The searing pictures of Lahaina devastation will always define 2023, but they are joined here by other memorable moments in time.
As an unforgettable year draws to a close, we asked our photographers to submit some of their favorite images of the last 12 months. Here are the results:
BLUR OF A BUSY DAY: Sometimes motorists are too preoccupied with the traffic to appreciate the golden hour of a Honolulu sunset, but in this April image they contribute to the colorful scene at Green Street and Ward Avenue. (David Croxford)OPENING DAY EVICTION: After he interrupted the comments of House Speaker Scott Saiki as the Legislature convened in January, Samson Souza was removed from the Capitol by state sheriffs. (David Croxford)FAST-GROWING PUNA: Homes under construction in May atop a Big Island lava field in the Kalapana Gardens neighborhood of Puna. It’s the fastest-growing area in Hawaii despite poor infrastructure and recurring natural disasters like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. (Nathan Eagle)PREACHING FOR CHANGE: Mana Olayan turns to members of his Bible study group, 鈥淕od Forgives Bad Boys and Bad Girls,鈥 after pounding a stake into a banyan tree鈥檚 root in Ewa Beach in June. He said gang members used to hang out there, selling drugs and guns. Olayan has spent 26 of his 52 years in confinement, but now says he has come back to God. (Kevin Fujii)FOREVER EMPTY: Aloha Stadium in April. Once home to massive events such as the NFL’s Pro Bowl, the decrepit facility is now unused except for twice-weekly flea markets in its parking lot. Gov. Josh Green has started the search for a developer to build a new stadium at the site and create a surrounding mixed-use housing and business district. (David Croxford)THE SHOW MUST GO ON: As Tropical Storm Calvin passes to the south in July, a wedding party assembles for photographs in Ala Moana Park. (David Croxford)CATTLE RANCH IMPERILED: A cow is branded in July at Diamond B Ranch on Maui in an area near the national park that guards Haleakala鈥檚 10,023-foot summit. Ranching operations are likely to cease eventually because the land has been acquired by the state for conservation purposes. (Nathan Eagle)PEARL HARBOR VISITOR: A floating, self-propelled early warning radar station designed to operate in high winds and heavy seas undergoes maintenance at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The Missile Defense Agency’s Sea-Based X-Band Radar can be positioned to cover any region in the world. (David Croxford)BEETLE HUNT: Pigs root for coconut rhinoceros beetle grubs in June at North Shore Stables in Waialua during a Department of Agriculture demonstration. The state is banking on hogs’ ability to help eradicate the beetle population on Oahu, which threatens coconut palm populations. (Kevin Fujii)THE ENEMY: Eradication efforts have been underway since coconut rhinoceros beetles arrived in Hawaii in late 2013. The population was successfully contained on Oahu until beetle larvae were recently discovered on Kauai. (David Croxford)THE DAY AFTER: When the sun rose over West Maui on Aug. 9, it revealed the extent of devastation after a wildfire raced through Lahaina, destroying most of the historic community and killing at least 100 people. (Nathan Eagle)SAVED BY THE SEA: Many people sought refuge in the ocean as the flames marched toward Lahaina’s Front Street on Aug. 8, including Aaron Abel, seen the next day at the Maui High School emergency shelter. (Kevin Fujii)SEEKING SURVIVORS: A search and rescue team member works through one of the destroyed buildings after the Lahaina conflagration. (David Croxford)STILL STANDING: Somehow, a single residence remains upright in seemingly pristine condition after the Lahaina fire. 鈥淚t looks like it was photoshopped in,鈥 said its owner, Trip Millikin. (Kevin Fujii)RALLYING POINT: Lahainaluna High School football fans celebrate the junior varsity team鈥檚 September victory at War Memorial Stadium in Kahului in their first game since the fire. (Kevin Fujii)KEEP IT CLOSED: Lahaina Strong representatives demonstrate at the Capitol in October. They delivered more than 10,000 signatures to Gov. Josh Green鈥檚 office, asking that West Maui remain closed to tourism until they feel ready. (Kevin Fujii)SIGNAL OF DISTRESS: An upside-down Hawaii state flag flies above the rubble of Lahaina in November. Tourism to West Maui was reopened Nov. 1. (Kevin Fujii)TOTAL IMMERSION: A bodysurfer floats within a wall of water in early October at Sandy Beach in Honolulu. (Kevin Fujii)MUSEUM REBRANDED: Karen Ewald sits among the displays of the Hawaii State Art Museum shortly after it was renamed Capital Modern in September. Ewald is executive director of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. (David Croxford)CROWD PLEASER: A green sea turtle hatchling makes its way toward the ocean at Sandy Beach in early October as dozens of people watch. Six potential chambers of eggs with dozens of hatchlings were found and protected by Malama No Honu volunteers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service scientists and community members. (Kevin Fujii)AIRPLANE AT BAY: Marine Corps Base Hawaii crews work in early December to pull a Navy P8 Poseidon aircraft back onto the Kaneohe runway that it overshot in November. There were no injuries and no oil leaked from the patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, the Navy said. (David Croxford)DRONE LIGHT SHOW: The sun, a rainbow and a cloud take shape in the Hawaii Kai sky during a drone show performed by Sky Elements Hawaii in November. The company used 300 drones for the exhibition, which it promoted as a non-polluting form of aerial display. (David Croxford)WORKING THE WASTELAND: A volunteer toils to restore natural plants in December under the tutelage of the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission. Kahoolawe was denuded by goats generations ago, then used for target practice by the U.S. military. Years later, there鈥檚 still little growing on the island and many bullets, bombs and shell casings remain. (Nathan Eagle)ROYAL BIRTHSTONES: Tom Lenchanko of the Hawaiian Civic Club of Wahiawa shares the history of the Kukaniloko Birthstones with tree-planting volunteers in December at the state monument in Wahiawa. Located near the geographic center of Oahu, it was the scene of royal births and battles for centuries. (Kevin Fujii)PARENTS PREFERRED: Not everybody is thrilled to spend time with Santa Claus as he distributes small gifts to children at Honolulu Hale in December. (David Croxford)
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