In antiquity Lahaina was the royal capital
of Maui Loa, 5th Moi of Maui, after he ceded the royal seat of Hana to the King
of Hawaii Island. In Lahaina, the focus of activity is along Front Street,
which dates back to the 1820s. It is lined with stores and restaurants, and is
often packed with tourists. Banyan Tree Square features an exceptionally large
banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) planted on April 24, 1873, by William Owen
Smith to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of Christian
missionaries. It is also the site of the reconstructed ruins of Lahaina Fort,
originally built in 1832
