Religious, Spiritual sights in Maui
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Waine'e Church
The first stone church in Hawaii, Waine'e Church was built in 1832 and cursed with a run of bad luck. First the steeple collapsed in 1858, then in 1894 royalists enraged that the minister supported Hawaii's annexation torched it to the ground. A second church, built to replace the original, burned in 1947, and the third was blown away in a storm a few years later. One might get the impression that the old Hawaiian gods didn't take kindly to the house of this foreign deity!
The fourth version, however, has been standing since 1953 and still holds regular Sunday services.
The adjacent cemetery holds as much intrigue as the church. Here lie several notables: Governor Hoapili,…
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B
Ka'ahumanu Church
The oldest Congregational church in Maui, Ka'ahumanu Church dates to 1832 and takes its name from Queen Ka'ahumanu, who cast aside the old gods and burned temple idols, allowing Christianity to flourish. She visited Wailuku and in her ever-humble manner requested that the church bear her name.
Missionary Edward Bailey built the church atop a former heiau site and royal compound. The old clock in the steeple, brought around the Horn in the 19th century, still keeps accurate time. Hymns are sung in Hawaiian at Sunday morning services, but at other times it's a look-from-outside site, as the church is usually locked.
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C
Pi'ilanihale Heiau
The grounds of the amazing Kahanu Gardens are also the site of Pi'ilanihale Heiau, the largest temple in Hawaii, with a stone platform reaching 450ft in length. The history of this astounding heiau is shrouded in mystery, but there's no doubt that it was an important religious site for Hawaiians.
Archaeologists believe construction began as early as AD 1200 and the heiau was built in sequences. The final grand scale was the work of Pi'ilani (the heiau's name means House of Pi'ilani), the 14th-century Maui chief who is also credited with the construction of many of the coastal fishponds in the Hana area.
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D
Holy Ghost Church
The octagonal Holy Ghost Church, a hillside landmark in Waiakoa, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1895 by Portuguese immigrants, the church features a beautifully ornate interior that looks like it came right out of the Old World, and indeed much of it did. The altar was carved by renowned Austrian woodcarver Ferdinand Stuflesser and shipped in pieces around the Cape of Good Hope.
Finding the church is easy, as the distinctive white building is readily visible from the highway.
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St John's Episcopal Church
Keokea village's green-and-white St John's Episcopal Church was built in 1907 to serve the Chinese community, and it still bears its name in Chinese characters. For a time Sun Yat-sen, father of the Chinese nationalist movement, lived on the outskirts of Keokea. A statue of Sun Yat-sen and a small park dedicated to him can be found along the Kula Hwy (Hwy 37) beyond Grandma's Coffee House.
The park has picnic tables and great views of west Maui and its hillside windmills.
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E
Keawala'i Congregational Church
South on Makena Bay is the Keawala'i Congregational Church, one of Maui's earliest missionary churches. The current building was erected in 1855 with 3ft-thick walls made of burnt coral rock. Don't miss the adjacent graveyard, which has old tombstones adorned with cameo photographs, many of Hawaiian cowboys laid to rest in the 1920s.
Makena Rd ends shortly after the church at a cul-de-sac on the ocean side of Maui Prince Hotel.
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F
Wananalua Congregational Church
Erected in 1838 to replace the congregation's original grass church, the edifice of Wananalua Congregational Church with its hefty rock walls resembles an ancient Norman church. Take a close look and you'll notice that the rock is cut from lava. Also noteworthy is the little cemetery at the side, where the graves are randomly laid out rather than lined up in rows. Even at rest, Hana folks like things casual.
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Kaulanapueo Church
Huelo Rd, a one-lane road a half-mile past the 3-mile marker, leads down to Kaulanapueo Church, which was constructed of coral in 1853 and named for the owls (pueo) that once thrived in the surrounding forest. The tin-roofed church is often locked, however, so if you're short on time, this one can be saved for another day.
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G
Lahaina Jodo Mission
Enjoy a meditative moment at this Lahaina Jodo Mission, where a 12ft-high bronze Buddha sits serenely in the courtyard looking out across the Pacific toward its homeland in Japan. The grounds contain a lofty pagoda and a 3-ton temple bell, Hawaii's largest, which is rung 11 times at 20:00 daily.
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