It’s been more than a week and I just now have a chance to sit down and describe my trip to Maui. Visiting Hawaii is just like everyone who’s been there always says–exhilerating. The variety of things to see, from flora and fauna to luxurious hotels and beaches, is limitless. To me, the most amazing thing about visiting Maui was the varied climates and landscapes on the relatively small island. On the northeastern windward side of the island, where Hannah lives, is a lush rainforest with more than 140 inches of rain a year, cooler temperatures, and near constant winds. On the leeward side of the island, thanks to the grand volcano Helakala and its counterparts, is a desert with calm shores and beaches with sand as soft as silk between your toes. In between it seems to be almost a steppe climate, with rolling, treeless hills and sea cliffs overlooking the magnificence of the Pacific.
Even though I missed Bruce and the girls terribly, calling them every morning via Skype, I spent the week enjoying Hannah and Jake’s company and hospitality. We started out visiting Sansei, a sushi restaurant in the town of Kihei. Though I was apprehensive at first, as I’ve had sushi before and haven’t had much of a taste for it, this was by far the freshest, most delicious sushi I’d ever tasted. I had a side of vegetables grown on the island’s upcountry, and on the way home saw the “Sugar in the Raw” factory. Maui has relentless sugar cane fields, and I learned on this trip that it takes 1 ton of water to produce 1 cup of sugar, water that they irrigate from the rainforest on down.
On Monday, I went with Hannah’s friend Allison to Ka’anapali Beach near Lahaina town. We stopped along the way to see the world’s largest banyan tree, whose branches reach out to form roots that are as thick as trees themselves. We spent the day relaxing on the beach and saw three humpback whales swimming by… then Hannah got off work early and met us at the Hula Grill for lunch. I was more than pleased to see that they served only locally grown and caught food, including the pineapple and guava juices for our mai tais and the ahi fish for my taco. Delicious!
Tuesday was my first day on my own. After taking Hannah to work, I navigated my way to the olivine pools along the northeastern part of Maui’s “head”, thanks to the maps and recommendations of the book Maui Revealed. It was a one-lane road along a sea cliff with outstanding views and a few scary encounters. I stopped at a food stand and bought the most delicious fresh pineapple and banana I have ever put in my mouth! The hike down to the pools along the black lava rocks was a bit intimidating in my crocs, but I made it and was amazed at the contrasting images of the calm pool and the waves crashing violently on three sides. On the way back, I picked up some homemade banana bread from another stand and made a stop at Iao Needle State Park, took a short hike, then took a quick stint at a beach on the side of the road near Kihei. Then Hannah and I went to her Bikram yoga class, 90 minutes at 105 degrees. It was pretty intense, but we both felt great afterward.
On Wednesday, I spent the morning at another nice beach in Kihei and then went to the mall to, for one day only, do some shopping. I just couldn’t go to Maui and not buy some Hawaiin clothes to bring home to Bruce and the girls. I also bought Bruce some Maui-grown coffee, a Hawaii beach towel, and some chocolate-covered macadamia nuts. Yum!
Hannah had Thursday off, Prince Kahukio or some Hawaiian’s holiday, so we took the long drive along the Hana Highway, one of the most famous and beautiful drives in the world. All along the road were gorgeous views of the sea cliffs, the crashing waves, and on the other side, endless waterfalls and more varieties of trees and plants than I could imagine in my dreams. We saw everything from ferns to tulip trees to rainbow eucalyptus trees. Towards the middle of the drive, we stopped at Waianapanapa State Park (try saying that a few times) and I saw for the first time in my life a black sand beach. With the shiny black lava stones on top and the white waves crashing to the shore, I felt as if we’d entered another world. We took Duke, her French bulldog, along what we thought was a loop hike along the shoreline, traversing up and down a variety of lava, seeing a natural arch, a sea cave, and lush green plants growing in stark contrast to the black rocks, only to end up at the Hana Airport! Duke, wheezing from exhaustion, had to be carried a good part of the way, and we were able to hitch a ride back to the park. We hit the road again, saw more waterfalls and the other side of Hana with the rolling steppe-like climate. Amazing! We picked Jake up from his job site in the desert, went to happy hour, then had a relaxing evening at home.
My last day in Hawaii, I went back to Ka’anapali Beach to snorkel next to black rock. Again, I was amazed. I only had to walk ten feet into the water and a coral reef filled with fish that swam inches from my face surrounded me. After snorkeling, I read my book under the nice shade tree and had one more lunch at Hula Grill. That evening, Hannah and Jake treated me to a delicious fish sandwich at a famous local restaurant in Pa’ia, and then we went to the mall to see one of Jake’s coworkers perform his own Hawaiin-style music before they took me to the airport.
Even though I wasn’t expecting this trip, I will always remember it, not only for the beautiful scenery that is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, but for the opportunity to spend time with Hannah, the cousin I grew up with and will always hold close to my heart. And when I returned to what was left of a heavy snowfall and three clingy little girls who all wanted to hold my hand as we walked out of the airport, I was happy to be home, but I know that I will always hold a piece of Maui in my heart.
