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PHOTOGRAPH BY DESIGN PICS INC, ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
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For a while, Hawaii was ruled from a dazzling shoreline town in western Maui. King Kamehameha III preferred Lāhainā to bustling Honolulu—and saw it develop in the 19th century an international whaling center that inspired sailor and budding writer Herman Melville.
In recent decades, contemporary Hawaiians saw the historic community develop into a tourist hub, filled with art galleries and restaurants. A magnificent banyan tree, planted 150 years ago in April, had overseen it all.
Then, swiftly, came hurricane-fueled winds, whipping up wildfires that destroyed much of the town and killed scores of residents. The banyan tree is deeply charred, but may survive. It is unclear whether Lāhainā, which has endured so much, will make it through as well.
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