Maui!

Humpback breach

Two trips to Maui in just over 30 days! How did that happen? Well, last year, Scott (my husband), Caty (my older daughter) and I discussed spending Maui in Christmas because Becca (my younger daughter) wasn’t coming to Colorado for Christmas. We just couldn’t find flights or times that worked and we scrapped the idea.

Then, I found out Scott was had really, really wanted to go. After all, winter in Maui is fantastic because the Humpback Whales arrive to breed and birth their young. 

Humpback doing the backstroke

The last time we went, five years ago, I said that I’d like to just go back every year to whale watch. Didn’t happen. But, it's a good thought.

Kihei view

Anyway, I decided to take Scott to Maui as a birthday gift (for him and for me as well). Caty was (a bit reluctantly) OK with it and I scheduled a trip in late January/early February. 

We didn’t plan many activities because Scott just wanted to Whale watch. 

After everything was booked (including staying with Scott’s cousin), Caty found out her bosses were going to Maui in February and wanted her to go along to watch the baby (she’s their nanny). So, she planned a work trip with extra days for vacation.

Caty and I started joking around that I should go back so she wouldn’t have to visit the island alone. Using AA miles for the flight and planning to bunk with Caty made it inexpensive and who would want the poor girl to go alone?

So, two trips to Maui. 

Northwest Maui

Thus, this and the following blog posts cover both trips together. Otherwise it would be a bit redundant. And you don’t really care exactly when I went anywhere or with whom.

Left, Scott and me on a snorkeling trip; right, Caty and me on the Road to Hana

Just a bit about Maui …

Geology

The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawai’ian Islands at 727.2 square miles. It is also the 17th largest island in the United States, but I am not sure why that really matters.

Map: Google Earth

The island's name comes from Hawaiʻiloa, the navigator credited with discovery of the Hawai’ian Islands. He named the island after his son, who in turn was named for the demigod Māui (featured in Disney's Moana as a beefy Samoan; but according to legend, actually slim and muscular).

Māui

Māui is said to have created Hawaii's islands by tricking his brothers. He convinced them to take him out fishing on their canoe. 

When he caught his hook on the ocean floor, he told his brothers he had caught a big fish and that they should paddle as hard as they could. 

His brothers paddled with all their might, and focused on their effort, did not notice the island rising behind them. Māui repeated this trick several times to create all the islands.

Māui's next feat was to stop the sun from moving so fast. His mother, Hina, complained that her kapa (bark cloth) wouldn't dry because the days were too short. So, Māui climbed the mountain Hale-a-ka-lā (house of the sun) and lassoed the sun's rays at sunrise, using a rope made from his sister's hair. In a plea to save itself, the sun agreed to make the days long in the summer.

The island of Maui is nicknamed the "Valley Isle" for the large isthmus separating its northwestern and southeastern volcanic masses. As oceans rise due to climate change, that broad flat area between the mountains will eventually slip under the water, turning Maui into two islands. 

Maybe in about 200,000 years. Or maybe sooner.

View of the broad valley and the town of Kīhei from Haleakalā

Maui has a diverse landscape anchored by two shield volcanoes made of iron-rich lava rock that flowed out of thousands of vents on the volcanoes' flanks over millions of years.

Lava near La Perouse Bay

The older, western volcano has been eroded considerably and is cut by numerous drainages, forming the steep peaks of the West Maui Mountains (Mauna Kahalawai). 

West Maui Mountains

Puʻu Kukui is highest at 5,788 feet.

Iao Needle

Most of the steep West Maui Mountains are inaccessible by road, but you can get the feel of the place if you visit the 'Iao Valley. A winding road carries you through lush vegetation past cliffs, waterfalls and rivers that characterize the area. The main attraction here is the steep 'Iao Needle. 

It’s a quick hike to the viewing platform and then down to the river. It rains a lot on this part of Maui, so it can be muddy.

Although I didn't visit on this trip, I did visit Kepaniwai Park & Heritage Gardens at couple of years ago. It's a public park that honors the cultures that contributed to modern Maui. There are sections with architecture, gardens and statues, portraying the Chinese, Japanese, New England, Portuguese, Native Hawaiian, Korean, Puerto Rican and Filipino people. As Scott and I drove by, we could see that recent storms did some pretty heavy damage to a lot of the structures. It had been closed right before our visit because of flooding.

Kepaniwai Park & Heritage Gardens, 2014

The park is adjacent to the Hawaii Nature Center. 

Just don’t

You can also visit the other side of the West Maui Mountains by heading north and east from Ka’anapali. But, DO NOT drive past mile marker 38 near the Nakalele Blowhole. 

The road gets very, very narrow. It's a two-way road with less than a lane’s width with steep drop-offs, no visibility around the curves and high grass that obscures the edges (or lack of edges) to the road. Scott and I drove this by mistake five years ago. 

By the time we got going, we couldn’t find a turnaround. It was very early on a Sunday so we did not encounter anyone coming the other way, but had we …. I shudder to think.

I'll talk more about the road to to blowhole later.

But, now, back to geology …

Haleakalā, the larger, younger volcano to the east rises to more than 10,000 feet above sea level, and measures five miles from seafloor to summit, making it more massive than Mt. Everest. I’ll also talk much more about Haleakalā in a later post.

The "lei of clouds" from sea level and 10,000 feet

The eastern flanks of both volcanoes are cut by deeply incised valleys and steep-sided ravines that run downslope to the rocky shoreline. The valley that separates the two volcanic masses was formed by sandy erosional deposits.

Northern Maui is steep and rocky with views of the open ocean

Maui's last eruption (originating in Haleakalā's Southwest Rift Zone) occurred around 1790; two of the resulting lava flows are located at Cape Kīnaʻu between ʻĀhihi Bay and La Perouse Bay on the southwest shore of East Maui and at Makaluapuna Point on Honokahua Bay on the northwest shore. Although considered to be dormant by volcanologists, Haleakalā is capable of further eruptions.

Lava in front of volcanic slopes

Maui is part of a much larger unit, Maui Nui, that includes the islands of Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Molokaʻi and land that is now submerged. 

Sunset over Lana'i

During periods of reduced sea level, including as recently as 20,000 years ago, they were joined together as a single island with shallow channels between them.

Lava beach at La Perouse Bay

Climate

You can't really ask, "How's the weather?" in Maui because it could be many different things. Maui is characterized by a number of microclimates. 

Central Maui has high temperatures throughout the year; Kahului can be muggy, but is usually dry and breezy; Wailuku has more rainfall and higher humidity.

We had some heavy rain

On the Leeward side, South Maui (Kīhei, Wailea and Makena) and West Maui (Lahaina, Ka’anapali and Kapalua) are typically drier, with higher daytime temperatures and the least amount of rainfall.

On the Windward side, the North Shore (Paia and Haiku) and East Maui (Keanae, Hana and Kipahulu) have heavier rainfall.

Upcountry Maui (Makawao, Pukalani and Kula) at the 1,700- to 4,500-foot levels, have mild heat during the day and cool evenings. 

The higher the elevation, the cooler the evenings. During winter, Upper Kula can be as cold as 40 degrees in the early morning hours and the Haleakalā summit often dips below freezing. 

Plus, more rain falls at the higher elevations. On the Leeward side, up to 400 inches of rain can fall high in the mountains and Haleakalā can get snow. 

In fact, Haleakalā had a huge snowstorm the day after Scott and I left.

 Snow on Haleakalā in early February; Photo: WJF.com

An exception to the normal pattern is the occasional winter "Kona storms" which bring rainfall to the South and West areas accompanied by high southwesterly winds (opposite of the prevailing trade wind direction). Unfortunately, the beginning of my first trip was in the midst of a Kona storm. We had one day of very heavy wind and the seas were relatively rough, which churned up sand, making snorkeling a little less pristine.

It took a lot of Photoshop to pull these Yellowstripe Goatfish out of this photo

During times of normal weather, which Caty and I experienced, the surf is much more dramatic on the north shore, which is where all the surfers go.

Surfer at Ho'okipa Beach

Hawai'i tends to be breezy if not downright windy all the time. The state is taking advantage of that with several large wind farms as part of its effort to reach 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. As a result, Hawai'i leads other states in almost every category of renewable energy.

Wind farm on southeast Maui

It gets 33 percent of its electricity from rooftop solar and has 60 utility-scale renewable energy projects feeding power into its grids. Right now, there are days when Hawai'i approaches having 60 percent of its power coming from renewable energy. 

History

Polynesians from Tahiti originally  populated Maui. The Tahitians introduced the kapu system, a strict social order that affected all aspects of life and became the core of Hawai’ian culture. 

Hawai'ians still celebrate their Tahitian heritage

Modern Hawai’ian history began in the mid-18th century. Kamehameha I invaded Maui in 1790 and took it over a few years later.

In 1778, explorer James Cook became the first European to see Maui, but he never actually set foot on the island because he was unable to find a suitable landing (lots of coral, lots of lava, lots of exceptionally shallow bays). The first European to visit was the French Admiral Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse, who landed on the shores of what is now La Perouse Bay in 1786.

La Perouse has shallow, calm seas

More Europeans followed: traders, whalers, loggers and missionaries, all of whom had profound effect on the island. The missionaries began to arrive from New England in 1823, settling in Lahaina. They made the natives wear clothes; they banned them from practicing their traditions, including performing hula; they made them speak English; and they converted them to Christianity. 

Spelling book published in 1825

The missionaries taught reading and writing, created the 12-letter Hawai’ian alphabet, installed a printing press in Lahaina and began writing the islands' history, which until then was transmitted orally. Ironically, although the religious work altered the culture, the literacy efforts preserved native history and language.

From 1843-1860, Lahaina was a major whaling center. In one season more than 400 ships would visit with up to 100 anchored at one time. Ships tended to stay for weeks, fostering extended drinking and the rise of prostitution, against which the missionaries vainly battled. 

Whaling declined steeply at the end of the 19th century as petroleum replaced whale oil.

Kamehameha's descendants reigned until 1872. They were followed by rulers from another ancient family of chiefs, including Queen Liliʻuokalani, who was deposed in the 1893 with the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai’i by American business interests. 

One year later, the Republic of Hawai’i was founded. The island was annexed by the United States in 1898 and made a territory in 1900. 

Hawai'ian state flag

Hawai’i became the 50th U.S. state in 1959.

500-ton TNT explosive charge on Kahoʻolawe

Maui was deeply involved in the Pacific Theater of World War II as a staging center, training base and rest and relaxation site, with more than 100,000 soldiers there. (Not to mention that the war for the U.S. started there.)

Beaches were used to practice landings and train in marine demolition and sabotage. 

The nearby island of Kaho’olawe was used as a target range and is still off-limits because it is peppered with live ordinances.

The island experienced rapid population growth through 2007, with Kīhei one of the most rapidly growing towns in the United States. The island attracted retirees and tourists as well as service providers to meet their needs. Population growth produced strains, including traffic congestion, rising housing costs and water access issues.

The major industry on Maui is tourism. Previously, Maui was also known for its pineapples and sugar production. However, the island’s remote location and high labor rates made these businesses unprofitable, so there is no large-scale sugar or pineapple production today. Maui is looking into perhaps growing commercial sunflowers on some of the abandoned croplands.

The now-closed sugar plant in Kihei

Wildlife
In my subsequent posts, I will talk about the wildlife I encountered on my visits. 

Banana Spider

Hawai'i has only two indigenous land mammals: the Hawai'ian Monk Seal and the Hawai'ian Hoary Bat. Everything else (deer, pigs, cats, dogs, goats, sheep, donkeys, rabbits, mongooses, rats, mice and voles) have been either intentionally or accidentally imported.

There are both native and imported bugs, many arriving on ships (including the original Polynesian canoes, whaling ships and modern-day cargo and cruise ships) and planes. 

Most of us don't think about what we might be accidentally importing when we travel. But, we might be completely changing the ecosystem.

Java Mongooses and feral cats are both threats to endemic animals

There are a small number of endemic birds and many introduced ones. 

Endemic 'I'iwi

Plus, there are a several non-native lizards and geckos, but no snakes. 

Gold Dust Day Gecko

The landscape and indigenous animals have suffered greatly because of all these interlopers and a number have gone extinct. That will be a theme as I discuss the animals I saw.

And, of course, the is vibrant and varied sea life, including Humpback Whales ...

Humpback Whale

... Spinner Dolphins ...

Spinner Dolphins

... Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins ...

Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins

... lots of tropical fish ...

A Hawai'ian Sergeant and a Black Triggerfish at Coral Gardens

... Green Sea Turtles ...

Green Sea Turtle at Ho'okipa Beach

... and living coral reefs ...

Endemic Blue Rice Coral surrounded by a variety of corals

I'll just talk about one Hawai'ian critter here ...

Red Junglefowl

Red Junglefowl Rooster

Hawai’i seems to be overrun with chickens. You see and hear them everywhere. But, these chickens aren’t typical barnyard poultry. They are descended from Red Junglefowl, the ancestor of the domestic chicken. 

This colorful bird was first domesticated at least 7,400 years ago in Asia. Since then, its domestic form has spread around the world. The Red Junglefowl is kept globally as a very productive source of both meat and eggs.

The range of the wild Red Junglefowl stretches from India, across Indochina and southern China and into Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia. Junglefowl were one of three main animals (along with the domesticated pigs and dogs) carried by early Austronesian peoples from Island Southeast Asia in their voyages to the islands of Oceania in prehistory. 

Today their descendants are found throughout Micronesia, Melanesia Polynesia – and Hawai’i.

Red Junglefowl Hen and Chicks

Male birds announce themselves with the well-known "cock-a-doodle-doo" during mating season. It must be mating season all the time, because you sure hear a lot of crowing. They rarely fly, only to roost at sunset and occasionally to escape predators.

A 2012 study determined that domestic chickens came from wild Red Junglefowl, possibly with some hybridization with the related Gray Junglefowl. While probably not purebred, the Hawai’I birds are closer to Red Junglefowl than most chickens.

Red Junglefowl Rooster

Purebred Red Junglefowl are thought to be facing a serious threat of extinction due to hybridization with domesticated chickens.

My trips
When Scott and I went this year, we originally planned to stay the whole time with his cousin and her husband, but we ended up splitting the time between their house in Kīhei and the Aston Ka’anapali Shores in, well, obviously, Ka’anapali. 

Maui with where we stayed

View from our room at the Ka'anapali Shores

The Ka’anapaili Shores was lovely, on the water with no appreciable beach but great views of Lanai and Moloka’i and good access to snorkeling beaches (more on that later). Plus, it was a condo with a kitchen and – stop my beating heart – a washer and dryer. 

My original plan had been to rent a condo in Māʻalaea Harbor so I could see whales from my balcony. You can see whales from practically anywhere, but Māʻalaea offers more up-close viewing, plus you can walk to a whale watch.

I was too late to get a condo, but maybe next time. 

Caty had started in Lanai and then came over to Maui the same day I arrived. 

We stayed at the Days Inn Oceanfront back in Kīhei (her bosses were at the Fairmont in Wailea) and then our final night in the Northshore Maui Hostel near the airport. 

Days Inn Oceanfront

It is probably worth mentioning that it is difficult to get affordable hotels on short notice. Maui can be very spendy!

Ma'alaea sunset

Trip 1 date: January 31-February 8, 2019

Trip 2 date: February 25-March 2, 2019