LAHAINA, ISLAND OF MAUI, Hawaii -- (Editor's Note: This is Part One in a two-part series on the Hawaiian island of Maui, which focuses on the historic whaling town turned tourist mecca of Lahaina. Look for next week's story on the quieter side of Maui - Makena.)LAHAINA, ISLAND OF MAUI, Hawaii--Located on Maui's west shore, the town of Lahaina bustles with tourists from all over the globe, who window shop up and down Front Street past a seemingly endless array of quaint shops, galleries and boutiques.But it wasn't always that way.Indeed, the air-conditioned stores one enters today could just as easily have been the former site of a rowdy tavern or a raunchy brothel filled with whalers on shore leave during the 1800s, for it was during that time that Lahaina was known as one of the whaling capitals of the world, in addition to being the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom from 1820 to 1840. Today, whales are shot with cameras instead of harpoons, but some of that old whaling town adventurous spirit remains, (minus the red light district of course), thanks in large part to restoration and educational projects sponsored by the city, which makes Lahaina much more than just a long stretch of shops. "Lahaina has one of the best walking tours I've ever seen," said Steve DiPietro, president and CEO of ClearPoint Insurance in Seattle and a native of Oakland, Calif. "For a history buff like me, this place is perfect, because everything is mapped out so well. And for a 'shopaholic' like my wife, Marie, it is heaven because of all the different stores."The historic walking tour DiPietro mentioned includes stops at the Lahaina Harbor, where the Carthaginian is docked. The Carthaginian is the only authentically restored brig in the world, and from which many a sailor or deckhand deserted during stops in Maui and other exotic Pacific islands, perhaps out of fear of becoming a resident in a ship's brig, like the one found on the Carthaginian."I might have deserted back then too," said Kevin Overbey, a fifth year senior at Oregon State University in Corvallis, as he toured the Carthaginian. "It must have been tough to be a seaman under the conditions then, both in terms of the ships themselves and the iron-fisted discipline." The most famous deserter in these parts was Herman Melville, who jumped ship and spent the summer of 1843 in Lahaina, where he gained much-needed material before returning to the mainland to write Moby Dick.Other stops on the walking tour include the Old Lahaina Lighthouse, which was built in 1840 and is the oldest lighthouse in Hawaii, predating those on the mainland's Pacific Coast. The Old Courthouse, built in 1859; the Hale Paahao Prison, built by convicts in 1852; the Fort on the Canal, built in 1831; the Wo Hing Temple, built in 1912; the Wainee Cemetery, Hawaii's first Christian graveyard, built in 1823; the Baldwin House, built by a missionary in 1834; and the Jodo Mission, where the largest Buddha statue outside of Japan sits, are other highlights of the Lahaina historic walking tour. But perhaps no place in Lahaina brings one closer to the whaling town spirit than the Pioneer Inn, where famous author and adventurer Jack London was known to toss back one or two cold ones. "There is a feeling of connection here to the past, despite all the modern trappings," said Peter Carpenter, a Tai Chi master and Japanese linguist who hails from Portland, Maine, but considers Tokyo home. "Even though I came to Maui to visit the Jodo Mission and Buddha statue - and I'm drinking hot tea right now - it's as if I can sense the presence of the whalers drinking their grog as a form of escapism from their brutal existence."Life in Lahaina today is anything but brutal, and visitors and locals alike can be seen just a few yards away from the Pioneer Inn lounging away the day under the shade of the oldest tree in the state of Hawaii, the Banyan tree.The Banyan tree came to Lahaina from India in 1873, when it was just eight feet tall. It now stands more than 50 feet high and provides shade for nearly two-thirds of an acre. The Banyan is particularly welcomed on hot afternoons as a respite from the heat. Lahaina, after all, literally translates as "merciless sun.""It's interesting they named the town that, because the weather has been perfect," chuckled DiPietro when told of the origins of the word Lahaina. "It was probably a reverse ancient marketing ploy to keep this little chunk of paradise all to themselves." For more information on trips to Lahaina, or other destinations in Maui, contact the Single Marine and Sailor Program at (808) 254-7593; call Information, Tickets and Tours, or ITT, at 254-7563; or contact the Lahaina Visitor Center toll free a 1-866-511-4569."Lahaina is a great example of how progress - when done responsibly - doesn't have to destroy the ambiance and historical feel of a place," said DiPietro. "Lahaina is the perfect blending of the past with the present."