Lahaina, meaning unforgiving sun, has long been a royal centre of Maui. The legendary warrior-king Kahekili ruled here until Kamehameha used canon to overpower him in the early 19th century. Kamehameha I also made Lahaina his capital which it remained until the 1840s when Kamehameha III shifted his government to Honolulu. Today, left behind historic buildings have been refurbished and the frontier-like look of the township has been conserved to give the feel of the early tropical colony which Lahaina once was. Many of these buildings have become glamorous galleries selling a multiplicity of arts and crafts the quality of which is hardly ever seen except in major urban centres.