If you like hearing about a vacation by listening to a recreation, this is the right place. This narrative is the answer to the question, "What wonderful experiences did you have on your vacation ?". I hope this retelling of the adventure gives you some ideas for your trip. Embedded in the text are links to related photographs and other information.
I could tell you of the warm and friendly people I met. Like the morning at McDonalds when I was eating a quick breakfast. A local lady with two children came over to my table and said "My scratch off card says I just won a free hash brown. I do not eat these. Would you like to claim it." I was very touched by her consideration.
Or the evening I was sitting on the beach watching the sunset and a middle aged couple came over to me. The wife said "You look honest. Will you be here long ?" Since I was watching the sunset, I said I would. She continued to explain how she and her husband wanted to take a sunset swim and asked if they could leave their valuables with me while they swam. It is a very positive feeling to be trusted. When they returned from their swim, I learned that he is a civil engineer and they have lived in Maui for 20 years.
But I digress, the trip really began with Billie Boyd, travel agent at Golden Globe Travel Bureau 
. She spent
the time working with me to pull together a wonderful trip. She listened to my preferences and made sure my trip was exactly what I wanted. A trip focused on hiking, snorkeling and cultural sight seeing with some time to try
new activities, like kayaking. She helped me sort out the
conflicts due to my travel inexperience and gave me very good advice as to what to expect and how to prepare. A definite thumbs up for Bobby Boyd.
-- Day 1 (Hilo, Hawaii)
I flew over on United Airlines. Since this was the first time I had flown, I read up on all the possible problems and discomforts associated with air travel. But I had a wonderful time on the flight. Perhaps it was the
preparation.
The first 4 days I stayed on Hawaii in Hilo. My base of operation was The Hilo Hawaiian Hotel , standard room
. The hotel
has a very elegant lobby. The rooms are a little dated, but very well equipped. My room even had a safe and a refrigerator. The grounds are spectacular and include Coconut Island .
The hotel also has a spa with sauna, steam room and weight room. A welcome amenity after a long day of sightseeing. It rains an hour of two every day on this side of the island. The rain is usually light, but an umbrella is a good item to have.
That evening I ate at Cafe Pesto Hilo Bay. It is located in the restored Hati Building on the ocean front. Having survived several tsunamis, the Hati Building is from the 1930's plantation era of Hilo. The restoration is
superb .
For dinner, I ordered Mahi Mahi (white fish) in a vinaigrette sauce and seasoned mashed potatoes. For desert a chocolate tart with raspberry sauce. The meal was excellent and the presentation was as good as any five star restaurant review I have read.
Fine wine is also available. A definite thumbs up for Cafe Pesto.
After dinner, I took a walking tour of downtown Hilo. There are some beautiful restored buildings; but there are also many unrestored store fronts.
Althrough I could not work it into my schedule, the Tsunamis Museum is highly rated. But it is only open during banker's hours.
--- Day 2 (Hilo, Hawaii)
A morning drive down Pepe'ekeo Scenic Drive or "4 mile scenic drive" is a wonderful way to start the day. Located about 8 miles north of Hilo. The road winds it's way through beautiful rain forest. It is very narrow, but there are some turnouts. The many rivers
crossing and bridges make
for spectacular photographs. This drive is a
definite thumbs up.
Near the middle of the drive is Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens
at Onomea Bay. There is a small museum of local history and plant/gift store. From here you can have topical flowers shipped home, as they already have taken care of the
agricultural inspection issues. The garden has several well maintained, paved paths allowing self guided walking tours. The gardens consists of a very large variety of plants artfully planted along the paths, with representative
plants having informational name plates. For the entrance price of $15 the gardens provide a wonderful half day of peaceful and serene views and pleasant education. This is a definite thumbs up.
Continuing the drive, the scenery changes to grass covered rolling hills. Soon you come to "What's Shaking". A road side business that makes legendary smoothies. It has outdoor seating and the staff is very friendly. Worth the stop if you are in the area.
Returning to Highway 91, I drove to Akaka Falls road. From the parking lot a short hike on a paved path (takes about 30 minutes) leads to the waterfall look outs for Kahuna Falls and Akaka Falls. Akaka Falls is 420 feet tall
and most impressive. If you like waterfalls, these are some of the best to see.
Further along Highway 91 you come to "World Botanical Gardens" turnoff. If you pay the entrance fee at World Botanical Gardens, you can drive to Umauma Falls lookout. As you see the falls are triple tiered and very impressive.
The World Botanical Gardens have great promise, but at this time they are very disappointing after
seeing Hawaii Botanical Gardens.
In the evening I drove south of Hilo and visited Isaac Hale Beach Park. This is the beach where the local families picnic and is reported as one of the safest swimming locations on this side of the island. The ocean surf is too dangerous for swimming, however there are several wave-breaks that form safe lagoons for swimming. These lagoons are only 18" deep, but are many 10's of feet in size. Very good for children. However, there are large quantities of graffiti on the public buildings and the showers are boarded up.
--- Day 3 (Hilo, Hawaii)
Started early, as this day is dedicated to serious hiking. The place to eat breakfast in Hilo is Ken's Pancake House.
It is open 24 hours. This is where the locals eat. I ordered the 3 pancake breakfast. When it arrived it was a full sized dinner plate with 3
pancakes, folded in half and stacked so they overlapped each other. At least 4 ounces of whipped cream was squiggled across the pancakes and topped with strawberries. The pancakes where so large, I could not finish them, so I took one with me for lunch on
the trail. Ken's
regularly provides containers for the customers to take the excess with them. Cost of the meal - $6. A great deal. A definite thumbs up.
It was raining when I left Ken's to drive to Hawaii Volcano National Park. It is about 8am. The park headquarters are very well setup, with a large room of displays of park volcano information. The hike I choose
goes through Kilauea Volcano. It starts by hiking through Volcano
House hotel lobby,
as the back exit of the hotel is the trail head. This is a very elegant hotel and dining room. It was quite a unique experience to hike through an elegant hotel in full hiking pack and boots. Soon the trail
descends through the rain forest and into the Kilauea Volcano Caldera. The lava flows have created a sharp edge between the rain forest and the caldera. The lava has formed some really unusual rocks in the form of smooth lava (pahoehoe)
and very sharp edged, cracked lava (aa).
But you must stay on the trail so you do not break through the surface and fall into
a old lava tube. As you hike across the caldera, be prepared for heat, rain, and wind. It is very different terrain, almost like walking on the surface of the moon. The scale of the scenery is so massive. When you are in
the middle of the calderas the rim of the volcano is 3 miles in any direction. This creates a perspective that is hard to capture - you just have to be there. At the end of the trail is the active fire pit in Halemaumau
Crater.
The fence keeps people from falling in. Yes that smoke is escaping sulfur plumes, as this is an active volcano. This is the sacred home of Pele, the volcano goddess.
Visitors are asked not to disturb the offerings left by the local Hawaiians. Back tracking
to Byron Ledge Trail junction, I crossed the caldera in a
different direction. As you leave the caldera, there is another sudden vegetation change where the lava has not destroyed the rain forest. The trail
crosses over the ridge, and drops into Kilauea Iki Caldera. This is a valley that filled with lava in a 1959 eruption. This eruption was 1900 feet high. The trail exits this
caldera floor and follows the Crater Rim Trail. The views form the rim are spectacular.
The trail connects with Crater Rim Drive at Thurston Lava Tube. This is one of the few lava tubes that can be entered. The flora in the other tubes is very fragile and should not be disturbed. The tube has lost most of its flora.
It is about 2 blocks long. At the exit is the entrance to the unexplored part of Thurston Lava Tube. The sign says it is 900 feet long. The interior makes many
turns. So there is absolutely no light inside. The ground is also uneven. Be sure
you have several good flashlights in your party if you decide to enter. Continuing along Crater Rim Trail
leads back to Volcano House Hotel. The entire hike from Volcano House, through the volcanoes, through Thurston Lava Tube, and back to Volcano House took about 9 hours. I hike slowly.
--- Day 4 (Hilo, Hawaii)
This day is also dedicated to hiking in Volcano National Park. Today I travel the Manuna Ulu trail .
The trailhead is on "Chain Of Craters Road". From the look out you can see Pu'u Hiluhula and Makaapuhi cinder cones. Here also you can see Napu cinder cone in the far distance belching smoke, as this volcano is actively erupting. But the park will allow you to hike to Napu if you register at the Park Headquarters. The
entire area, from horizon to horizon, is nothing but a lava shield. It is surreal. I did not take the hike to Napu, as it takes a whole day
and can be dangerous.
From the trailhead, I did drive down the coast on "Chain of Craters Road" to where the lava is entering the ocean. When I was there, the lava flow was stopped on the hill side and did not make it to the ocean. But the visitor center at the end of the road has some spectacular photographs of times when lava was flowing into the ocean.
Since I finished hiking early, this evening I drove to Ahalanui Beach Park, near Issac Hale Beach. This is a series of concrete barriers that contain a warm springs at the ocean edge. The springs and ocean
mix to produce a pool temperature of about 75 degrees. The pool is about 50+ by 50+ feet and about 5 feet deep at the deep end. Being protected from the ocean, it is
one of the best places for safe swimming on this side of the island. The park closes at 7 pm. There are few people here and most appear to be local families. The area is clean and free of graffiti. Some people refer to Ahalanui as Red Road Hot
Springs. Probably because the road from Issac Hale to Ahalanui is paved in crushed red rock. You drive this 10 foot wide, red road, for about a mile going north from Issac Hale Beach.
A mile or two the other side of Issac Hale Beach is MacKenzie State Recreational area. This is a ironwood forest on top of an ocean cliff. Camping is available here. Access to the ancient Hawaiian Royal Road, a costal walking trail, is
located here. But I did not have time to walk it.
--- Day 5 (Hilo, Hawaii)
Today I am driving south on the coast to Punalu'u Beach. This is one of the few black sand beaches that are easy to get to. The black sand is ground up lava. It is like walking on very small
gravel. There are also turtles here. When the turtles are on the beach, signs cordon off the area, as the turtles are an endangered species.
I did not see any turtles while I was there.
A little further and you come upon the town of Naalehu. There is a wonderful bakery here. This is also the town where Mark Twain planted a tree. But my schedule did not allow time to track down the tree.
A little further and you come to the turn off for Ka Lae (aka South Point). Taking this road also leads to Green Sand Beach. The last three miles to Green Sand Beach must be hiked. This is one of the most impressive and unique beaches I have seen. Be prepared, the hike is very
hot and there is no shade on the way.
When in the area you may choose to stop at Ka Lae (aka South Point). This is the most southern point in the United States. There are remains of a cargo winch used to unload the boats at the cliffs.
Continuing 50 miles around the island and you arrive at Kono. Located here is the Royal Kona Resort, where I stayed. Although not new, this hotel has elegant ambiance.
The room is very nice and the decor showed some real throught.
--- Day 6 (Kona, Hawaii)
I was a little tuckered out after the last few days, so I spend most of the morning on the beach. The hotel supplies beach lounges for their guests. Just sit, read your book, listen to the surf, and relax. At midday I had an massage appointment. Hawaii
requires 500 hours to be licensed, it is only 100 hours in California. My massage was with Bea Hanson at An Ocean Front Massage. Their rooms have large windows that open and look out onto the ocean, just 100 beet
away. So you can watch and listen to the surf while getting a massage. Bea gives one of the best massages I have ever had. A definite thumbs up.
After the massage, I visited Pu`uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park.
It is only a few miles from Kona. This is a realistic restoration of ancient Hawaiian ceremonial complex. This is a sacred site, so visitors are asked to observe certain restrictions, like not smoking on the grounds.
There are multimedia displays of ancient Hawaiian culture, restored ancient buildings and canoes. What makes this presentation different than any other is that this is the real site, not a recreation. There are specific events in Hawaiian
ledges that can be traced to spots in this park. A must if you want to connect to the real culture of the
ancient Hawaiians. Highly recommended.
I spent the rest of the afternoon sightseeing in downtown Kona. There are many interesting store fronts here that make for an interesting walking tour. In the evening I had dinner at Bubba Gumps Shrimp Co. Restaurant & Market.
The decor is based on the movie Forest Gump. The food is very good and the prices are reasonable. But it was noisier than I would prefer.
--- Day 7 (Kona, Hawaii)
Today I take a day trip to Kaua'i. Many of the package tours can arrange a one day visit to one of the other islands for just $100 (includes car and plane fare). I had arranged for such a trip to Kaua'i, so I could sample the hiking
there. After arriving and picking up the rental car, I drove up the coast to Waimea Canyon. Also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. From the several overlooks you can see most of the canyon. It is huge.
In the rural part of Kaua'i, you will probably see the feral chickens. The chickens appear to be everywhere. The locals consider them a treasured part
of the island environment.
I continued up the road to Koke'e State Park. Here is an excellent flora and fauna museum and gift shop. The staff
have excellent hiking
suggestions and trail maps can be purchased. I hiked the Pehea Trail to Waiakoali Picnic Area. At trail
starts at Pu'u O Kila lookout. The view is the famous Kalalau Valley. Some of the trail is very rugged, some
of it has board walks over the swamp areas. Almost all of the trail is through the most lush rainforest you can imagine. Due to the rain and the clay soil, be prepared to get dirty. There are cold water showers at Kohe'e State Park for clean up. A thumbs up for the Pehea Trail.
I missed the outgoing plane and had to stay the night on Kaua'i. But this proved to be a wonderful surprise. I stayed at The Garden Island Inn. This is one of the local hotels and is located one block from the beach. The room was excellent, the staff was more than helpful and the room was only $70 a night. The room was decorated in wicker and had a
ceiling fan, and a kitchenette. A definite thumbs up for The Garden Island Inn. Across the street is Dukes Canoe
Club. This is the local fine dining establishment. The food was five star, the service was excellent, and the ambiance. The lower level has a 30 foot rock waterfall coming out the middle of one wall. This fills a 12 foot long indoor
poi fish pond. It was very impressive.
On three sides of the poi pond are dining tables. This area is echoed on the second level with more dining tables. The upper level is open so you can experience the sound and sight of the ocean while dining. A definite thumbs up
for Dukes Canoe Club.
--- Day 8 (Kona, Hawaii and Maui)
Today I flew back to Kono, Hawaii. Be prepared for travel here to take longer than it does on the mainland. At the hotel, I picked up my luggage and prepared for my plane trip to Maui. I ate lunch at the airport restaurant. It was the traditional Hawaiian plate lunch - rice balls and a pork stew. The rice was well made, but the meat had a little too much fat for my tastes.
On Maui I stayed at The Maui Coast hotel. The hotel had run out of rooms and had to upgrade me to a suite. The desk clerks, Elaine and Sue, are most pleasant and make every guest feel very welcome. The lobby is furnished with many sitting chairs and
has a separate library room with lots of windows, chairs, and Persian rugs. The suite is very well appointed, with a small refrigerator, separate bedroom, ceiling fans and very elegant furniture. The entire operation and ambiance left me with a feeling of being welcome and very well cared for. I highly recommend
The Maui Coast Hotel.
In the evening I attended The Old Lahaina Lu'au. This is reviewed as the most authentic luau in the islands. Located outdoors on the beach; it is part dining, part education, and all entertainment. Before
sunset, local crafters setup on the beach. It was very interesting to listen to the artists while they related the ancient traditions of carving and weaving. There is a roasting pig pit complete with a ceremony to remove
the pig from the pit. Food is served buffet style and you can sit on mats in traditional style. The main dish of roasted pig and white fish, are complemented by an excellent selection of well prepared traditional foods. I especially
liked the purple taro bread. The show was performed with great skill, and tells the Hawaiian history from the legends of the gods to the modern celebration of the ancient Hawaiian culture.
It was fascinating to see how the song, dance,
and chants have changed throughout the Hawaiian history. For those interest in sampling the presentation, they have a webcam.
--- Day 9 (Maui)
To day I visited the Maui Ocean Center. This is a world class facility created by the coalition of several agencies. There
is almost a mile of inside walks with small aquarium displays. Every hour one or more of the staff come out into the
walkways to give informal talks or demonstrations. While I was there, a biologist gave a demonstration of how a lobster sheds it exoskeleton during molting. She had the old exoskeleton and let the audience hold it. This hands on approach added much
interest to the displays. There is also a clear tunnel that allows visitors to walk through the large aquarium tank. In another part of the center is the indoor whale exhibit. Here are many interactive displays about whale behavior and methods of whale
study.
There is also a very well presented indoor set of exhibits detailing many of the details of ancient daily Hawaiian life as related to fishing and ocean travel. Outside displays include the Green Turtles tank, sting rays tank, and urchins reef
tank. There is even a petting pool, for those creatures that are safe to touch. There are also benches through out the center, should you need a short rest while
walking from display to display. A definite thumbs up for The Maui Ocean Center.
Next door to the Maui Ocean Center is a wonderful collection of small shops and restaurants. Several of the restaurants have excellent seating with views of the boats and wharf activities. During the afternoon you
can watch the sport fishing boats come in. If it was a good day, there will be posing with the big catch of the day. But it was getting late in the afternoon, and I had a special appointment. I arrived at the hotel an hour before
sunset, just in time to walk the two blocks to Kama'ole II Beach. Now I could sit, relax, and enjoy the spectacle. As I watched, the most fantastic sunset developed. It was ideal,
the very definition of relaxation in paradise.
That night I ate dinner at Jameson's Grill & Bar. A fine restaurant associated with The Maui Coast Hotel, I ordered Pepper Lemon chicken and Garlic mashed potatoes. Although it was well prepared and presented, the atmosphere was very subdued. The ambiance was old world elegance, but did not generate excitement. The dining experience simply did not come together to form an event. Perhaps it was me, it had been a very long day.
--- Day 10 (Maui)
Today I go on the Maui Dive Shop Molokini snorkeling trip. In addition to excellent trips
and rental equipment, Maui Dive Shop has an excellent snorkeling site guide. Much of the guide is available online. Snorkeling is best in the morning, before the wind kicks up the waves and bottom silt. For the morning trip, everyone must be at the dive shop by 6:30 am to pickup your snorkel
equipment and at the dock by 7:30 am. Our boat captain was Kelly, and John was the naturalist. They really made the trip. At all times the captain, on the boat, and the naturalist, in the water; keep track of each member of
the trip. So it is almost impossible to get into any trouble. When we arrived at Molokini, John gave us a 10 minutes snorkeling lesson, wet suit tops, bogie boards; and in we went. The water here is very clear and you can see the bottom at 100 feet
deep. Feeding the fish is not allowed. But due to the historic fish feeding, they swam around the boats anyway. While we where at Monika, a white tipped shard swam through the area. It was only 2 to 3 feet long. Then we got into the boat and motored to Turtle
Town. This is also a very popular snorkeling area. Here John guided us on a water tour and talk that resulted in sighting 2 Green Turtles. The turtles are protected and you can not get closer than 50 feet. The turtles visit this area because the cleaner rasp
fish are here. The Rasps clean the algae off the turtles shells. If the turtles do not get cleaned, the algae builds up and adds so much weight to the turtles that they can not surface for air. After snorkeling with the turtles; we enter the
boat and return to the dock. I would recommend one of the single use, underwater, instamatic camera for snorkeling trips. Because I did not have one, I have no photographs to show. But if you want to know what
you might see, it is very much like looking into the large aquarium tank at Maui Ocean Center. One snorkeling problem is a mustache. It will not allow your snorkel mask to seal completely. Vaseline or silicon grease on
the mustache will help, but not eliminate the problem. This really cuts into
snorkeling time, as you will inhale sea water and need to stop to clear your nasal passages every 15 minutes or so. A definite thumbs up for Maui Dive Shop Molokini snorkeling trip. Especially Kelly, and John.
In the afternoon I did some non-guided snorkeling at Kamaole II beach. Here is some excellent reefs just a few 10's of feet off shore. I was amazed at the number of sponges, algae, and fish in these reefs. You can swim out a hundred feet just to work around the shore reef. By 4:30 the wind has come up so much that the waves are causing the water to become very cloudy with silt. That evening I decided to shave my mustache off so I would enjoy tomorrows snorkeling more. A thumbs up for snorkeling at Kamaole Beach. Since I had the use of the snorkeling equipment as part of the trip, I had to turn it back in by the evening.
That evening I ate at Maui Pizza Cafe . It is on the second level of the Rainbow Shopping Center. The ambiance is warm and friendly, there is a karaoke stage and large bar. The chef is world famous and makes the dinners. There is a separate area where pizzas are made. It
is on one wall and is almost like watching a stage show, the way it is set up. I ordered the Bolognese dinner. It was very good. But the desert was out of this world. It was a custard in a pineapple shell. Presented on a plate with raspberry sauce, whipped cream,
and chocolate sauces in a lattice pattern. It was so beautiful, eating it was a shame. But it was delicious. Dwain was my waiter, and he was very attentive. Dinner was very inexpensive - $15.78. The combination of the ambiance, service and food; makes
Maui Pizza Cafe a definite thumbs up.
--- Day 11 (Maui)
I am very intrigued by Snorkel Bob's sales pitch on the web site. So I stopped in at the local shop in Kehei. The equipment was top notch, the staff was very knowledgeable, and the
package deal for a week of snorkeling equipment was not to be beat. A definite thumbs up for Snorkel Bob's in Kehei.
After getting the snorkel gear, it is time to drive to Lahaina. This morning I am going on the Atlantis submarine trip. This is a real working submarine that goes down to 100+ feet. The
orchestration of the trip is
superb. We did not see any large
fish, one of the draws of going to a greater depth. And we did not see as many fish as snorkeling. Also the bottom is not as interesting as the bottom around the inshore reefs. Perhaps it was just the luck of the day, no fish one day, lots of
fish other days.
Then I did some sight seeing around Lahaina. Here I visited the Owen Smith Banyon Tree.
This SINGLE tree covers one entire city block. It has dropped numerous root trunks as it grew. It was planted by Owen Smith in 1874 and has developed into a most impressive sight.
In the adjacent old courthouse building is the Lahaina Museum. Here you can see presentations of many aspects of Lahaina history. I recommend a visit. If you like shopping, old Lahaina has some of the best on Maui.
In the afternoon, I snorkeled at Olowalu (south of Lahaina on Route 30 at mile marker 14). This is a snorkeling area that is highly recommended. The reef here is easy to get too, but the surf gets slightly rough in the afternoon. However, the water depth is shallow until you get more than a hundred feet off shore. But despite the shallow water, there are some of the best schools of fish I saw in all my snorkeling on this vacation. A definite thumbs up for snorkeling at Olowalu.
That evening I returned to the Maui Pizza Cafe. This time I ordered "Da Works" pizza. It was ok. However, the ambiance was still great.
--- Day 12 (Maui)
Today I am going on South Pacific Kayak Tours, Marine Reserve Explorer
trip. This is their signature trip. This is a 4 hour kayak
paddle down the coast with stops for snorkeling. I have opted for the morning trip, when the wind makes the snorkeling better. Everyone must be at South Pacific Kayak Tours shop by 6am. You only bring sunglasses, windbreaker, hat, sunscreen, and snorkel
gear. They bring lunch, water, and first aid kit. At 7am, we are at the boat dock and launching the kayaks. Steve is our guide and naturalist. We get a short paddling lesson and a 'recover' lesson. This is used should we turn the kayak
over. No one on our trip did. Then we start paddling. We
paddle into a sheltered bay called The Aquarium. Snorkeling here is beyond description, but I will try. The bay is a series of ten or so ballroom size openings in the reef. The bottom is about 30 feet deep at the deepest and the water is glass clear.
The fish are so numerous it is really like an aquarium. I saw almost every fish on the fish finder charts, sponges, starfish, and sea slugs. I even saw White Mouth Morea Els. Then we launch the kayaks and paddle up coast to The Fish Bowl. This is another
sheltered bay, with a second inner bay connected by a small strait. Although not as impressive as The Aquarium, The Fish Bowl is more impressive than Molokini. We got to snorkel in the inner and outer bays. Each is a series of more ballroom size
openings in the reef. There are more fish in the inner bay than the outer bay. Here I saw a school of about 150 Smelt, trumpet fish, tangs, butterfly fish, and rasps. After snorkeling, we have lunch and Steve told legends of the ancient Hawaiian people and about the fish we had been seeing. After lunch, we launched the kayaks and paddle past the most amazing lava cliff. The sea would rush into a key hole and
spray up into the air. As the ocean drains out of the key hole, it creates a sink hole. The ocean then rushed
into the sink hole. It was most impressive to watch this cycle a few times. A short paddle further up the coast and we landed the kayaks at the end of the trip. Steve's personality really added to the enjoyment of
the trip. I highly recommend the trip to everyone. I would recommend a single use underwater camera for the snorkeling part of the trip so you can bring back photographs of this area. A definite thumbs up for South Pacific Kayak Tours, and especially for Steve for making the trip most
educational and enjoyable. Steve also recommended Ulalena Stage
Show. I was not planning to do many of the tourist things, but if a local of 20 years recommends it, it must be special.
So this evening I attend Ulalena Stage Show at The Maui Theater of Myth and Magic. This is the one event everyone must see if they go to Maui.
It is a stage show developed by the Hawaiian Cultural committee and produced by ARRA of Montreal - producers of "Cirque de Solei". It
tells the story of the Hawaiian culture from the ancient legend of creation to the rediscovery of the Hawaiian native culture in the1970's. I have seen several Cirque de Solei performances, and I think this performance is the most exciting of the lot. There were may special moments in
the show. At one point Pele is angry because her sister ran off with her lover. The actress portraying Pele is draped in red silk scarves. She is throwing up the left then the right side scarf to simulate eruptions of lava. As the action gets more
intense, two stage hands in red, and low to the stage floor, move out and begin pulling red scarves off the side of Pele's costume. Soon the stage is covered with one large red scarf . The stage hands are wafing it and it looks like lava flowing
across the stage. Then the stage hands begin wafting the silk lava up the audience isles. Suddenly you feel as if the lava is flowing over you. You become part of the creation of the land by Pele.
And this is only one of many special moments in the show. The performers, projected a real feeling of authenticity. They are not just performing, they are creating a work of art each time they present the show. This is a must see
event. I highly recommend it. Photographs during the performance are not allowed, but they have a web site with graphics and sounds. A double thumbs up for Ulalena Stage Show at The Maui Theater of Myth and Magic.
--- Day 13 (Maui)
This morning I am doing a local Maui hike. It is an exceptional short hike. This hike starts at Makena State Park parking lot. Hiking across Oneloa Beach (aka Big Beach) then up Puu Olai. This is a small, double volcano cinder cone. The view from the top
is spectacular. There is a short trail that connects the two cinder cones at the top. After hiking down Puu Olai, I spend the afternoon on Big Beach. The sand and surf are almost perfect here.
You can relax, read, and listen to the surf.
That evening I ate at The Pacific Cafe. This 5 star restaurant (with award
plaques on the wall) and a wine cold
room. Is rated as one of the best dining experiences in west Maui.
I ordered Mahi Mahi fish. with basalt vinaigrette and sautéed vegetables. I had to have the waiter explain some of the menu items to me. Picture a fine restaurant, a waiter with waxed mustache, a towel folded over arm, a
French accent, explaining the dish of the day; and you have the the essence of the experience, with one exception. The waiter is in casual dress and is not snooty. Very high class act. For dessert I had the pineapple tart. It was a puff pastry, pineapple,
hand made real vanilla bean ice cream, and covered with a apple cider and caramel sauce. The dinner was excellent, but the apple cider and caramel sauce was better than the best. A definite thumbs up for The Pacific Cafe and especially for the apple cider
and caramel dessert sauce.
--- Day 14 (Maui)
Today I will drive the Hana Road on the west side of Maui. You can spend the whole day doing the Hana Road, so start early. If you stop at the Shell Gas Station, you can purchase a cassette tape tour of the Hana
Road . Highly
recommended. This road is 50+ miles long,
50+ - single lane bridges, 610+ sharp curves. The bridges are concrete and most where poured in 1912. Visiting the Hana area is a trip to the Hawaii of twenty years ago, no tourist commercialization here. And the rainforest.
Some of the
most lush rainforest I saw. Comparable to the rainforests of Kaua'i. If you like tropical flower, there
are numerous growers located on The Hana Road. Just remember, the agricultural restrictions may prevent you from taking the flowers back to the mainland. The prices where very inexpensive, and would make a nice touch to the hotel room. Near the end of the Hana Road is Haleakala National Park. Here is
the two mile Pipiwai Trail to Waimoku Falls.
Also known as the Seven Sacred Pools Trail, even though there are not seven pools and they were never sacred. But it is the bamboo forest, you hike through that is the most unique feature of this hike. When you are in the forest, and the breeze blows, it is like being inside a huge bamboo wind chime as the stalks knock against each other. An experience not to be missed.
Driving back on the Hana Road there were several sites that are easier to stop at than the drive in.
These include Grave of Lay Apostle of Maui - Helio Koaelga,
Pua'a Kaa State Wayside, Wailua Valley State Wayside,
and Keanae Arboretum . These all get a thumbs up recommendation.
--- Day 15 (Maui)
Today my plane leaves early afternoon for California. Just enough time to spend a few last hours relaxing on Big Beach. Then back to the hotel to collect the luggage and off to the airport.
Epilog
I went to Hawaii to sample hiking, snorkeling, and see a few of the historical sites. I thought I would find a limited number of non-tourist items for my agenda. I was in error. With only 15 days, I just scratched the surface of the
interesting places to see in Hawaii. It was a blast. I hope to return someday to explore some of the items I found out about, but did not have the time to visit or participate in.