After leaving Kapalua, we stopped in Lahaina, a waterfront town that was once the capital of Hawaii (1820-45). What a wonderful place! Pretty narrow streets with historic buildings, churches, forts, inns at every turn. This is a great artists' community, too — it's easy to see why: inspiration abounds. Lahaina used to be a major port for whalers in the 1800s. The island of Lanai is clearly visible due west of the waterfront.

We made a couple visits to Lahaina on different days, walking up and down the streets, visiting galleries, shops and the Pioneer Inn, built in 1901. There were nice neighborhoods at a higher elevation, just east of "downtown" — what a great view of the Pacific and Lanai from there!