The most recent directives continue to leaves Maui visitors unclear. That’s resulted in an 80% drop in arrivals.
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The most recent directives continue to leaves Maui visitors unclear. That’s resulted in an 80% drop in arrivals.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
I wonder what the cancellation policies of the Maui hotels are. Especially the one outside of West Maui. Hopefully they are allowing cancellations or at least credit for future stays.
Aloha!
Our prayers continue with those affected by the tragic incidents in West Maui.
It appears by a KITV story
the Maui County Mayor supports “respectful” travel to other areas of the island not affected by the fires? He speak of economic impacts. Is this correct?
Mahalo!
Some of us need answers, vacations to Maui can cost $5-10K. It’s a hardship for us to float this money.
I called Hawaiian Airlines earlier today to find out the status of our flight to Maui, connecting an 1 hour and a half later to Kauai on Friday, August 25. No change that the person helping me could see. So, I guess it’s OK if you aren’t staying on Maui. At least on the 25th.
Let’s given everyone a break there including Hawaiian 🌺 Tourism. They are trying to figure it out with constantly changing conditions . Everyone needs to be flexible.
Still confused on what to do we are booked for Wailea for September 15th. Have been told to stay home and have also been told to go.
Hi Tanya.
As you can see in the comments, this is a highly charged discussion. Best wishes.
Aloha.
Aloha Rob+Jeff For those with Sept vacation plans, I would wait another couple of wks and listen to updates for traveling to Maui. Right now I think everyone should hold off travel there until they rescue people have finished with their jobs. Let’s give them space to get everything squared away, ok travellers? Hope you both are well and be safe. Warm regards Deb
Great comments on one of the best websites in Hawaii. Thanks for the info for many Travelers who, like us, are in a Kobayashi Maru no-win-scenario. Our late September Kaanapali trip is already paid for through a good firm but doesn’t offer refunds or rescheduling until the county issues a direct No Travel edict. So we either lose all our our money (thousands) or hold our nose and go. We just couldn’t enjoy it the way we are accustomed, and, if we are forced to go, will look for volunteer opportunities where we hope we can be of some service for those days. Perhaps by then there will be some infrastructure for visitors to pitch in to give back to the place and people that have given us so much.
Understand completely we are in the same situation. If we go we to will volunteer and also purchase much needed supplies
By golly, that side is island is burnt down and hotels are being used to house displaced residents, first responders and other volunteers, and they won’t give you a refund? I hope they come to their senses and do the right thing and allow the cancellation and refund.
At the 4:00 Facebook Live press conference on Friday, Governor Green and Mayor Bissen said the rest of Maui still needs tourists. They learned during Covid that you can’t restrict all tourism or it will be devasting to all of Maui since many people will be out of work if there are no tourists. Mayor Bissen said South Maui including Kihei and Wailea and the rest of the island is still open for business and tourists. I live in Kihei and know how desperately the restaurants and businesses need tourist to survive. The tourists need to know they can’t go to West Maui and need to be respectful but many families will be suffering on other parts of Maui if all the tourists stay away.
I keep hearing this from South Maui residents and businesses, but we do not want to tax Maui’s resources. We have a trip planned in the first part of December, and if we go, will be staying in the Kihei area.
On the other hand, other Maui residents are telling us to stay home. I guess we will wait and see?
Aloha Sandra !
Thank you for your advice on travel to Kihei during this tragedy.
Like everyone we are totally heart broken for the people and island of Maui.
We love the Hawaiian people with all our hearts, have lots of ohana on Oahu.
We’ve already canceled 2 trips to our timeshare @ Westin Kaanapali the rest of this year and will wait till March 2024 to return to West Maui.
We have 5 nights in Kihei this late September that were originally added after checking out of the Westin Kaanapali.
We’ve been listening to all the advice here, in the media, and most importantly the Oahu ohana.
We want to be respectful and not be a burden during this tragedy.
Re booked the days in West Maui to stay longer in Oahu.
Like the many,many posts here we are getting nothing but zero cooperation from the mainland VRBO in Kihei. They have our $$$ and that’s the end of it.
With our ohana’s advice and from info here, we’ve decided to go to Kihei for the 5 days before flying back home to SoCal.
To all of the people of Maui, We Love You !!
We will be contributing to Maui relief fund.
Thank you for letting a 70 year old ramble on and on.
Bless you for your kindness
First and foremost, our thoughts and prayer to the people of Maui affected by this tragic event. After listening to the press conference posted on Facebook (listen to video at the 1:06:45 mark till the end) Govenor Green and Mayer Bissen stated about visitors coming to Maui. Governor Green in so many words said that visitors or not hampering rescue efforts, not blocking roads although a few visitors were caught visiting the site. Mayor Bission stated Maui main income comes from tourism. The people of Maui our not upset about the number of tourists, its upset of those who do not respect the culture or show Aloha to the people of Maui. In closing he said South Maui is open. Do these comments add more confusion? I Guess we will find out in the coming days. Mahlo, Maui Strong
Our hearts and prayers are with Maui. We have many family and friends who are displaced and who have lost everything. We are struggling at lack of communication from resorts, and respectfully understand, I am trying to figure out what do to as we have a wedding scheduled in west Maui at a Ka’anapali resort hosting 70 of our friends and family all traveling from California and Texas. I have respectfully requested to postpone to next year but still haven’t heard from anyone and am afraid they will still force us to go through with our September wedding but do not feel morally right in hosting a celebration during such a somber time. Any suggestions or comments are welcome.
Hi Alyssa.
Beyond contacting your credit card company, we don’t currently have further suggestions. We’ll update you as soon as we hear more.
Aloha.
Good grief! Wedding should be postponed or venue changed. Maui needs all resources for displaced residents, first responders and volunteers. It will take weeks, months and longer for cleanup and recovery. Hotels in west Maui have stopped taking reservations, I’ve read.
Lisa,
Respectfully, we have asked to postpone to next year, but the hotel states we have a contract and I personally can’t lose $70k I’ve spent as they are not refunding let alone even able to get into contact with me at this time. And I can’t plan a wedding for 70 people in less than a month and come up with even more money on the other side of the island, it’s unrealistic. . Our reservations and plans were made over a year ago. Im doing my best to stay patient, was just asking if anyone there has any other information for me.
aloha guys,
this sentence from your post says it all for us locals,
“The repugnant Hawaii Tourism Authority”.
Ane T.
Maui
PS we are in so. Maui and had a scare with an evacuation but back home and trying to de-stress. The escape stuff still in the car and on the living room floor.
Hi Ane.
We’re so happy to hear from you and know that you’re okay.
Thank you for providing helpful info to all of us interested in Maui. As a timeshare owner and frequent Maui visitor we are very concerned and interested in conditions in Maui. Resorts have not communicated in any meaningful way with timeshare owners, so your coverage has been very useful.
Thanks again,
Rich E
Hi Rich.
Thank you!
Aloha.
Telling tourists to stay away from the island is irresponsible.
While the news is certainly not good nor encouraging, I am surprised, after going through the devastating damage and tourism chaos caused by hurricane Iniki, that many lessons learned and recovery strategies implemented on Kaua’i in Iniki’s wake could certainly – it seems to me – be applied now on Maui. While the causes of each disaster are very different, many of the effects seem sadly similar: E.G., Significant property damage, a devastated electrical grid, tragic loss of business and employment income and on and on. For business reasons, I happened to have visited Kaua’i a month after Iniki and saw all of Iniki’s devastation: Tourism ground to a halt. I saw many folks lined up at a local community center applying for jobs at the soon-to-open Marriott Maui Ocean Club, an oceanfront timeshare development just a few miles from Lahaina town. And of course chickens, now freed from countless farm pens all around Maui, we’re wandering everywhere, and have been multiplying since to become permanent residents. My wife and I pray for the wonderful folks on Maui. Of course we are outsiders, but we always have felt like Ohana. With our love,
Jim E, Santa Barbara
My heart is completely broken for Lahaina residents and all of Maui people. I have family in Maui that were affected by this terrible fires and they are currently in shelters. I know some of my family members are planning on leaving the island because they know they can’t sustain an income withouttourists on the meantime. I had a trip planned for the first week of October and it’s been fully paid for. I jut cant justify why I should still go through with this trip. I understand that many people are saying to not cancel because Maui’s economy depends on tourism and I completely agree, but my heart just couldn’t go on this trip and fully enjoy and be happy knowing the extreme devastation all Maui locals are going through. So my question is. How can one go visit Maui and still have a good time while the other side of the island is still mourning?
We had plans to visit West Maui again in December, but after much deliberation between giving locals space and time to process this horrific tragedy, and supporting the island through tourism, canceled our trip.
We have donated those funds to charities that will directly benefit wildfire victims, and I would encourage others who decide to cancel to do the same. I am more of the opinion the economic support can come through giving right now, and tourism later.
The updated version of advice from HTA is to Correct the Wrong communiques that came out by Sylvia Luke, acting Governor hours after the Lahaina fire.
Less than 12 hours after the fire occurred, without an in person visit, and likely inadequate consultation with those in Maui, the proclamation asking visitors to leave and stay away from Maui came out.
Telling visitors to stay away from the entire state made no sense then (hours after the fire with very little information about the entire picture) or now. The State and it’s communication companion HTA have likely heard from many this was a mistake. They have both backtracked.
What does make sense is that all visitors from the West Side who now do not have accommodations should have departed.
All visitors with for later in August and/or September should be making alternative arrangements and closely follow the local news and the conditions. Slowly but surely the parts of West Maui not directly hit by the fires are recovering their services.
Officials quickly implemented ID checks for those coming into West Maui.
Of the other fires on the island ignited on the date of Lahaina fire only one other caused serious damage (Olinda and upper Kula). Fires never hit South Maui residential/resort areas.
Plunging the entire island into a downward economic spiral does not help islanders to rebuild, does it? Mistake corrected!
I am truly sorry for the suffering Hawaii is experiencing. I have a family trip planned for awhile as a surprise. My last plans to Honolulu
were canceled because of Covid, now this. I hope it’s ok to come still in August.
Please review your plans closely. Do not go to West Maui. If you are booked in Kihei or Wailea, that will be good. Your travels will help to sustain part of the economy on the island.
I have been a big fan and regular reader for years. We live full time on Maui and have one rental north of the fire area of Lahaina, in Napili. After reading your recent article suggesting visitors not come for the remainder of the year I strongly agree and hope you might reconsider what information you put out to potential visitors. As you know visitors are the life blood of the economy and not having them will further exacerbate the already immense suffering that has occurred. We all agree about what a horrible tragedy this is but we also need to consider how we move passed it. The town of Lahiana is gone but the rest of Maui still exists and is still as beautiful as always. On the westside, everything north of Lahaina remains intact, all the resorts and condos. The workers will need their jobs back in order to support themselves and their families. The economy, if not to get back on track will extend the suffering for all those that still remain. Power is back on and much exists to support visitors arriving. Again, we live here full time and are very aware of what remains and the support that exists. I look forward to your reply, thanks.
Aloha and Mahalo, David and Robin
Very well stated. Thanks for not being afraid to put your comments on here.
Best
Tom
I can’t imagine wanting to visit any part of Hawaii after the Devastation they are going through. Those that lost their homes and everything they own need to be placed in any and all hotels, Airbnb’s and rental Homes available anywhere on the islands at no cost to these displaced families. They have nothing but each other and the tourist should understand that rescheduling their trip to somewhere else besides Hawaii would be most considerate and appropriate at this time. Maui Please Stay Strong, you’re in our hearts and prayers! You will come back and be better!
Thank you.
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Diane,
Per announcements made by Governor Josh Green who returned to Hawaii to take the reins from Lt. Gov. Luke, the state is making arrangements to place displaced persons in hotels and the hotels will be paid by the state.
This is the best arrangement that can be made to keep everything moving forward while Maui recovers and rebuilds.
Sorry Diane, I know your heart is in the right place, but it does no one any good to tell people not to visit Oahu, Kauai, or Hawaii Island. The people of the islands depend heavily on tourism for their jobs and paychecks. If you personally don’t want to go, that is your choice, and I can respect that, but please don’t tell others not to go anywhere in Hawaii. It will cause more harm than good.
Should you travel to South or East Maui, consider checking a bag filled with donations of clothing.
Hi Jan.
That is not a good idea unfortunately. Financial donations are what’s needed.
Aloha.
Your comment is timely because I was planning to shop tomorrow for items to box up and send. Please advise where to send donations of money? If it’s already posted and I missed it, apologies.
best,
Ann
Hi Ann.
There is a red notification bar at the top of every page on the website that will lead you to links of responsible organizations.
Aloha.
Jan,
Your advice is spot on and correct. Those that lost everything are very happy to receive clothing. They do not necessarily have the spare time to go shopping and/or doing laundry. Other priorities. The on the ground organizations are happy to get your clothing to distribute to those in need right now.
My housekeeper is supporting King’s Cathedral in Kahului and so am I. They are sheltering (in their church) those who lost their residences, feeding them, and helping to get them items they need. When your house has burned down… you need Everything.
I’m procuring items from the mainland and shipping them over there, including new children’s clothing bought here in discount stores and new underwear. Also iphone chargers and toiletry items, toothbrushes, nail clippers, you name it, they need it.
Islands often run out of things during emergency periods and it takes at least week or so for the new stocks to be ordered, shipped and arrived to get onto the store shelves.
Recall the Covid shortages? It’s amplified on an island. Diapers are in short supply/hard to find right now in Maui. I support your idea to bring clothing. Mahalo!
Hi Elen.
HTA: “Due to capacity limitations, please consider making financial rather than physical donations.”
Aloha.
What capacity limitations does HTA mean?
If needed items/products are in limited supply on island, then someone bringing them or shipping them is a help.
I regularly encounter shortages of items when on island (empty shelves for the things in demand) and believe if someone has the means to bring the actual items needed it will be gratefully received.
I’ve seen that the websites of active charitable organizations on island are often specifying the types of goods they would like to receive. Cash is also always welcomed.
Jan,
Financial donations are what is needed. hawaiinewsnow.com and mauinow.com have provided suggested lists of highly reliable non profits to which you can donate money. The folks on the island know best what is needed, so give them the money to use in the best way to meet the most urgent needs.
Trying to figure out what to do with our travel plans to Kauai for 3 weeks Sept 8-28. We have rented a house in Princeville as we have done in the past. We haven’t been back since 2019. I don’t really know if it’s OK and don’t want to take away needed accomodations for displaced Maui residents. Probably not where mist will go. What would you do? I doubt any refunds would be given and I save fof a while to afford a trip.
We are helping Maui residents thru company matched donations that I helped set up last week. 100% company match up to $2000 Per employee. Ask your employer to do the same. We are already sending meds and diagnostic reagents and tests to Maui that we produce.
I do remember Hurricane Iniki and saw the devastation of the island even over a year+ after. My brother worked as an engineer for Hawaii Electric at the time on Oahu but so much effort went into rebuilding and restoring power at that time.
Hi Erica.
You should be fine on Kauai.
Aloha.
Thank you for your information. Maui has been our home away from home for many years. Our hearts are heavy. We send good vibes and prayers for our Ohana friends. Communication is the key to keep things calm, everyone informed and just clear expectations.
Right now finding all Ohana members is most important #1. We will continue to send donations and help in any way we can. The people of Maui have amazing strength and closeness with their community. Our hearts, prayers are with you on this long journey ahead – tourism is important, but right now the people of Maui are more important. ❤️
Mahalo for keeping us informed. You are doing a great job!
And what is going on with Hawaiian Airlines? We had a short trip planned in early September (from Oahu). Hotel and rental car canceled with ease. But Hawaiian only lets you cancel flights scheduled through Aug, and even then there’s no way to do it online. We go out of our way to fly Hawaiian whenever we can, but I’m seeing less and less aloha and ohana mindset with HA.
A very sad time for so many. Maui needs a little rest. Even if not physically in West Maui, the stress across the island is probably great for family, jobs, especially as there were several other fires at the same time. Getting a chance for calm might allow a bright path forward for unaffected areas.
I wish peace for all Hawaii.
OK so I’m planning on visiting Kihei the second week of September. I wonder if that’s gonna happen or not. So far everyone I contacted regarding my travel and accommodations have been OK things are fine, but are they really?
Hi K. M.
We just don’t know yet. Those who work in tourism will certainly want your returning business in order to keep their jobs, but the negative impact on the very limited overall island infrastructure is not clear. Sorry.
Aloha.
KM,
On August 8 there was a 5.5 hour evacuation notice for parts of Kihei, an arsonist set fire in Pulehu/Central Maui posed a potential threat. When the evacuation notice was lifted, on August 8, visitors returned. Those staying enjoyed good air quality (wind was moving towards the fire, pushing the smoke away) and access to everything in South Maui.
Maui Fire Department with the assistance also of Coast Guard helicopter water drops steadily made progress to contain this fire and as of Saturday it is, per Maui County Fire Dept. in 100% containment.
Drought for many years coupled with wind creates opportunities for wildfires. When the last of sugar cane fields were harvested and not replanted, the new challenges have been to manage fires and the fire department has learned to successfully establish and control the perimeter that borders the residential/resort area.
Tragically and catastrophically, Lahaina’s warning system did not go off (this is being investigated). If you are familiar with its geography as well as the road system servicing Lahaina you will understand that it was like a box canyon for the residents who received late warning and had insufficient ability to depart.
Maui News Now will give you very good information about the fires and the conditions across the island following this tragedy.
The information you are hearing about Kihei being fine is Correct.
Such a heartbreaking thing, I wish so much this didn’t happen.
I send love and healing energy to the people and the islands of Hawaii.
Amid the heartbreak we all feel, as tourists with plans for February we want to do the right thing. We always reserve almost a year in advance for beautiful ocean side condos so we can watch whales from our lanai. We shop local and are mellow trying to be thoughtful, low impact visitors. If we cancel are we abandoning those who benefit from our tourist dollars? If we switch to another island for this winter we feel guilty and frankly like, but don’t love the other islands like we do Maui. My family feels for Maui deeply. Do we gamble and wait – not making other plans. We want to support in the best way and have heard from friends in Florida California and New York that they do want tourists returning after a disaster. We are so grateful for the time we have had in west Maui and we want to do our small part to support her people.
We have the exact same scenario, book a year early for a beautiful West Maui oceanside condo for several weeks in early February. We shop local, eat local. We are in our 70s and enjoy our very mellow and laid back vacation every year. We have decided at this point to wait it out for a few months (until last date for VRBO cancellation) in hopes there will be better and clearer information available to make an informed decision that works best for both Maui and ourselves.
The affect hotels have a website on which they could communicate with those who currently have reservations and those who desire future reservations. Email should also be an effective way for hotel staff to communicate with their customers.
Maui Schooner, Kihei, is Closed until September 15. The owners of this timeshare complex are being contacted to tell them to cancel their upcoming plans.
I think the original reaction by the HTA of “Don’t come to Maui” was a knee-jerk reaction to the shock and devastation everyone here was feeling the first few days. Then, the more the HTA thought about it, the more they started realizing that it might not be in Maui’s best interest to curtail tourism to untouched areas completely, as those areas could help bring money to the island to aid in the recovery. I think it’s just going to take some time to sort everything out and start creating a strategic recovery plan. It’s only been 6 days.
Having said all that, I can’t help but remember that one of the goals of the “new” HTA is to reduce tourism. I wonder how much incentive they will actually have to rebuild a tourism base, and how much travel they will actually want to encourage in their long-term goals.
Have you heard any news on flying into Maui from the mainland and getting a connecting flight to other islands. ie., the big island, Kauai?
I can’t tell you how profoundly sad I am about losing what I feel has been our second home. We visited the Lahaina area just about every year since 1983 and always stayed at beautiful Puamana. I cry every time I think about the devastation there and the horrors those people went through in this catastrophic fire. I send prayers to everyone who experienced this tragedy. I will always love Maui and especially our beloved Puamana and Lahaina.
Many locals have voiced a dislike for tourists. Now, we will see how well Maui can get along without tourists. Be careful what you wish for!
Please show some aloha, Thomas. This is no time to be vindictive.
What is happening on Maui is horrific. Those of us with timeshares on West, South and East Maui and have been returning for many years are not casual tourists. My husband and I plan to keep our January/February reservation, assuming we are allowed to return, and hope others return as well. For now, please donate!!
If we aren’t very careful, we’ll make a horrible situation even worse by tanking small businesses on Maui. None of these businesses can survive without revenue and that equates to tourism. Conflicting and confusing travel guidance has already triggered a cascade of cancellations in parts of Maui that are unaffected by the Lahaina tragedy.
The Governor has also stated that we need to keep the rest of Maui going. Self appointed experts are on Facebook telling everyone to stay away for 6 months. I don’t know of any business that can sustain zero revenue for even a small fraction of that time.
I’m not trying to minimize the horrific situation in Lahaina. I personally know people who lost their homes. Its going to be a long, difficult and expensive process for Lahaina to recover. We need to do everything we can to support them and one of those things is to keep the rest of Maui’s economy in tact.
We are traveling to South Maui to Kihei on October 11th. Is it going to be safe for travel and are there still activities to do?
We are trying to determine what to do at this time.
Thanks
The activities elsewhere on the island are still open. Got this yesterday from a friend of mine:
“ Hello my fellow Maui Adventure Group family!
I wanted to let you all know that my heart is aching and weeping right now for Maui and the fire devastation that has happened. I have been on the mainland (at my ‘other home’ in Utah) for the past few months and have really missed going on adventures with all y’all! Right now I wish I was there to give each and every one of you a big huge hug!!!
I am holding space in my heart for everyone that was affected by the fires and I’m sending my love across the ocean. I’m not sure when I’ll be returning to Maui yet – its looking like not for a few more months but our other fearless leader Rayna is there in Kihei and she will be hosting some adventure group activities in the near future so please stay tuned! This is a wonderful ohana we have built and it’s a beautiful way where we can all come together for healing and to help each other recover from this tragedy thru our friendship.
Much love and aloha ~Adrian R
I feel badly for all of those people who were/are directly and indirectly impacted by this horrible tragedy; however, you couldn’t pay me to travel to Maui now or even over the next few years. This will impact the whole island for awhile.
Rob & Jeff:
I know its difficult to get news about West Maui but you two seem to be more “in the know” than State and County officials and sources. Do you know if the Honokowai-Napali area has been impacted by the wildfire? This is so sad. Thanks Jim F
Hi Jim.
We’re sitting here in Honolulu talking with someone from that area. The infrastructure there is fed thru Lahaina. Also traffic now is via Pililani/the back side. Narrow, unimproved and one-lane road (as reported to us by Kahului resident who uses it). Very challenging.
Aloha.
That road was challenging even to someone who has driven mountain roads. I can’t imagine driving it with a lot of traffic.
I have been crying for days as I watch with horror and think of the pain that Maui and Lahaina and families are enduring. Please believe me when I post my comments with all sympathy and caring. With all due respect, what happens with all the Timeshare weeks that are booked? All the $$ on Air Travel that has been booked … for all areas besides the Lahaina area. First it was 2 weeks, then avoid the month of August, now avoid all together? I realize that there will be infrastructure issues, but how will Maui County recover without travel?
Just finished reading the tourism website notification when I got your “Beat”. I was confused as well as we have a condo in Kihei we were going to next Sunday. My take is they don’t want to kill off all tourism on Maui especially just a year after all the Covid stuff that went down over the last 2 years.
Aloha,
My heart goes out to the families that are affected by this tragedy. We have been to Maui many times.
We have planes for 9/1-9/15 in Kihei. when I emailed the rental place told me that there is no reason that they will not be able to welcome us then. It seems to me that the locals would view us as uncaring people to show up for a vacation during this tragic time. I do not think that the rental company plans to let us reschedule unless they are forced to. We paid over $4000. If you have any more helpful advice, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for all the info that you have been sharing with your readers.
Hi Janet.
We sincerely wish we had more answers. They’re are no indications at present that you should not come.
Aloha.
Janet,
Keep your plans and go to Kihei in September. Kihei remains beautiful. Remember, the condo and hotel housekeeping workers need their jobs. The restaurant workers need their jobs. The shopkeepers and grocery store workers need their jobs. When tourism decreases in Kihei and other areas of Central/South Maui, workers get laid off. Consider that many homeowners in Central and South Maui are now hosting families who were displaced from the West Side. This means more family/friends to feed, and higher electrical and water bills in many households. So, travel to Kihei in September. Spend locally. Bring your gratitude and appreciation for the aina, and bring your compassion. I have friends who are rental agency managers and housekeeping staff. I know they want the economy to flourish where it can, and they want to sustain their families.
Seems many depend on tourism so why ignore those people. Lahahia is a many tourist area but not the only one. It is quite odd information is so broken and confusing. Pretty obvious one cannot get near Lahaina but there are other places north and south of Lahaina surly.