Maui #5 -- Ka’anapali

Kaʻanapali has beautiful beaches

Scott and I spent part of our visit staying in Kaʻanapali, which is a tourism-heavy community on the northwest coast. It is full of large resorts and condominium communities just past Lahaina. It was developed in the 1960’s and 1970’s, so it isn’t quite as posh as the newer Wailea area south of Kīhei.

Still, it has lots of hotels, many with beautiful manicured grounds and, occasionally, some interesting wildlife.

Yellow hibiscus, Brown Anole and Oleander Hawk Moth

For example, Scott found an Oleander Hawk Moth perched on a palm in the hotel lobby. It was there in the same place for several days and then it was gone. I am not certain that it was alive; at first I wasn't certain that it was real.

Found in wide areas of Africa, Asia and Hawai'ian Islands, Oleander Hawk Moths feed on nectar, resting during the day and feeding at twilight time. Their caterpillars feed mainly on oleander leaves, which are usually highly toxic, but to which the caterpillars are immune.

This particular one looked like it was dressed in camouflage. Pink and green camo – but, that is a thing!

From our balcony

We were thrilled with our condo rental at the Aston Ka'anaplai Shores. It had a lovely view even though it wasn't a "view room."  

It was spacious with a full kitchen, separate living room and a washer/dryer, which is great when you're going snorkeling or going to the pool several times a day. 

I took several picture of the room, but lost them when one of my camera cards got corrupted. Fortunately, I recovered all the important stuff.

The two pools were both large and very pretty and the onsite restaurant was nice. 

The pool has a waterfall; Photo: Scott Stevens

Oh, and the sunsets were magnificent.

Sunset over Lānaʻi

It was not as crazy expensive as everything else we found when we decided to move from Scott’s cousin’s house to something beachfront. But, it was actually more waterfront than beachfront. There was a strip of sand, but it disappeared at high tide. No problem. Just just ten minutes south was Black Rock Beach, where we went snorkeling.

Snorkeling
What’s nice is that the Sheraton Resort has some free parking for Black Rock and you can rent gear and chairs from the hotel even if you are not a guest. I have my own mask (optically corrected so I can SEE) and snorkel (with a valve that protects me from breaking waves), but Scott had to get a mask and snorkel. We got all set up for a day at the beach, but after a brief time snorkeling, a rain cloud formed and it got a bit chilly. So, we gave our chairs and umbrella to a someone else and moved on. Why waste vacation time in less than ideal conditions?

Photo: Maui Snorkeling Guide (an a much calmer day)

Black Rock Beach was reasonably calm, although it took me a few minutes to calm the panic that ANY current creates for me when in the ocean. And, the current was fairly strong. 

We didn’t use fins at Black Rock. That also took a bit getting used to, but it made getting in and out at the surf line a little easier. 

Ok, a tiny bit easier. But getting in and out was the toughest part. I got fully knocked down and dragged back the first time I tried to exit. 

I survived, but later discovered that my bathing suit was completely filled with sand! Ewwww! My mask STILL has some sand in it. I guess that's just a souvenir.

Black Rock Beach is anchored on the north by a lava cliff formed from one of the last eruptions on northern Maui. The cliff's Hawai'ian name is Pu'u Keka'a and ancient Hawai'ians believed that this was the place where their spirits went to jump off to join ancestors forever. 

Photo: Los Angeles Times

Unlucky souls who could not be shown the way by their family 'aumakua (guardian animal spirit), would wander and attach themselves to rocks in the area. A little creepy when you are trying to keep the current from attaching you to the rocks.

After I got home, I found out that there are nightly cliff diving demonstrations there. Oh, well, we missed it.

The recent storms and the surf had made the water a tad cloudy ...

Underwater a Black Rock Beach

... but we were still able to see a number of tropical fish, including a yellow Coronetfish ...

... Hawai'ian Chubs ...

... some Hawai'ian Sergeants ...

... and lots of Yellowstripe Goatfish ...

Plus, Scott got a great video of a Green Sea Turtle passing by. I never saw a turtle while snorkeling. But, I did see one from the shore at Black Rock. And, later, Caty and I hit the motherlode on turtles. But, that's another blog ...

Watch Scott's video of the swimming turtle HERE.

Photo: The Snorkel Store

Later, we tried snorkeling at Kapalua Beach (Scott rented gear from the ubiquitous Bob’s Snorkel – they are everywhere). 

It was even cloudier than Black Rock and had some rocky areas that you had to watch less the tide slam you into them – which actually happened to me once. 

We had been experiencing Kona storms, which have winds coming from the opposite direction than usual, which is why the water was rough and shore snorkeling was difficult. 

The beach was fairly crowded and we were lucky to snag a princess parking space. It is nice that there is great beach access and free parking throughout the island.

Kapalua Beach; Photo: Scott Stevens

I did manage to photograph some of the sealife there, including Moorish Idols ...

... Some of Hawai'i's state fish, the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a (Reef Triggerfish) ...



... 4-Spot Butterflyfish by some Rice Coral ... 



... Orangespine Unicornfish ...



And a variety of coral ...

Cauliflower Coral at Kapalua Bay

Quite frankly, I don’t think Maui snorkeling compares to Ka’a in Kaua'i or with Grand Cayman. Molokini (which I will discuss later) was much better because there was no surf to contend with. But, still, it wasn’t mind-blowing. And, Olowalu and Coral Gardens, where I went with Caty, were even better, most likely because the water was getting calmer and calmer and the stirred up sediment was settling.

See how clear Coral Gardens was

Hawai'ian Show

Even the back is pretty

While at the resort in Ka’anapali, I attended the weekly Hawaiian show by the pool. It was a bit cheesy, but I was impressed with the headdress worn by the lead dancer (and, I assume owner of the hula school) and a little girl dancer who was absolutely adorable – and the best dancer of the lot.

The show included music by a trio and Hawai'ian Hula and Tahitian dancing.

The Hula is a Polynesian dance form accompanied by chant (oli) or song (mele) that was developed in the Hawai’ian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there. The Hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual dance form.

Dancers at the hotel

There are two main types of the dance: Hula ʻAuana and Hula Kahiko. The older form, Hula Kahiko, is accompanied by chant and traditional instruments. The newer Hula ʻAuana is accompanied by song and Western-influenced musical instruments such as the guitar, ʻukulele and double bass.

Hula is a complex art form with many hand motions that represent specific words in a song or chant. Common themes represented by hand movements are the swaying of a tree in the breeze, a wave in the ocean or a feeling or emotion, such as love, fondness or yearning. 

Many Hula dances are considered to be a religious performance honoring a Hawai’ian goddess or god. Historically, even a minor error by the dancer was considered to invalidate the performance and was thought to bring bad luck. 

Dancers who were learning Hula were ritually secluded and put under the protection of the goddess Laka to protect the village from errors they might make. Ceremonies marked the successful learning of the Hula and the emergence from seclusion.

The littlest dancer was the best

Hula is important because Hawai’ian history was traditionally oral. It was codified in genealogies and chants, which were memorized and passed down. In the absence of a written language, this was the only method of ensuring accuracy. Chants told the stories of creation, mythology, royalty and significant events and people.

The lead dancer

A law passed in Hawai'i in 1896 shortly after American overthrow of the Hawai'ian Kingdom banned the use of the Hawai’ian language in schools. 

This, combined with bans on Hawai’ian social, political and linguistic traditions resulted in a mass decline of the Hawai’ian language, to the brink of extinction. 

A cultural resurgence beginning in the late 1960s and carrying through to today has revitalized many Hawai'ian practices, including spoken language and chant. Now there are many Hālau Hula (Hula schools).

The traditional Hawaiian Hula costume includes kapa cloth skirts for women and malo (loincloths) for men. During 1880s, dancers began to wear grass skirts and tops, including the non-traditional (and most likely uncomfortable) coconut bra. Now, dancers wear a variety of outfits, including grass skirts, muʻumuʻus and sarongs. 

The Hula Kahiko is always performed with bare feet, but the Hula ʻAuana can be performed with bare feet or shoes. Necklaces, bracelets, headdress and leis (necklaces, bracelets and anklets) are also worn.

Food

Scott went out for breakfast

There are lots of restaurants in Ka'anapali. We opted to go low-key rather than spend a lot of time and money on pricey food. Because the condo had a kitchen, I had banana bread and pineapple for two of my meals.

Even better fish tacos than those at Beach Bum's in Ma'alaea can be found at The Fish Market Maui just a short walk from the hotel. 

The market has a small take-out counter and limited seating. The fish was fantastic, as was Scott’s fish chowder.

When Caty and I went whale watching out of Lahaina, we went to The Fish Market for a late lunch. I got the tacos again and she got a fish sandwich. Man, oh, man!

Best fish tacos ever!

That was the only chance Caty got to see Ka'anapali. With all the days I spent in Maui, I still didn't have enough time to do everything.

North Island
Even further northwest, the road curves around to some lovely beaches and overlooks before in continues to that segment I told you not to drive. 

Dramatic cliffs on the northwest side

We explored until we reached the turn-around point at the Nakalele Blowhole, which wasn’t really blowing at the time. The views were quite pretty ...

Where ancient lava met the sea

... with lots of lush vegetation ...

There is a wide variety of greenery

Here, I saw my first Pacific Golden Plover (known in Hawai’ian as the Kōlea). 

While not in breeding plumage, the Pacific Golden Plover is still a handsome bird

Similar to two other golden plovers: the Eurasian and the American, the Pacific Golden Plover is smaller, slimmer and relatively longer-legged. It forages for food on tundra, fields, beaches and tidal flats, usually by sight. It eats insects and crustaceans and some berries.

Pretty golden markings

The Pacific Golden Plover breeds on the Arctic tundra from northernmost Asia into western Alaska and winters primarily in south Asia and Australasia. But, a few winter in California and Hawai’i. 

They return to the same wintering territory each year, which has allowed scientists in Hawai’i to attach tiny light level geolocator devices to the birds and then retrieve them the following year in the same location. This research revealed that these birds make the 3,000-mile non-stop flight between Alaska and Hawaii in three to four days.

Unfortunately, the Plovers I saw were not in breeding plumage, which features a black throat and breast and is far more dramatic.

The cool thing about the Pacific Golden Plover is that it comes to Hawai’i naturally and was not introduced!

In my next post, I’ll share some more native birds.

But, I'll close this one with a lovely Ka'anapali Sunset – complete with a whale blow in the distance ...

Sunset over Moloka'i

Trip 1 date: January 31-February 8, 2019

Trip 2 date: February 25-March 2, 2019