmas is here, and that means we’ll be saying goodbye to 2018 soon. So let’s take a moment to celebrate the holidays by doing something merry. In case you’re in need of some ideas, the MauiTime Elves went on a sleigh ride to find the most festive fun for all! So brighten the holiday […]
The Problem With Cultural Heritage Tourism, and why the continued misuse of Hawaiian culture is wrong
United States Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), along with two other Senators, recently introduced Senate Bill 2395. Known as the “Explore America Act of 2018,” the bill would expand so-called “cultural heritage tourism” in the U.S. According to Schatz, this bill will be a big help for many people in Hawai‘i. “Every year, Hawai‘i sets new […]
Maui County Council is on verge of making Kaanapali public beach access parking even worse
There’s a lot of garbage on social media these days, but one of the best things I’ve seen lately is the Access Denied! Surf? Fish? Dive group on Facebook. Here, Westside residents and activists like Kai Nishiki and Randy Draper post photos, videos and information about their fights to stop big resorts from encroaching on […]
How the Maui Cannabis Conference bridges education with entrepreneurship
A dozen or so years ago, it was rumored that pakalolo-seeking tourists on Front Street were being sold bags of oregano. Meanwhile, locals knew how to get the stickiest bud–usually from a friend of a friend in Paia. Although Operation Green Harvest was winding down, the whir of any helicopter blades flying overhead would […]
2017 MauiTime Year In Review
It’s been a helluva year, and that’s not a good thing. For the United States, the watchwords for 2017 have been violence and hatred–against women, African-Americans, immigrants, LGBTQ individuals and basically everyone who isn’t a straight white male. You don’t have to be a master at reading the room to know that greed and ignorance […]
Maui groups sue DLNR over Ka`anapali tour boats
Lahaina resident Randy Draper has spent many, many years fighting for beach access public parking in West Maui. Back in 2016, we wrote about his pressure on the County of Maui to make sure they’re enforcing the public access rules on the big Ka‘anapali resorts. He’s still at it, of course–now he’s part of a […]
Sheraton Maui Resort will no longer offer single-use plastic straws
The Straw Wars have come to Maui. In a major move for marine conservation, the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa has announced that they will no longer offer single-use plastic straws to guests. Instead, resort staff will offer paper straws (like those shown above) by request. “Pu‘u Keka‘a (Black Rock), fronting the resort, is one […]
2017 MauiTime Summer Guide: Maui Escape Rooms
Maui Escape Rooms in Lahaina is a new form of entertainment which requires players to complete creative challenges while doubling as a team building activity and a fun game for all ages. The concept of this company is all about the magic behind solving a mystery and teaching players that nothing is what it seems. […]
The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas Opens in Kaanapali
The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas, Maui’s newest oceanfront resort, celebrated its opening with a traditional Hawaiian blessing on April 14; the resort, which is situated on 16 acres of North Kā‘anapali Beach, began receiving guests the following day. Kahu Kapono‘ai Molitau led the blessing ceremony, which included a maile lei untying, symbolic in Hawaiian culture […]
Quizunderstood: How well do you know Maui Grammy winner Kalani Pe`a?
1. The United States Tennis Association accidentally played the Nazi-era German national anthem during the Fed Cup match at the Royal Lahaina Resort in Ka‘anapali on Feb. 11, according to a Feb. 13 Hawaii News Now story. The song was for Germany’s player Andrea Petkovic, but Petkovic isn’t actually from Germany. Where was she born? […]
MauiTime 2016 Year In Review
Even without the election of Republican Donald Trump to be President of the United States, this was a monstrous year. We’ve had to deal with job losses, outrageous giveaways to big business and just a general slide away from democratic protections and open government assurances. We like to think of Hawaii (and Maui especially) as […]
UPDATED: New book ‘Tourism Impacts West Maui’ provides radical alternative to ‘official’ Lahaina history
Living for hundreds of years with the self-sufficient ahupua`a land-tenure system and a communal subsistence economy, Hawaiians, particularly commoners, were unaccustomed to the concept of fee simple land ownership. This unfamiliarity, coupled with numerous legal and logistical constraints, led to foreign acquisition of large amounts of land intended for Native Hawaiians. Many Hawaiian families were […]
Maui’s Spooktacular Halloween Events
There are tons of scary/fun events happening this weekend to celebrate Halloween all over Maui. Have fun, but please, enjoy yourself responsibly. FRIDAY, OCT. 28, 2016 2016 HAUNTED HOUSE – Head to Lahaina for the 2016 Haunted House, which is open from Friday, Oct. 28 through Sunday, Oct.30. The entrance is located across from Japengo. […]
West Maui Beach Access Database now available
Historical public records regarding shoreline developments and the public’s right to access are now more easily available. The HK West Maui Community Fund recently announced that the West Maui Beach Access Database is available online at Westmauibeachaccess.org. The West Maui Beach Access Database was developed at the request of West Maui residents who expressed difficulty […]