He ʻāina wela a he wahi maloʻohāhā ʻiʻo nō ʻo Lahaina. Akā, ʻaʻole ia he ʻāina nele i ka wai. E nānā kākou, e nā hoa heluhelu o kēia kolamu nei, i kekahi mau moʻolelo o nā kūpuna e pili ana iā Lahaina me kona wai.
I ka makahiki 1738, ua hoʻouka kaua ʻo Alapaʻi iā Maui e kaua me Kauhiʻaimokuakama ma Lahaina. Ua kipi ʻo Kauahi i kā Alapaʻi ʻohana keikikāne ʻo Kamehamehanuiʻailūʻau, ka hoʻoilina ponoʻī a Kekaulike.
ʻO ke kaua e kaua ai me Kauhi, he huli honua ke ʻano. He kaua maoli pū ʻole ka huli honua, a ʻo ke kahawai o Kauaʻula, Kanahā, a me Mahoma [Kahoma], ke kahawai i pili iā Lahainaluna, ʻo ia nā mea kaua. ʻO ia hoʻi, ua pani a hoʻomaloʻo ʻia nā loʻi a me nā kahawai i loaʻa ʻole ka ʻai i nā koa o Kauhi, a i loaʻa ʻole ka ʻai i kona mau makaʻāinana.
ʻO Mauna Kahālāwai ka ʻāina kumu wai o nā kahawai a me nā punawai o Lahaina a ʻo ia ka wai i makeʻe nui ʻia e ka poʻe mahikō, ka poʻe i hoʻololi i ka ʻāina a me ka mālama ʻana i ka wai o Lahaina. He moʻolelo pohihihi ʻokoʻa nō kēlā.
ʻO Lahaina o “ka wai hū i ke pili” kekahi māmala ʻōlelo a Kamakau i kākau ai i loko o “Ka Moolelo o Kamehameha 1” ma ka Nupepa Kuokoa (11/1/1865) i hulikoʻa o ka hiʻohiʻona ʻāina o Lele (Lahaina). Ma laila i waiho ʻia ai nā hoa hele o Mōʻīkeha, ʻo lāua hoʻi ʻo Pāhaʻa me Panaʻewa. Ua hoʻolale ʻia lāua e noho ma laila ma muli o ka “wai hū i ke pili, nā ʻāhui maiʻa o Waiʻanae (ma Lahaina kēia), nā wauke loloa o Paeʻohi, a me ka ʻau mai a nā honu i ke kai.”
No laila, aia i hea ka wai a Kāne ma Lahaina? Aia i lalo, i ka honua, i ka wai hū!
Nui hewahewa nā loko wai ma ke ahupuaʻa o Paunau ma Lahaina (nānā i ke kiʻi). ʻO ka loko wai nui loa ʻo Mokuhinia, ka home o Kīhāwahine, ke kiaʻi o nā wai o Lele. Ma loko o Mokuhinia, aia kekahi ʻailana ma ka inoa ʻo Mokuʻula. Ma laila i neʻe ai, mai Hilo mai, nā aliʻi ʻo Keōpūolani, Nāhiʻenaʻena, Kauikeaouli, a me kekahi aʻe.
Ma muli paha o ka ʻoluʻolu o ka malu ʻulu a me nā wai hū i ke pili, ua noho aupuni ʻo Kamehameha III ma laila. Ua kūkulu ʻo ia i kona hale aliʻi ʻo Hale Piula ma kai o Mokuʻula ma ka pāpū pōhaku puna. I ka hoʻoneʻe ʻana o ke aloaliʻi a Kamehameha III i Honolulu mai Mokuʻula a i ka hoʻomaka ʻana o ka ʻoihana mahi kō ma kahi o ka makahiki 1860, ua emi loa mai ka wai o Mokuhinia. I ka makahiki 1917, ua pau loa ʻo Mokuhinia i ka hoʻomaloʻo ʻia a ua hoʻopiha ʻia me nā koʻa o ke kope awa o Māla. Ua lilo ia i pāka no ka lehulehu ma ke kauoha a ke kiaʻāina ʻo Lucius Pinkham ma ka makahiki 1918. Ua pau like pēlā paha nā loko wai ʻē aʻe o Lahaina. Pau i ka ʻuhi ʻia.
ʻO ka nui o ka lako wai a me ka lako ʻai kekahi kumu o ke kipa ʻana o nā moku ʻō koholā iā Lahaina. Ma kahi o ka makahiki 1840, ua hoʻopuka manaʻo kekahi ʻelele ʻAmelika i ka Mōʻī ʻo Kauikeaouli e ʻeli i kanela wai mai ke kahawai ʻo Kahoma i kāhi o ka ʻuapo e hiki i nā kelamoku ke kūʻai i wai. Ua kupu aʻe nā hale kūʻai like ʻole no ka poʻe haole e like me ka hale inu lama a puni kēia kanela wai.
He kumuwaiwai makamae nā wai o Lahaina. No ka makaʻāinana, ʻo ka wai mai nā kahawai ke ola o ka ʻāina momona.
No ka poʻe aliʻi, he mea hōʻoluʻolu nā wai hū a me nā loko wai. No ka poʻe haole, he mea ia ka wai e kūʻai aku, kūʻai mai a he mea e hoʻowaiwai kanaka. E puaʻi, e hū, e kahe hou nā wai o Lahaina
