Maui No Ka Oi

Maui is the best! That's what Maui No Ka Oi! means. There is so much to do you will be wet all the time - from jumping into fresh water and salt water to sweating from heat and exertion, and from peeing your pants with glee.

Highlights for the back door adventurer include getting to know some of the many water falls, cliff diving into the ocean, spear fishing, hiking the crater then staying in one of the cabins, camping, checking out the Redwoods, lava tubes, local tropical foliage and birds, climbing coconut trees, rain dancing, bathing in the sunset, and witnessing the phenomena of the Haleakala sunsetting with the full moon rising.

For the front door traveler there are an abundance of planned activities such as sunrise at the crater and biking down the 10,000 feet of the winding Haleakala road into the quaint town of Paia. Try surfing, wind-surfing, and body boarding for the first time with trained professionals that will keep you from drowning or getting bit by a shark. Don't forget the lush beauty of The Road to Hana stopping at the Seven Pools and then the historical Kaupo Store in the middle of nowhere.

Quick Tips:

The Old Lahaina Luau has excellent Hawaiian performances with authentic Hawaiian cuisine, well worth it.

The mystical theatre piece, "Ulalena", in Lahaina will give a musical history of the Hawaii.

The Maui Arts and Cultural Center in Kahului offers quality films you'd see in New York.

The Maui Farmers/Arts Market Friday mornings in the Kahului Queen's Mall has the local fruit at local prices - an abundance of pineapples, papayas, mangos, bananas, avocadoes and strange fruits you don't know how to open, as well as local arts and crafts.

Go to Makena, the most beautiful long stretch of white sands beach and body boarding able surf.

For the hiker, swimmer, surfer I suggest getting a good hiking book and a book on the beaches to find all the spots the tourists aren't bussed in and still have the tranquility of water dripping with no obtuse chatter.

When the winds are up and the surf is fine, the windsurfer's do the most amazing tricks - full flips, sideways spins and just plain catching air on a wave. Checking them out at Hookipa or behind the Kahului airport is a good free live performance.

Best Way To Get Around:

Maui has no public transportation to the spots you'd probably want to go to. The most common ways to get around are to know someone with a Maui cruiser, buy a Maui cruiser (cheap!) for your trip's duration, rent-a-car (new or used!), hitch-hike, grab a shuttle tour, or plan every day of your trip with an activity where they pick you up from where you are staying.

All though, I'm not sure if it's kosher to recommend, hitch-hiking is a common way for the low budget traveler with no time constraints.

For the low budget short term traveler renting a wreck might be the best. Try Good-Karma Cars.

For the low budget long term traveler buy a truck, van or economy car depending on your travel plans and shelter arrangements.

For the luxury carry me around I have some money traveler, rent a new car and go slow on the rocky roads, take a shuttle or plan each day with a wonderful excursion.

North Shore Accommodations, Maui

The North Shore is a homey part of Maui. It''s beautiful and picturesque near pristine waterfalls and along the cascading ocean front, where the windsurfers catch air on waves, surfers come in the winter and await for JAWS to launch its infamous giant waves. The gentle trade winds keep the mosquitoes away and temperature up to a pleasant 80 degrees by day and 70 degrees at night. Avocado trees are in abundance fruiting in the fall. Always you''ll find banana, papaya and coconut trees in this drizzly lush climate. It''s 20 minutes from the airport between tropical Hana and ritzy Wailea, 45 minutes from Haleakala, near awesome hikes like the bamboo forest and lava tubes, close to shops that have the true local flavor of Maui including Maui''s artists naturally influenced by the ocean, whales, dolphins, surf, winds, falls, mana, mountains, wildlife, forests and lava of Maui. And don''t forget the oh so ono Hawaiian fish at the local restaurants!

These are some accommodations I''ve found on the bulletin board at Manna Foods the health food store on the downtown strip of Paia.

North Shore Bed & Breafast - Haiku
$40 per day for room includes healthy breakfast, homemade bread and a nice fruit selection.
(808) 572 5613

Ho''okipa Hale Vacation Rentals - Haiku
http://www.4star-mauirentals.com (***)
Secluded Maui lodging minutes away from Ho''okipa windsurfing beach & beautiful Baldwin beach. Ocean views, peaceful, mountain views, phone, cable TV, full kitchen, patio, dining, barbeque and free laundry facilities.
Standard and Luxury suites single & double from $40-$60 per night
(808) 575 9357
haikuron@aol.com

Maui Ocean Breezes Vacation Rental - Haiku
http://www.mauivacationhideaway.com (***)
Maui Ocean Breezes is on a hill overlooking a bay with 2 1/2 acres of tropical fruits & flowers, and sweeping ocean & mountain views. They have private units with their own kitchens and phones, baby-sitting services, and free washer and dryer.
2 bedroom cottage, an ohana or studio from $65-$95 per night
(808) 572 2775
anjule@hawaii.rr.com

Spyglass House, Vacation Rental - Paia
http://www.spyglassmaui.com (*****)
The Spyglass House is a Magical Oceanfront Paradise, relax in a loveseat on the grassy lawn overlooking the ocean. Hear the crashing waves, feel the ocean breeze, see the colorful rainbows and bask in the warm Maui sun...
20 suites to choose from at $90-150 per night
(808) 579 8608 or (800) 475 6695
relax@spyglassmaui.com

Sit down sip the house red wine and eat Italian bread dipped into oil and balsamic vinegar. You'll melt into the interior fabric of the restaurant, feeling like you've been here a hundred times.

Snuggled into the one and only major intersection of downtown Makawao, Casanova's is a central spot for all the local familys and friends living in the area as well their guests from the mainland and a few tourists who researched the area immensely or got lost and fell upon the local's upcountry, upbeat Italian restaurant.

Casanova's, well known by most of Maui's locals for dance nights and for serving Italian cuisine seen in every city on the mainland yet sparse on this island, caters to the food lover's stomach and artist's pallette.

The red table cloth wine glass shiny silver decor, custom clay benches, dance floor, two seating levels and roaring emblem of founder/artist Piero Resta warms the tummy as you watch the tanned Maui locals eat their pizza and wait for your pasta to arrive.

Casanova's serves your typical fine pastas, pizzas and wine with some particular themes to Maui's way of life. Mmm yum. I have yet to taste them all!

For that food fascination when you are bored of the tourist joints in Lahaina, Casanova's is a good choice.

Don't forget to go to Ladies night serving hip-hop dance beats on Wednesday nights, the band "The Prolifics" on Thursday nights, and Friday is the wildest night of Latin dancing excursions. My friends drive 2.5 hours from "the other side of Maui" where the roads are windy and rocky to make it to Casanova's on Friday nights. Piero Resta, the flambuoyant Italian artist and founder of Casanova's shows up and makes Friday nights even more special on the days he is not too tired of his work's gallery showings.....

Seek out what the locals are doing!

Mama's Fish House aside the ocean comes highly recommended by locals and tourists alike. It's the kind of place where the locals take fine dates, their visiting parents, and have birthday celebrations. This restaurant is the epitomy of an Hawaiian paradise experience. It is perfect for visitors wanting to taste story book Hawaii.

The cuisine is very Hawaiian with the popular Poki (raw Ahi appetizer), seared Ahi, Ono (local fish means "yum"), Taro cakes and much much more!

The waiters and waitresses wear fine Hawaiian floral pattern dresses and shirts. The women wear flowers in their hair. If you ask, they can probably teach you some Hawaiian words. To add to the decor, the table cloths have Hawaiian patterns, and local fresh ginger flowers are placed on the table. There are views of the ocean out the open screened windows. And the inside is made all of a dark wood, making it very comfortable and cool to sit in on a hot day. Feel the breeze come in from the ocean, and watch it tremble through the palm trees, this is pure delight while sipping a scrumptious Hawaiian inspired martini awaiting the beginning of your meal!

Mama's is a busy place. Stop by just to attend the bar and enjoy a scrumptious drink! Definitely get reservations if you want to have dinner.

To get there, drive from Paia along the Hana Highway toward Hana (and Huelo and Haiku) for about a mile or two. It's on the left hand side (ocean side) with a large sign saying Mama's Fish House. There is plenty of parking and a nice beach with tiki torches, outrigger canoes, palm trees and that aqua blue ocean of your dreams. Bring a camera, it's very picturesque.

Makena's Little Beach is a slice of life beyond a lava flow's etching. The first time I entered the crescent shaped and shielded white sands my buddy and I had had a long journey with a not-so-detailed free map from the airport. Having traveled for 3-4 hours with directional stops from "the other side" (Hana side) we made it to the famous sands. Exhausted and befuddled with our low oxygen induced laughing silence we hiked up the crumbling red, black and blue lava stumbling over our strap missing slippers (aka flip-flops or thongs).


Relieved to be at the top of the climbing threshold without stubbing our toes, we take a breath to look at the stretching white sands contrasting with aqua blue rolling ocean and black lava cliffs of Makena's Big Beach and continue on.

Around the corner I hear something, a booming. Did I? Yes, more, a jostle of hollow sounds jingle at a lax pace. Turbid beats become clear as the expanse reveals itself. A vortex of warm sound carries me to the light life of jollity and jiggling beings exuding their proponderance of articulate passion, vision, grace, creation and thought.

My vision of self rises above me and slows the shutter of movement. Eyes widening, I float into a crowd of smiling, mingling, doing, being, loving, all seeing angels...


Little Beach holds dancers, swimmers, snorkelers and singers in its zealous palm. Nudists, surfers, kids and Moms and Dads of all styles of being enjoy a vitalizing sun and water filled day in unison. Together each individual heightens the average day of life into an energetic pulse of spirit intertwining their prance of well-being. With the help of the land we manifest some of the moments we live our life for at Little Beach.

Anyone who loves Little Beach whether in Maui for a week or 30 years treat it as they would their own backyard, practicing with fervor what puts a sparkle in their day in the sun, in the sand, with the breeze and to the sway of the ocean.

Do your yoga stretches, run up and down the beach, spin poi balls and the staff, sleep and read and bask, swim laps, surf, body surf, boogie board, snorkel with the turtles and tropical fish, dive to the bottom of blue green white sands, make sand angels with your body, and toss wet sand at your buddy during the day. When the sun goes down over the ocean and the island Kahoolawe hoot, holler, sing, drum, dance, jump up and down, and into the ocean. Then join the higher resonance of drumming, dancing and singing.

A magical place to gather and make music with friends on Sundays and relax and unwind in the spirit of your own mind every day of the week, Maui offers feast sharers, melody makers, mermaids and surfers the flow of the rolling tides of Little Beach.


Selected images coming soon.

To the crater's summit I've been three times. Each was a totally different amazing adventure. The first time when I was 14, my mom and I woke up at 4 or 5 am to be vanned to the sunrise at the summit and bike down to town. When all of us tourists in the van made it up the winding roads without breakfast, we could see nothing but 360 degrees of clouds and the emanating diffusion of sunlight attempting to break through. After a disappointment of being on the top of this 10,000 foot voluptuously volcanic mountain not seeing its amazing view and not getting thrown into the hot lava, we hopped on red mountain bikes and rode down the steep zig zag etching of black tar along the mountain. Breaking through the clouds, peeling off jackets, hats and gloves along the way.

The second time I went with a lifelong friend Katherine in July of 2001. We went with the momentum to hike. At the summit we checked out the mini-museum. We learned about Haleakala's plant and wild life, its earth shaking making, why it's called the House of the Sun, peeked over the molten moonscape and decided where to hike to.

We sauntered the red barren switchbacks down to the first multi-colored cinder cone carrying lots of water, stopping frequently to check out lava rock, take a pee break behind a mound of fine lava, stretch and check out the silver plants. At the cinder cone we picnicked and walked around the cone hoping not to fall off the edge. We marked our faces with the powdery colored lava, and sang odes to the House of the Sun, then returned before it got too cold.

Choosing an easy gait on the way back up with other packs of people, we all caught our breath insync. It was about 5 miles round trip to the first cone, but with the altitude and steepness of the crumbling lava, it felt like more.

The third time, my mom and I had a reunion. This time we came for the sunset and full moonrise. From down below looking up toward the summit, it seemed there was nothing but a smothering of clouds. Here and there I saw openings of blue sky peeking through the hazy cover. We decided to try.

The drive up made for vivid imagery. The soon to be setting sun sat above the powdery white clouds' horizon juxtaposing the glimmering ocean and its astounding beauty.

At the summit we met several others who had come to greet the sunset and moonrise. To see the moonrise in the opposite direction right after the sunsets produces a glowing orange moon and much magic. In fact a group of magic makers, healers, artists and spiritual masters from California performed a ceremony for inducing love and peace on earth and the cosmos. This was two-three weeks after 9/11.

See the photos and feel the magic.