Maui, Hawaii

 

  

Maui 2001

November 20, 2001

Our trip which started of at 3.00 in the morning got to a scare when the American Airlines Agent informed us that our connecting flight to Maui from Los Angeles was cancelled. Luckily for us we were put on to a flight from Dallas. We didn't mind the extra hours from Denver as we were very eager to get away from the cold weather that had recently besieged Denver. 

Arrival at Maui was very pleasant after we had stayed up for almost 21 hours. My skin could feel the instant humidity compared to the dryness in Denver. Our drive from Kahului Airport to Haiku on the Hana Highway offered us a very good glimpse of things to come like the ocean; the beach, winding roads, the majestic mountains and the lush greenery. The landing into Maui at the Kahului airport itself is dramatic. You fly past the big island of Hawaii seeing the volcanic mountains of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. As you approach Maui, you can see all the islands around it. The West Maui mountains looks like a sleeping giant. The ocean water as blue as it gets. The valley appears abundant with life. 

The drive is very winding. We reach our home for the next eight days, The Haiku Getaway. We meet our host Lynn Mele. We had a very warm welcome and were immediately shown around our two room cottage. This was a house set in the midst of different kinds of trees; from avocados to oranges to banana to coconut. 

After talking over our itinerary with Mele and after freshening up, we head to the town of Haiku for some basic grocery shopping. It took us some time to get acquainted with the roads and maps. But the feeling of driving through lush green tropical forest itself was very intoxicating. From there we head to the hippie town of Paia for dinner. After having a nice Mexican dinner we call it a day.

Haiku Getaway

 

November 21, 2001

Our host Mele had given us a fresh basket of fruits from the garden including papayas, bananas, oranges and avocados. After feasting on all these tropical fruits, we head towards the Kihei/Makena/Wailea side of Maui which is considered the southern part of the island. We pass through Kahului and Wailuku. Kahului is probably famous for its airport, the Wal-Mart, the K-Mart, the JC Penny, the Macy's and other big box stores. There is nothing spectacular here. Wailuku is the next town after Kahului and is much smaller. It is a bit impoverished. All along the drive, the ocean skirts the highway. 

We had stopped at Ho'okipa point which is on top of Ho'okipa beach. This is our first big look at the beautiful Maui waters of the Pacific Ocean. The water is indeed very blue and the waves are very high. This place is very famous for surfers and surfing. All the world championships are held here. We are glad that it is a five minute drive from our house. Our stop now is at the Maui tropical Plantation. We wander around on the lawns seeing all kinds of exotic plants and flowers. The signpost at the entrance said "free". After some time I found out that visitors could not go beyond the lawns unless they paid a ten dollar admission tour using a long tram car. We took the tour since we wanted to see the tropical plantation. We saw all kinds of tropical plants including papaya, sugarcane, mangoes, pineapple, guava, macadamia nut, coconut, etc. 

Maui Tropical Plantation

The lady who was driving the car was native Hawaiian. She stopped in the middle to show all of us a demonstration of how to husk a coconut! In the process she taught us some basic steps of the Hula dance. The entire tour was rushed through and we did not get a real chance of touching or feeling the fruits or flowers. And I was really amused at how one could put up a sign "free" at the entrance (i.e. the gift shop and the lawns) and then charge for the tour.

West Maui Mountains from Maui Tropical Plantation

From here we drive to the Maui Ocean Center which is further south in the town of Ma'alaea. This is the start of the southern end of the island and the beaches on the south side. Maui Ocean Center has an impressive collection of animals from the underwater world in and around the Hawaiian archipelago. The different kinds of eels gave a creepy feeling to us. The sharks looked very eerie and the stingrays mischievous. 

Stingray at Maui Ocean Center

The highlight of the ocean center is the underwater tunnel. Through this tunnel you pass through an entire ocean of animals. We now head to the resort town of Kihei. We stop at the farmer's market and buy different kinds of fruits and vegetables. The fruits are for our breakfast and the vegetables for our sandwiches and snack. The highlight here is the strawberry papaya. It is very sweet indeed. We stop for lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant and are treated to spicy tofu and rice as well as a plate of spring rolls. We go past Kihei and the beautifully manicured towns of Wailea and Makena. All the big resorts are here. The beaches are in plenty. The road narrows down after Makena and is a little bumpy. We get to see some beautiful ocean front houses. We finally reach the `Ahihi-Kina'u Natural Area Reserve which is an eerily lovely volcanic landscape. 

Lava Flows at Ahihi-Kina'u Natural Area Reserve

Here is where the volcanic lava from the top above the Haleakala crater flowed down towards the ocean. The last eruption was in the year 1790. We stop and take some deep breadth at LaPerouse Bay and beach. The beach is black with lava rocks. We head back stopping all along the way taking beautiful snapshots of the environment around us. We stop at the Big beach and the little beach.

Surfing 

There are a lot of people out here. The little beach is also called as the Nude beach which is a misnomer. There are no nude beaches in Maui as it is illegal. The sun was about to be setting. So we head back to Kihei. On the way we see cacti in the wild that grew on a tree. 

Cacti Tree

This was a cacti tree whose leaves were cacti! We spend the rest of the evening at Kama`ole Beach park III in Kihei.

View of Maholaw'e Island from Kamaloe Beach Park III, Kihei

We watch the beautiful sun set in the western horizon. From here you can see the Western Maui Mountains to the right ( i.e. north-west), the tiny Molokini island to the left ( i.e. to the south-west). There are two relatively bigger islands one on each side ( i.e. south-west and north-west), the islands of Maholaw'e and Lanai respectively. And between these islands was the setting sun. 

Sunset at Kamaloe Beach Park III, Kihei

The sound of the ocean brought us peace and tranquility. Thanks to our host we were all in the comfort of beach chairs on the glowing sand. All the islands which I have mentioned above have big mountains. So they are easily seen. We do some shopping in Kihei and then head back to the north-shore to end our day. 

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November 22, 2001

The sleep so far has been very good. It has been undisturbed and pressure free. My throat does not feel dry in the morning as compared to Colorado. Today we head towards the beautiful western town of Lahaina. This is sort of the capital of Maui at least in those old days of Kings and Queens. 

The drive to Lahaina offers splendid views of the ocean and the mountains of Kahoolawe island in the distant far. There are numerous beaches here too as everywhere else on the island. We have lunch at the Launiupoko State Wayside beach park. This seems to be a popular beach with locals as well as tourists. We spread our beach chairs and mats. We have a sumptuous lunch of chips, sandwiches and fruits. We relax under the shade of palm trees and then spend some time sitting on rocks looking at the ocean. The sun is very strong here but the breeze makes it pleasant. 

We head to the town of Lahaina again. After getting rid of our car, we start walking through town. We cool ourselves with ice-cream and sit on the wall of rocks across the historic Pioneer Inn and next ot he Lahaina Carthignan Museum and Lighthouse. We see a lot of crabs on the rocks below. There are lots of them in the ocean. We have been lucky so far to see these colony of crabs twice. Once at Ho'okipa point and then out here. 

Yesterday in the evening, at the Kama'ole Beach park, we were able to see three stingrays playing with each other in the shallow waters. We then head to the huge banyan tree in the middle of town, which is at the back of the old courthouse of Lahaina. It has now been converted into an Art Museum.

Old Lahaina Courthouse

Today there are a lot of artists spread under the banyan tree. We spend a lot of time looking at the paintings, the photography, and the sculptures. We also make some purchases of a photograph as well as a painting. We continue more shopping across the street and I continue clicking a lot of photographs all along the way.  The streets of Lahaina are very pretty with the shops facing the oceanfront and the Lahaina harbor. 

Sunset From Lahaina Harbor with Island of Maholaw'e in the background

There are boats everywhere. People are surfing, walking along the beach and there are some who are parachuting over the ocean. The walk along the streets is very relaxing. We finally head to the star attraction of the evening, the Old Lahaina Luau; an evening of feast, dance and relaxation. 

Old Lahaina Luau'

We are greeted by a beautiful Hawaiian woman with flower Leis i.e.flower garlands and mai tai, a Hawaiian drink of fruit punch. 

Hawiian Music at Old Lahaina Luau'

We walk along the grounds of this huge restaurant cum theatre, which is facing the ocean.  The sound of the ocean and the breeze is soothing. There are different native people showing their craft. There are woman making garlands, woman teaching the Hawaiian dance, women teaching painting and man teaching to make poi, the traditional Hawaiian dish. After tasting it, we talk to this man who mentions that the plant (taro) from which poi is made is also available in India. 

Poi being made from Taro Plant

We recognize it to be the patra plant. He also mentions to us about turmeric and how Hawaiian people also use it for medicinal purposes. Then we are greeted to the ceremony of unearthing the kalua Pua'a (Roast pork) from the traditional underground oven, where it has been cooking since early morning. The six hundred pound pig and a turkey was being cooked covered with banana leaves and sand. The sight for us was very unsettling but we respected their traditions. We are really delighted to experience the service. The drinks are unlimited. I go for non-alcoholic versions of the tropical preparations. The buffet had few vegetarian items. I come to realize that there is nothing like vegetarian in a traditional Hawaiian meal. I felt that the hosts could have been a little more considerate and accommodative. I speak from my experience since in my previous visit to the Hawaiian Islands, I experienced the same at another Luau. 

The live music all along was very good. I could hear a lot of tunes that sounded familiar. A lot of modern songs and advertisements on television have copied the tunes. The evening program takes us to a beautiful dance story of the history of the people of Hawaii. The music is very upbeat and the dance is inspiring. The Hula dance is most famous for the shake of the lower part of the human anatomy. The grand finale is Ori Tahiti as we are brought to the islands of Tahiti, the land of ancestral Hawaiians. The dance and music are very fast and fascinating. This evening has been very good although some might term it touristy. Unfortunately, it is impossible to see the Hawaiian dance, music and food in a natural setting. 

All the native people of Hawaii have been assimilated into mainstream America. And that is the sad part. One could be made to believe that Hawaii is a separate country with a different culture. But Hawaii is indeed the 50th state of the United States of America. With it have come development but phenomenal loss of culture of the Hawaiian people. The Hawaiian people are a diminishing race. Most of the time you can only see mainlanders either vacationing or those who have settled here. You can also see a whole lot of European people as tourists. And then there are a huge number of people of Japanese descent who have migrated through the ages. All the resources are controlled between the people of European  and  Japanese descent. That leaves the native people in poverty and as show pieces for us pleasure-seeking tourists. Also along with America, has come the motor driving culture. Sadly, there is no public transportation whatsoever in all the islands except in the metropolis of Honolulu. It is impossible to travel here without a motor car. We finally head back to the northern shores. The sounds and smells all along the drive are memorable.

 

November 23, 2001

Today we head away from the beaches towards upcountry Maui on the slopes of Haleakala Crater. We first drive through the city of Makawao. 

Sugarcane Farm

Which is next town from Haiku, the place where we live. The road is very winding. We pass through a lot of plantations and an old sugarcane factory. 

Pineapple Farm

We stop at some beautiful churches to take photographs. Makawao is lush green like Haiku with all kinds of topical trees and flowers. 

Makawao

This town looks impoverished compared to the resorts towns of Kihei, Makena, and Wailea. There are a lot of abandoned homes and establishments. One peculiar thing about Maui is that a whole lot of establishments come up and whole lots more close down as quickly. Also a lot of establishment's work on Maui time, which is, they open and close as they wish. A lot of them in small towns close early. But most places like resorts, hotels, restaurants, plantations, etc. are owned by big corporations from mainland USA. So there is some sort of standardization. But of course these places really make us feel that these corporations enslave the natives. Makawao apart from the plantations and small downtown is famous for the charming Olinda road. This road begins from the downtown of Makawao and meanders uphill on a scenic journey through eucalyptus trees, open pastures with grazing cows as well as horses and a forest.  

Orchards on Olinda Road

The smell of Eucalyptus is over powering. It really clears ones sinuses. All along our stay in Maui, wee were refreshed by the smell of flowers and fruits. 

Eucalyptus Tunnel on Olinda Road

In the morning when we get up and go outside the patio we awaken up to the smell of different flowers and oranges. The various drives we have taken so far, we are greeted with the smell of pineapples, guava, banana, etc. All the houses here have huge plantation gardens. We keep some eucalyptus leaves to freshen ourselves along the way. From Olinda, we drive towards Kula. We stop at magnificent Enchanting gardens, which is a true star of our trip. This is a garden of eight acres at an elevation of 2500 feet on the slopes of Haleakala Crater. It has over 1500 species of tropical, semi tropical plants and flowers form around the world. This has been nurtured by a Japanese family and is beyond description. It is every family's dream garden. 

 

Enchanting Gardens

Banana Tree	Cacti
Pomegranate Tree	Lipstick Tree
Bird of Paradise

 

There are plants, trees and flowers form Mexico to Brazil to Indonesia to India to South Africa. They are of all sizes, colors and smell. There are even cacti of different sizes and shapes. There are exotic protease's (which are the native flower plants of South Africa), orchids, hibiscus, jadevines and a great variety of fruit trees. There is even a turmeric plant. From here we go further into the town of Kula. We stop at the Holy Ghost Church. 

The Altar at Holy Ghost Church

There was simply no one around. We thought that the church was deserted or closed. But we were surprised to find it open. Inside there was a beautifully carved altar of Jesus and Mary as well as a sculpted dome. Each step on the wooden floor was heard loudly. We could even hear ourselves breathe. It was really ghostly. 

Holy Ghost Church

From here we head to Ulupalukua which is famous for Tedeschi vineyards, Maui's only vineyard. We were disappointed to find out that the last tour departed ten minutes ago. But we made it up with a beautiful picnic under a huge tree with handsome views of the ocean far down below. We complete some wine shopping and head towards Poli Poli springs. This is a state recreation area, which has one very narrow steep road, which is very uphill. As soon as we enter the narrow stretch, we are above the clouds. The feeling is very ethereal.

Poli Poli Springs

View of West Maui Mountains peaking above the clouds  from Poli Poli Springs
Dreaming at Poli Poli Springs	Cows at Poli Poli Springs

The entire valley between the Maui Mountains and here at Haleakala are covered with white clouds. The ocean and some beaches on both sides are clearly visible. The road here is very steep. There are cattle everywhere on the pastures. Now there are some people on the cliffs flying model airplanes with their remote controls. These planes look real. After some time we are all by ourselves. The elevation is now around 6000 feet. It's bright and sunny up here. The clouds below are moving up gradually. We suddenly get a peak of the West Maui Mountains above the clouds. And far away the oceans look deep blue. The paved road suddenly ends. Our journey now turns around. We go down rapidly. There are cattle now on the narrow road. 

A cow at Poli Poli Springs amidst the clouds

The clouds are amongst us. It's very foggy as the clouds engulf us. The people who were flying model planes are still around. We come back to Kula and spend time driving the narrow uphill streets filled with farms. We stop and talk to a lady about the fruits on the farms. The houses have beautiful views. We end our trip to Kula with some tea, coffee and pastries at the charming Grandma’s coffee house, a small sleepy establishment. 

Grandma's Coffee House in Kula

We head back to Haiku via Makawao. We stop by for dinner at the Cassanova restaurant and finish our evening with a well-done pizza. There were local women with different kinds of flower bouquets going around the restaurant selling their wares. The entire restaurant had a beautiful smell; the smell similar to jasmine. 

 
 

November 24, 2001

We wake up leisurely today to get to Haleakala National Park, Maui’s majestic volcano. We were supposed to go for a 12 mile guided tour to the Haleakala Crater. Unfortunately the guided tour program was supposed to begin only in December. We decided to do a short hike apart from driving around the park. The drive to National Park takes us through winding roads, green pastures and farms. After we climb to around 2000 feet, the clouds are below us. We pass through protea farms. The climb now is very steep. 

We enter the National Park. The views of the valley below as well as the ocean and white clouds are magnificent. We stop by Hosmer’s grove and take a hike around in the forest. There are all kinds of alpine and sub-alpine trees that were planted by Hosmer around a quarter of a century ago. In our trips all across island we have come across numerous such experimentation by people bringing plants and animals from all over the world. These I hear have been a bit detrimental to the native plants and animals and have forced some towards extinction. 

Such experimentation has come forth over centuries by first the Polynesian people then by the Japanese, the British, the white people from the mainland and other Europeans. We also stop by to do some bird watching. Our next stop takes us to Leleiui point. As we turn around a corner on the trail we were greeted by a spectacular view of the Haleakala Crater. 

Haleakala National Park

Haleakala Crater from Leleiwi Point	Big Island of Hawaii across the  clouds  over the ocean from Haleakala Crater
Haleakala crater	Haleakala Crater
Cacti and Haleakala Summit

The crater is very big and of different colors indicating volcanic eruptions at different times. There are different peaks formed by lava. There are volcanic rocks all around. Far away, we can see the volcanic peaks of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii beyond the ocean and above the clouds. This is a very panoramic view. 

The beauty of Haleakala is that it supports varied climatic zones. There are coastal, rainforest, pasture land, dry forest, sub-alpine and alpine areas. These support an amazing variety of flora and fauna. The temperature and climatic variation especially at the higher elevations can surprise anyone. At this time, it is very sunny. However, we have heard that clouds from down below can cover the crater within matter of hours and there can be freezing rain or even snow. We have been lucky to see all the different climatic zones all in one day! 

As we go higher, we are surprised to find that the weather is very dry compared to the humidity down below. It is very similar to the air in Colorado. We reach the top of the summit and get a similar spectacular view of the crater and big island of Hawaii. The colors of lava rock have a great variation. We take the white hill hike. This is the best view. Far away down below we can see hikers going down into the crater. On the other side we can see white clouds and the west Maui Mountains sneaking above them. The valley is not visible; the clouds appear to be ascending. We finally descend down which is very fast. The summit is around 10023 feet. The visitor center and park headquarters is around 6000 feet. We stop by here and have a picnic lunch. The sun is bright on our backs. As we descend down further we go into the midst of clouds. We drive around pasturelands. Then we come to the protea farms. 

There are flower baskets everywhere outside everyone’s house. And everything is self-serve and is left to the person’s honesty to pay and choose the flowers. All around the island we have seen such stands selling fruits and flowers. All of them depend on the honor system. We stop by to take photographs of horses and with the flower stands. We finish our day with dinner in Kihei at a nice Thai restaurant. We had a great time eating the spicy Thai food and especially conversing with hosts in Thai. Before we went to Kihei, we tried finding a restaurant in Kahului and Wailuku. We went into the inner streets of Wailuku and saw some Thai restaurants there. But there were all kinds of people asking for change. We were surprised to see the poverty. The entire town except for the main street and a few resort hotels looked rundown. We really felt bad for the native people.

 

November 25, 2001

This is our rest day. We spend the morning getting up leisurely and having breakfast. I spend time writing this journal. In the afternoon, we decide to go to the west side of the island. We drive past Kahului and Wailuku. We stop by the Bailey house museum, which shows the Hawaiian artifacts. Unfortunately it was closed, as it was a Sunday. We drive further up the west Maui Mountains and come to the Heritage gardens. 

Chinese House at Heritage Gardens

This is one of the other stars of our trip. This is a garden with picnic shelters and different kinds of shelter homes; from Hawaiian to Japanese to Chinese. The views of the West Maui Mountains are awesome as they are just above us. They are very green and huge. There are all kinds of trees and plants out here. There is a stream form the mountains.

We spend a lot of time walking in the grounds. This seems to be a popular place with families picnicking and having a barbecue. We go further up the mountains to reach Iao valley State Park. It is very green out here and there are beautiful views of the valley down below. We take the hike up to see the famous Iao needle. 

 

Iao Needle, Valley and Falls

On the way we stop at a manicured garden constructed by a Hawaiian organization. There is a water stream out here, which creates a fall. The garden is full of Taro plants. Further above we reach a viewing point. Here we get a spectacular view of the green conical Iao needle touching the clouds above us. These grounds and the needle are sacred to the native people of Hawaii. Hence we were only allowed to view everything form a distance and were asked to stay on the trail. The views of the Kahului Valley and the ocean are very good. We have a nice time strolling around and savoring the views and the greenery. On the way back, we get some lunch and ice cream from a Kahului mall. We end the day with great Italian dinner at a restaurant in Paia. 

Paia Cemetry

Baldwin Beach at Paia

At the restaurant we enjoyed great live music of guitar and violin. The guitarist had training of flamenco music from the Gypsy Kings. This restaurant is famous for musicians from all parts of the island playing for free. This restaurant has many European visitors like everywhere on the island we have seen. A lot of them come to these islands for years till they finally get tired and head back. The owner of the restaurant came by and talked to us. He had a sense of accomplishment. He talked about how “the restaurant owned him” when I asked whether he owned the restaurant! Like some other restaurants, here too there was a local woman trying to sell flowers. The music was very good. We finish yet another leisurely day. We catch sleep early to be prepared for the big journey tomorrow.

November 26, 2001

We wake up at 5.00 a.m. and leave the home at 5.30. It is still dark and we are on the windy and curvy road through a huge rainforest to Hana, which is on the east side of the island. We can see the silhouette of the forest trees and smell the freshness of the air. At about six we are greeted by the dawn light and we can see a distant glow in the sky that is playing hide and seek with us as we go along the narrow road. 

All along the road there are one-lane very narrow bridges and only one car can go past by. The reason for our early departure to Hana was to beat the tourist traffic, which we heard was big. At this hour in the morning, we were the only ones heading towards Hana. There were a few cars coming from the opposite direction. The entire journey is 54 miles from Kahului and 40 from Haiku. But it takes well over three hours because there are so many things to see. Right now we are overwhelmed by the amazing variety of trees and plants in this tropical rain forest. There are lots of trees with flowers and they give a very colorful feeling in this morning light. 

The Hana Drive

Wildflowers and the Ocean
	A narrow bridge on Hana Drive
Haleakala Summit from Hana Drive	Hanawi Falls
Fruit Stand
Taro Fields	Blue Angel Falls
Kahanu Gardens	Blue Angel Falls
Town of Hana	Hasegawa Store in Hana
Cows in Hana	Hana Beach
Twin Falls Pool
	Keane Town and Penninsula
Fruit Stand	Hana Drive Cafe
The ocean from Keane

As the entire road goes along the coast, this journey offers tremendous vistas of the ocean. At this point we can hear the sound of the waves off and on as we go along. Our first step is the Kaumahina State Wayside. Here we are in the middle of the forest all alone at this hour. The only sound is that of birds greeting the morning sun. The air is very fresh and humid. The weather is very cool. Far away we can see the ocean and the waves. We spend some time here and then drive further along. The narrow bridges here are very charming. Some are painted white and some are black with a touch of green ( i.e. overcome by moss and age). There are water streams flowing underneath that go into the ocean. 

There are numerous waterfalls and sapphire blue ponds all along. At the next stop we come to a beautiful vista of Honomanu Bay. The waves are strong and they hit the black rocks with force. We stop at the very pleasant Keanae Arboretum. There is a narrow walkway leading into the woods. We are all by ourselves and there is very little light at this time. We are surrounded by different kinds of tropical trees from the rubber plant to the bamboo. This part of the forest is an experimentation by an European gentleman. We go further and are surrounded by trees. We can see a stream flowing a bit further from us. The color of the rubber tree is very interesting; it is of white and red as if it has been touched by a painter's brush. At this point we hear a big thud and we are startled. 

We continue enjoying the scenery around us and hearing the sound of birds. We start heading back and we are surprised to find two local white women walking their dogs. The dogs rush at us and start barking very loudly. Luckily the women control the dogs with their voice call.  We finally head back to our car and continue along. Next we go into the small town of Keanae which is on a very small peninsula. We stop by along a very small beach and enjoy the waves and the scenery of far away green cliffs. There are beautiful small houses here with wonderful flower gardens. Further along we come to an area where the native people lived in their small houses which had tin roofs. 

We continue along on the main road and stop by a point where we get a wonderful view of the Keanae Peninsula and the ocean. There are palm trees, taro fields, small houses all over. At the next point we get a similar but bigger view of the Wailua town valley. There are taro fields and palm trees everywhere. There are beautiful cliffs with the waves splashing on the rocks below. Behind us, we get a spectacular view of the Haleakala Mountain. Our next stop is the Wailua pool and waterfalls. The waterfall is big and there is a huge pool below it. We stop our car before the narrow bridge. I climb above the wall of the bridge and my face is hit with the mist of the waterfall. The pool is crystal clear and greenish blue in color. We are all by ourselves to admire this creation of nature. 

From here there are a lot of flower and fruit stalls along the way. But they really operate on Hana time, which is even more laid back than the rest of the island. All along we are really surprised to see a solitary house in the remote forest. Some of them are right by the ocean. We stop by in a small town of Nahiku, which has a solitary café and fruit stall. We had a frothy hot chocolate and a delicious banana bread cake. The fruits hadn’t arrived for that day. We also stopped by a flower stall further along which was just outside a small house. Most of the houses out here look run-down and even the automobiles outside. Here we are delighted to see fresh protea flowers. 

We stopped by a fruit shop further ahead. They made juices and shakes apart from selling fruits. It was 9.45 a.m. and we were thirsting for a glass of fresh fruit juice. The owner was preparing to open for the day. Upon asking, he told that he would welcome us at 10.00 a.m. sharp. We were surprised that he made us wait rather than letting us in. We moved along and took a very narrow side road to get to the historical Kahanu gardens. Halfway through, the road ended and there was a sign which said "four wheels only". Our book said that cars could use the dirt road on a dry clear day. We went ahead and took the risk. In the beginning, it was O.K. but later it became bumpy with rocks. On both sides there were trees and tropical plants. 

Here and there we would come across houses with tropical gardens. Soon we reach Kahanu Gardens. It was 10.00 a.m. and they were about to open. There was only one lady at the entrance. Behind her was a vast garden and forest with the ocean far away. We paid the visitor's fee and entered the park. We drove further along a mud-path and then a paved pathway. After around 3/4 of a mile we parked our car and started the tour. We were the first on the vast grounds. We were surprised to find lot of jackfruits and coconuts lying fallen on the grounds from their trees. We come around a corner and we are surprised to see a huge wall built with lava rocks. 

This is a monument built by the ancient people. Towering above it is the Halekala Peak. Opposite to it are the ocean waters. In-between is a knee-length wall that criss-crosses the vast grounds. Everywhere there are cobwebs constructed by huge spiders. It looks as if no one has visited this place for ages. We marvel at the huge structure in front of us. We go past along and then stop for some time along the shore to admire the waters and the cliffs. The waters were very blue. 

From Kahanu Gardens we continue along the dirt road to go to the Blue Angel falls. The road is very bumpy with rocks and the roots of the trees. We are really surprised to find houses in this remote of an area. In one house, we even see children playing outside. After a brief while the dirt road comes to an abrupt end because of the ocean. We park our car and then walk along the waters on the huge rocks. After navigating through the rocks and the waves for less than quarter of a mile, our sight is opened to the Blue Angel Falls. Here are the falls falling from a cliff into a big sapphire blue pool. 

From the pool, little by little water trickles into the beach and then into the ocean. The waves are strong and they splash on the rocks and on us as we watch this magnificent creation of Mother Nature in the remotest corner of earth. We continue along our journey and reach the small town of Hana. There is the beautiful Hana bay on one side of the town and above it are two small peaks with a cross on one of them. Above them is the huge Haleakala peak. There are green pastures on the slopes of those peaks and there are hundreds of cattle grazing. 

The sight of the beach and  the slopes with the grazing cows is very dreamy. We have a wonderful picnic lunch on the Hana beach with a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean. The sound and sight of the waves is very pleasing. Far away on a deck, there are some kids jumping into the waters and swimming. This also happens to be the Hana Harbor. Today, not a single boat is in sight. We go to the Hasegawa store, the only store in town and are charmed by its modest interiors and exteriors. We reached Hana at around 12.00 p.m. and its now 1.30 p.m. and it is time to head back home. 

Beyond Hana, the road continues along and passes through even smaller towns and then finally it becomes a dirt road. It then joins the highway on the south side of the Island and reaches the town of Upalupua, the place where we visited three days before. We didn't want to risk taking the torturous loop with our rental car. The drive back was a breeze as the traffic was just coming in. The fruit and flower stands that were closed in the morning are now open. We stop by and have coconut juice. We are surprised to see how coconut juice is not popular with the people of this country. The vendor also remarks to us about this and mentions to us how cheap coconut is in India. We pack the meat of the coconut and eat it as a snack. It gets over in a jiffy. The drive is as beautiful as ever. 

We stop by the places we missed in the morning. Closer to home, we come to the Twin Falls. There is a short hike that leads us to the falls and like others a stream leads to a fall which leads to a sapphire pool. There are orchards of different fruits all along the hike. When we get back to our car we get a glass each of fresh sugarcane juice. It's been a long-time since we have tasted this heavenly juice. We also get some fruits for the next day. 

At this stall we run into some guys. They are very badly dressed. They have a run-down car and looked drunk. One of the guys talks to the vendor girl and grabs a cookie from the cookie jar. Since he does not have a penny, he just pleads her to give it for free! We reach home at around 4.00 p.m. and recollect the sights, sounds and taste of the journey. After refreshing and relaxing for a couple of hours, we finish our exciting day with a tasteful dinner at Polli's, a Mexican place at Makawao. 

 

November 27, 2001

We get up late and are greeted with rain hitting the sunroof in our bedroom. We look outside and the rain is pouring. All the plants are even greener. We switch on television to find out about weather and are surprised to know that a rare tropical storm has hit the islands. We take our time getting ready and having breakfast. We get a call from our host Mele. She was calling to check how we were doing and to tell us about the storm. She cautioned us about venturing outside before checking the weather on TV Today was the day where we were going to have the grand finale' with the magical Ulalena show; a show of Hawaian myth and history. 

This was in Lahaina, the southwest part of the island. Usually rain does not hit this part of the island at this point in the year. It was around 12.00 p.m. and the rain was stopping to a drizzle. We felt good and hit the road to Lahaina and to the resort town of Kanapali further. There was rain in-between but nothing like a showstopper. Towards Lahaina, it was dry but cloudy. After about an hour we reached Lahaina. The rain now had started. We parked our car and went towards a shopping center. The rain was poring. This was a tropical rain and storm. We had one umbrella between the two of us. We found quick shelter in some shops. We shopped around. The rain was getting worse. It was flooding the streets. 

We were becoming anxious since the road into Lahaina is windy and has muddy cliffs kissing the ocean waters. We didn't want to take the risk of being marooned in Lahaina for the night. It was around 2.00 p.m. We decided to go back and check around 5.00 p.m. and see if the weather was getting better. Our drive back to Haiku was very memorable. We traveled through a tropical storm. The waves were splashing on the highway. Water was gushing from the walls of the West Maui Mountains. There were pools of water on the road. We could smell the mud falling from the mountains. 

The rain was pouring hard and the visibility was bad. There were a lot of rocks, some huge, scattered across the highway. We were lucky not to hit any of these or get caught on a mudslide. Those minutes were long. We reached Haiku at around 3.00 p.m. On the way we stopped at a grocer shop next to our house. We got ration for lunch and dinner, just in case we got holed in our house. We made an excellent lunch of stir-fry vegetables and noodles and topped it of with ice cream. 

We spent rest of the evening watching television together. I made arrangements to cancel the show. We heard that the road to Lahaina was closed that evening. This was a great evening for us as we got time to spend together and remember the wonderful trip we have had so far. 

 

November 27, 2001

This is our final day. We get up at leisure. We feel fully rested. Our first task was to pack up. This itself was a big chore since we have considered this as our home for over a week. 

After packing up and cleaning, we have breakfast. After signing the guestbook (in which we thank Lynn and Mele profusely for their hospitality), we take a photograph with Mele and her shy two-year-old daughter. 

The patio at Haiku Getaway

We say our last goodbyes and head towards Lahaina. With this we also bid adieu to the beautiful house, the trees and of course the insects and lizards roaming around in the house since we had arrived. They had definitely given us some excitement and anxiety! The island is also famous for mosquitoes. In fact there were some places that were closed because of dengue fever epidemic especially on the drive to Hana. Luckily, they didn't bother us that much. Today is very bright and sunny. It is a bit hot and muggy perhaps because it had rained so heavily yesterday. It was impossible to make out that there were heavy rains the day before. We stop at Ho'okipa beach. 

Fishing at Ho'okipa Beach

We spend time looking at the surfers for this is a famous beach for their ilk. There were a lot of people fishing too as the strong waves and current bring the fish closer to the shore. There is a strong stench and dead fishes hanging everywhere. 

Mama's Fish House near Paia

The road to Lahaina did not show any signs of yesterday's mudslide. The ocean waters are dark-blue, blue, and brown in color at different places under the bright sun. In Lahaina, first we get a refund for the Ulalena show, which we missed, because of the rains. We continue our shopping and finish our lunch with Thai cuisine. After having some very spicy food, we top it up with a big scoop of ice cream; perfect for the hot weather. I had mango ice cream, my favorite since childhood days. It is a true exotic delicacy. 

We now drive further towards the resort town of Kaanapali. This is the town of resorts; in fact the signboard says "An AMFAC town" AMFAC is a multi-national resort company. Everything looks manicured here. There are golf courses everywhere. The beaches are exclusive for the guests since there is very little parking for us outsiders. We always wonder why would anyone come to Maui to golf on man-made grounds. It definitely is for the American rich. For us there is so much (natural) to see out in this tropical island. We spend very little time here and thank our stars that we did not choose a place to stay out here. We head back and stop at a wayside beach for an hour listening at the waves. This is music to our ears. 

To me, more than the waves hitting the shore, when the waves cede and the waters go back is the exciting part. The water takes back rocks and sand along with it with great force. This makes a loud crushing sound that can scare even the bravest on a rough day at the ocean. We leave Lahaina and go to Kihei for the sunset. We stop at the Kamaole beach park  II for our grand finale`. There is still an hour for the sunset. We laze around looking at all sorts of people on the beach and of course looking at the ocean waters. People were gathering for the sunset. 

There was a native Hawaiian lady teaching the Hula dance to small kids as well as a big group of adults. Her voice and sounds from the Hawaiian guitar were beautiful. It was a perfect setting for a classroom. It was now 5.45 p.m. and the sun was setting in all its red glory. 

The Grand Finale' at Kihei

At the final moments a cloud came in-between and the sun hid behind it. The sky was reddish and pink. So were the waters. We bid adieu to the ocean and headed to the airport in Kahului. After returning the car, we wait for three hours before we boarded the flight. I spend time writing this journal and reflecting on these wonderful days in Maui. The people out here are really friendly. They have a certain kind of warmth towards visitors. This land is the true star of the United States of America. 

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