Wonder of Maui

Royal Lahaina Resort is located along Kaanapali, which was voted as having the top beaches in Maui. It offers two types of rooms, the tower with casually elegant suites and unique cottages. I opted for a cottage with a garden view on the ground level. Stepping out of my balcony, the pools and the beaches were a few steps away. There are two pools in the resort, one facing the tower and the other faced the cottages. Beside each pool, there was a cabana offering great massage services.

Sign up for the luau that was held in this resort twice almost every night. To secure your reservation, remember to book it in advance at the information center. There was a cocktail party near Pool 1 and the Aloha Shell Lei Greeting and Photographing when you entered the main hall of the luau. Be there early so as not to miss anything.

This was part of my honeymoon package to Maui. We opted for the cruise on Saturday, my fifth evening in Maui. Around 5pm, we awaited for the catamaran near the Lahaina Harbor. Ten minutes later, we were onboard. The two-decked, 65-foot catamaran, or Spirit of Lahaina, was cosy and spacious. On the lower deck, there was an open bar that served tropical cocktails, wine, beer, and sodas. The appetizer bar was spread with gourmet crackers, salad, cheeses, crudités, tropical fruits, and grilled chickens. There are four white tables and a couple of long benches where you can enjoy the food, or just bring some food to the upper deck. Enjoy the soft breeze while you feast on your food and beverages.

As Spirit of Lahaina sailed farther from the coast, the view of the Maui's coast became minuscule. Gradually, the coast diminished. There was nothing but blue sky and sea, and it seemed like we were the only surviving boat buoying on the colossal sea. An hour later or so, the sun began to set. At first, the sun ray was still searing. Thereafter, it turned mild and permeated the skies with an orangey hue. It was cloaked behind horde of clouds. It was the most romantic moment I had in life, especially with my love one beside me.

If you think Lahaina Center is about shops, pubs, and restaurants, then you are totally wrong. It is more than that. In the past, the street of Lahaina Center was a canal acting as a waterway for the trading of goods between natives and seamen and to ensure collection of tariffs. But, in 1913, this canal disappeared as part of the public project. In front of the port, there was an old Lahaina Court and Custom House used as courtroom, tax center, police station, and jail. Today, it is now home to the Lahaina Visitor Center, Lahaina Arts Society, and Lahaina Restoration Foundation's museum.

Near to the port, where yachts and huge vessels are anchored, lies the Hauola Stone (resemble like a stoned chair) over the seawall. Hauola means extending life and health. Back in the 14th and 15th centuries, the Hawaiians believed that this stone had magical powers to ease and assist in delivering a child and to cure ailing people, because this stone was located in an area with mixture of fresh air and saltwater, known for its healing power.

At the back of Lahaina Center, there was a remarkable banyan tree, the biggest in United States. It shades almost an acre of the park and reaches upwards to a height of 60 feet. This tree has spread over the area by the way of its aerial roots that grew into thick brawny trunks when they reached the ground. Up to now, there are 16 major trunks apart from the original trunk in the center. Under this tree is a favourite spot for painters to do their drawing.

Never forget to take up luau in one of your evenings there. This was the moment when you can immerse in the traditional live dance, music, and fire artists while relishing on Polynesian and Hawaiian delicacies. The all-you-can-eat luau buffets featured kalua pig and turkey, fresh island fish, and chicken. Side dishes will include the most favoured taro of the Polynesians, lomi lomi salmon, guava bread, fresh pineapples, seven assorted salads, haupia (Hawaiian pudding), coconut cream cake, and lots more. As for the open bar, it serves almost everything. There are the famous mai tais, cocktails, fruit punch, sodas, beer ,and wine. If this spread did not please your kids, there is always the children’s, or keiki, buffet bar that serves hot dogs, chicken nuggets, french fries, and potato chips.

The meaning 'Iao means "cloud supreme". These clouds hovered above the valley, which brought rains to the stream. The stream carved this spectacular terrain over the past 1.5 million years. The Iao Needle, or Kuka'emoku in Hawaiian, was a natural rock pinnacle of 2,250 feet. In fact, it was an erosional remnant. It was at the end of a ridge comprised of denser dike stone, while the softer rock around this dike stone was eroded by streams and waterfalls. During 1790, the famous battle changed Hawaiian history forever when King Kamehameha I destroyed the Maui army in an effort to unite the Hawaiian Island. Also, this peak served as a lookout for warriors during the warfare era.

Today, Iao Valley is renowned for its exotic tropical plants, easy hikes, and peaceful, luxuriant terrain, which has appealed both locals and tourists. The ridge-top lookout offers a stupendous view of the valley and Kahului Harbor. Crossed the bridge that spanned Mala stream, you may be surprised to see the locals dipping themselves in the clear and natural pools. After crossing the bridge, it was a good vantage point to take a picture of the Iao Needle. Deeper in, you will find more wonder of the valley, like a creek with smooth surfaced rocks, tropical plants, and even taro growing!

Some reminders still: saunter gingerly through the valley and keep out of the restoration area where exotic tropical plants dwell, and bring along your mosquito repellent. This valley seem to be an insect lair.

I needed to wake up early to get to Ma’alaea Harbor, where we assembled before boarding Ocean Voyager. It was about 6:45am, and our cruise departed at 7:15am. We did the check-in at the Pacific Whale Foundation Ocean Discovery Store, where I purchased Banana Boat sunscreen spray. After about 15 minutes, we had a short briefing from our cruise guide on the dos and don’ts of the cruise. Next, we proceeded to the Ocean Voyager and chose deck seats. After everybody was seated, the boat departed for its journey to Molokini, a moon-shaped island off the south shore of Maui. During the journey, hot breakfast was served, which featured Maui coffee, island juices, tropical fruits, and freshly baked pastries. There were also unlimited ice refreshments throughout the entire journey.

I started to feel giddy and nauseous after we had been sailing for 15 minutes. One of the staff members onboard was very helpful and caring. After knowing I was seasick, she offered me a cup of ginger tea and led me to the lower-rear cabin of the boat, saying this would help to reduce my giddy spell. As the boat was still in motion, I did not feel good and began to throw up for before reaching Molokini. When the boat finally came to a stop, I felt better. Resting for about 5 minutes, I grabbed the snorkeling gear provided on the cruise. I got an optical mask, boogie board, and personal flotation device before sliding down the water slide.

The ocean was splendid, alovely ecosystem of diversified fishes and corals. The water surface was smooth and clear. I dived deeper into the sea and made my own exploration around Molokini, as I thought different parts might bring new surprises. There were different community of fish and coral. When the school of fish comes in a larger group, they may be more brazen. They would swim and slither around your feet. Otherwise, you would have a hard time touching them. The snorkeling lasted for about an hour. We had our barbeque meal onboard before leaving for Turtle Arch.

The moment when we reached Turtle Arch, we saw a couple of turtles frolicking in the middle of the sea. By the time I could react to take pictures of them, they vanished into the deep-blue sea. It was then that I realized turtles are fast swimmers after all. Then I had my flotation devices ready and dived into the sea again. About 20 minutes later, I left the island and ended my 1-day snorkeling trip.

P.S. All meals, refreshments, and snorkeling equipments are included in the whole package! The total cost per person was only $65!!!

If you are a driving buff, Hana Highway is one activity you should never miss. There are always surprises down this road. With awesome beaches, fantastic casacades, explorable caves, luxuriant vegetation, and more, you can never imagine. If you can't get more excitement from these, try the road trips after the end of drivable Hana's path. At the end of of this path, the pavements become extremely rocky and gritty. But be sure you are in a four-wheel-drive and well-equipped with beverages and foods. After this point, there will be no services like petrol stations, washrooms, and basic amenities for a hundred miles. And in the worst case, there might be mudslides.

The first stop that I made on Hana was the Mama's Fish House on the east part of Hana. A great restaurant for fish lovers. After a meal, you can stroll along the coastline and viewed snorklers frolicking in the sea. Down the road, there was a twin falls. Due to the low volume of the falls, it was not so impressive, and the walk time to the fall was about 20 minutes. Personally, I did not think it was worth it to make this trip.

Ho'okipa was one of the spots where you should stop by. It was a good vantage point to view the cliffs and nice beaches. Though the sun was beating hard, the light sea breeze will still make for a pleasant day and not so much of muggy feeling. Ke'anae was a nice, secluded beach where you can jump into the sea without much notice. Besieging the beach were some black, low cliffs with pointed edges. Be wary of them while swimming around there. It would be a 'wild' swim without vigilant lifeguards.

Wailua Valley offers the best lookout to lush vegetation, including pineapples, padi, and local plantations. On the left side of these plantations were the a large acres of virgin forests await to be explored. Hana Bay was renowned for its black-sand beach. Most sea sports activties could be found here; kayaking, snorkeling and private surfing lessons! Before entering Nahiku, it was a tad interesting where tropical floras were planted along the roads. Enjoy hundreds of species that coexit in harmony.

A small state park exists along Hana, the Wai'anapanapa State Park. A fable was told about this Wai'anapanapa Caves where a Hawaiian Princess called Popoalaea fled from the cruel husband who then found the princess hidden in the cave and killed her. At certain time of the year, swarms of tiny red shrimp emerged from the pool and turned the water crimson, said to be a reminder of the blood of the slain princess.

Near to the end of Hana, I came to realize for the past 4-hour drive, I had been circling around the colossal Haleakala.