Religious Sights

While not everyone knows that an active Buddhist mission is located in downtown Lahaina, almost everyone knows about the gigantic Buddha statue in front of it. The statue stares benevolently down at tourists and locals, who usually stop for a minute to stare back at it. Also worth a look around are the immaculately maintained grounds and the authentic Japanese architecture. After the Buddha statue, the pagoda is probably the most popular subject of photographs. Grounds are open to the public daily until dusk.

When it was built in the first half of the 19th century, this church was called the Waine'e. After 100 years of being battered by natural disasters and native uprisings, it was rebuilt and renamed Waiola, which means 'Water of Life'. Next to it lies the Waiola (or Waine'e) Graveyard. Many important figures from the early days of Hawaiian colonization are buried here, the famous next to the unknown, and perhaps more importantly, the Hawaiian next to the Western. Both sites figure heavily into Maui's history.