Once known as Lele, which means "relentless sun" in Hawaiian, Lahaina is a historic town that has been transformed into a Maui hot spot with dozens of art galleries and a variety of unique shops and restaurants. Once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom in the early 19th century, Lahaina was also a historic whaling village during the whaling boom of the mid-1800’s. Up to 1,500 sailors from as many as 400 ships took leave in Lahaina including Herman Melville, who immortalized the era in his classic novel Moby-Dick.
Located away from downtown Lahaina to the north on Ala Moana Street, the Lahaina Jodo Mission is one of the most beautiful and serene places in Hawaii, which looks and feels more like Japan than Maui, featuring one of the largest statues of Buddha outside of Asia. The mission is a replica of an authentic Japanese Buddhist Temple. The 4m high statue of the Amida Buddha was made in Japan in 1968, then erected in Lahaina that year for the 100-year anniversary of the first Japanese people coming to Hawaii.
About the stamps
The first stamp is the one issued in 2013 for celebrating Kwanzaa, about which I wrote here. The second stamp, depicting Spicebush Swallowtail, is part of a definitive series with butterflies, about which I wrote here.
References
Puʻunoa Point, Lahaina, Maui - About travel
Lahaina Jodo Mission, Maui - Go Hawaii
Sender: Denise
Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 04.02.2014
Photo: Aimee Dars Ellis
No comments:
Post a Comment