Lāhainā was the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii before Honolulu, and in the 19th century was the center of the global whaling industry, with many sailing ships anchoring at its waterfront; today pleasure craft make their home there. Located in downtown Lahaina, off Front Street behind the banyan and in front of the Pioneer Inn, Lahaina Harbour is in nowadays one of the most popular spots in West Maui to enjoy a variety of ocean activities, including whale watching, sailing, snorkeling, submarine, and more.
Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers, skilled navigators who arrived on islands with many centuries ago. To support the theory of the purposeful trips through the Pacific of their ancestry, but also for the cultural revitalization of Hawaiians and other Polynesians, Polynesian Voyaging Society built in 1975 a replica of a wa'a kaulua, a Polynesian double-hulled voyaging canoe, named Hōkūle'a.
Since the 1976 voyage to Tahiti and back, Hōkūle‘a has completed nine voyages to Micronesia, Polynesia, Japan, Canada, and the mainland United States, all using ancient wayfinding techniques of celestial navigation. On May 18, 2014, Hōkūle'a and her sister vessel, Hikianalia embarked from Oahu for "Malama Honua", a three-year circumnavigation of the earth.
About the stamps
The first stamp is part of the series Send a Hello, 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
Lahaina Harbour - Lahaina Town website
40 Years of Voyaging - A Visual Timeline - Polynesian Voyaging Society website
Sender: Denise
Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 04.02.2014
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