LAHAINA, Hawaii — It's in the halau’s hands.

Rod Pa‘ahana, the well-known longtime operator of a team-themed lei stand outside the Lahaina Civic Center every Maui Invitational, turned over the time-intensive operation to some friends this year.

Pa‘ahana’s Lahaina home was heavily damaged by the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfires that blew through much of the historic town. He has spent the last year dealing with considerable repairs.

Halau Hula O Kauhionamauna took over operations of the popular kiosk that fans pass by on their way from dropoff points or parking areas on the hillside above the Civic Center to the venue’s entrances.

Kuuipo Lilikoi, who is heading up management of the kiosk for the halau, said the tournament’s eight teams had preordered some 260 combined lei for this week. Baby blue and white for North Carolina, red and yellow for Iowa State, green and white for Michigan State, and so on. That took 12 people about a month to craft.

Starting Monday, the first day of the tournament, the walk-up demand was considerable.

“My predecessor Rod did forewarn me how busy this was going to be,” Lilikoi told Spectrum News on Tuesday. “I had a little inkling of what to expect and the demand it was going to take to make the leis. We didn’t really find out until yesterday how busy we were going to be. We were not prepared to bring the amount of leis that we needed to, so we found ourselves up all night. We had to fly someone in last night with more supplies and reinforcements.

“I think next year we’ll be better prepared,” she said with a laugh.

Some of the various lei of the Maui Invitational teams' colors on display at a kiosk outside of the Lahaina Civic Center. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

The halau is fundraising for what it hopes will be a trip to the Merrie Monarch Festival on Hawaii Island in April. Part of the money raised from the lei sales will also go to the Villages of Leiali‘i, the Hawaiian homestead community that Pa‘ahana traditionally raised money for, Lilikoi said.

Lilikoi’s mother lives in the same neighborhood as Pa‘ahana and faced a similar situation; her home had to be gutted to be rid of toxins from the fire, and all the furniture removed. Discussions with insurance companies have been constant. She said that she lost some family members in the fire and that others have had to be relocated.

She was unequivocal that the tournament’s return this week, just 15 months after the fire, is a plus for the community.

“I’m a Lahaina native, so to see the Maui Invitational come back after COVID has been a huge thing,” Lilikoi said. “And I know this helps out the economy tremendously. But culturally, for us to be the only ones here at the Invitational to perpetuate and share a little bit of our culture, that’s also an honor as well. It’s twofold, really, the aloha coming from the visitors and we’ll be giving it right back to them.”

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.