Just a week ago Andrew and I said our goodbyes to the people, places, and animals that made our summer in Maui so memorable.
We’re now back in land-locked Minnesota visiting family, friends, and (fingers crossed) possible employers before returning to North Carolina for Andrew’s second and final year at Duke. Throughout the summer we’ve tried our best to keep you up-to-date on some of the grander adventures we’ve had. While those certainly stand out, I think Andrew and I both agree that we'll miss the mundane things just as much:
o Legendary ping-pong matches and the temper tantrums that oftentimes followed
o Our Argentinean neighbor repeating “She’s so young” again and again while playing with the puppy, Ginger.
o Listening to D.J. Summer Blue play all the "hits" during the evenings
o Being greeted by the dogs and cats when we came home
o Watching the wind-surfers at Ho'okipa Beach
o Manao Radio DJs and their diatribes on life
o Walking around shoe-less at work
o Shopping at the Bohemia Boutique in Wailuku
o The blessing Andrew received every morning on his way to work by man walking along the road carrying a cross
o Volunteering at the Waihe’e Refuge
o Attempting to pronounce Hawaiian words like Ka Lu'u o Ka O'o
o Leilani Poli`ahu’s Hawaiian word of the day
o Driving by Ah Fook grocery store
o Kamoda Bakery’s butter rolls
o Rainbows that appear in the sky at least once a day
o Reading the Harry Potter series to each other at the beach, in the car, or before bed
All together, Hawaii did not disappoint. Sure, we were a little frustrated by the scarcity of accessible hiking trails, the auto-centric nature of the island, and it’s seemingly haphazard patterns of development (yes, we cannot escape being planning snobs). We were also confused by the jungle-fowl (chickens) along road sides, the selection of meats at the grocery store (what do you do with pig feet?), and the high prices of gasoline ($3.60/gallon). But we loved cheap pineapple, we loved the waves, and we loved being together.
We decided not to buy any gifts (sorry y’all!) with the exception of a stylish Hawaiian shirt for Andrew. We neglected buying anything on purpose because first, we didn’t want to spend our last days in trinket shops and second, we felt as though we were already taking a lot with us. Most noticeably, our tans. But Andrew is also taking a wonderful project he’s been working on developing at MCLT that he will morph into his master’s thesis this coming year. We are taking with us a newfound appreciation for dogs and cats; a respect for the ocean; and a very small Hawaiian vocabulary. While our tans are already beginning to fade, I doubt the rest will leave us so soon.
This is most likely the end of our Hawaii Blog, but stay tuned for the next exciting episode (TBD). Mahalo for reading!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Work and the end of paradise as we know it
Well, that title should catch a few eyes if nothing else.
Unfortunately Hannah and I are now reminded daily of our imminent departure from Maui. On the plus side, we are looking forward to my college roommate, Erik Hembre, arriving on Friday and visiting for a week. On the subtraction side (why is this phrase not used more often?), Hannah leaves the same day as him to go to one of HER college roommates weddings. Then just a few days later, I suffer the same fate and our summer in the Pacific paradise of Maui will have ended.
On a more positive note, Hannah and I have both been more involved in work at the land trust recently. Hannah has volunteered to help write some grants for the land trust and they have been kind enough to help her along. She is working on at least one and possibly two grants in this last week or so to help her gain experience. For me, work has picked up and I am juggling a few different projects but the lion's share of my time is devoted to a project that will become my Master's research thesis.
The research goes like this - along the northern and eastern coasts of Maui is the most wild and untamed sections of the island. However, this scenic beauty and seclusion is what has drawn development to it. Therefore, this area, the last bastion of Hawaiian culture and history on Maui, has been subject to much increased levels of luxury home building (luckily only one hotel complex has made it through the development process) and tourism. In fact this Road to Hana (the town at the center of my study) has become a giant tourist trap and suffers tourist gridlock.
My project is to identify some of the unique issues, needs and concerns of this area as its related to land conservation. More specifically, the idea is to conduct interviews of community members to identify important areas for cultural, historic, ecological or other reasons. After interviewing 25 or so individuals I hope to analyze the results to determine what areas are viewed as most important by the community, and therefore what areas are most important to protect from development. This information will allow the land trust to be more proactive towards conserving land as well as have better background information when projects are proposed in that region.
This study seems rather straightforward until you realize that this is all based in Western concepts of law and land rights which many Hawaiians don't recognize. The remnants of the Hawaiian community are still strong and active in this area and there is a range of feelings within the community from being upset about loss of land to everpresent anger about having the land stolen from their ancestors. And loss of land is as serious, or more so, to the Hawaiians as it was to mainland Native Americans - their culture, traditions and indeed subsistence way of life, is directly threatened by development or even restricted land access. Thus, there is considerable distrust and dislike for haole (western and generally white) organizations like mine who play by Western rules. Add to the fact that many of these families and communities have been studied repeatedly by others and have had many promises of help broken in the past, makes me feel guilty and almost dislike or disapprove of what I am doing. Therefore, this study has some serious cultural issues entrenched within it that I, as a white newcomer, was unprepared for. Although this may be a good thing...
Unfortunately Hannah and I are now reminded daily of our imminent departure from Maui. On the plus side, we are looking forward to my college roommate, Erik Hembre, arriving on Friday and visiting for a week. On the subtraction side (why is this phrase not used more often?), Hannah leaves the same day as him to go to one of HER college roommates weddings. Then just a few days later, I suffer the same fate and our summer in the Pacific paradise of Maui will have ended.
On a more positive note, Hannah and I have both been more involved in work at the land trust recently. Hannah has volunteered to help write some grants for the land trust and they have been kind enough to help her along. She is working on at least one and possibly two grants in this last week or so to help her gain experience. For me, work has picked up and I am juggling a few different projects but the lion's share of my time is devoted to a project that will become my Master's research thesis.
The research goes like this - along the northern and eastern coasts of Maui is the most wild and untamed sections of the island. However, this scenic beauty and seclusion is what has drawn development to it. Therefore, this area, the last bastion of Hawaiian culture and history on Maui, has been subject to much increased levels of luxury home building (luckily only one hotel complex has made it through the development process) and tourism. In fact this Road to Hana (the town at the center of my study) has become a giant tourist trap and suffers tourist gridlock.
My project is to identify some of the unique issues, needs and concerns of this area as its related to land conservation. More specifically, the idea is to conduct interviews of community members to identify important areas for cultural, historic, ecological or other reasons. After interviewing 25 or so individuals I hope to analyze the results to determine what areas are viewed as most important by the community, and therefore what areas are most important to protect from development. This information will allow the land trust to be more proactive towards conserving land as well as have better background information when projects are proposed in that region.
This study seems rather straightforward until you realize that this is all based in Western concepts of law and land rights which many Hawaiians don't recognize. The remnants of the Hawaiian community are still strong and active in this area and there is a range of feelings within the community from being upset about loss of land to everpresent anger about having the land stolen from their ancestors. And loss of land is as serious, or more so, to the Hawaiians as it was to mainland Native Americans - their culture, traditions and indeed subsistence way of life, is directly threatened by development or even restricted land access. Thus, there is considerable distrust and dislike for haole (western and generally white) organizations like mine who play by Western rules. Add to the fact that many of these families and communities have been studied repeatedly by others and have had many promises of help broken in the past, makes me feel guilty and almost dislike or disapprove of what I am doing. Therefore, this study has some serious cultural issues entrenched within it that I, as a white newcomer, was unprepared for. Although this may be a good thing...
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Day Trips
Maui is a relatively small island. Essentially, we can wake up in the morning and go just about anywhere ... and anywhere has typically been the beach or the forest. So, to squash any rumors out there (if they exist) that we've gotten lazy and don't go out exploring as much as we did when we first arrived, I thought I'd write an entry about some of our more memorable day trips.
Oreloa (aka the Big Beach) in Makena: The excellent reputation of the Big Beach prompted us to drive to the southern most shore of the island to see what all the fuss was about. We were not disappointed one bit. The day we visited the ocean must have been angry because a high surf advisory had been put in place, warning of waves up to 8 or even 10 feet tall! That certainly didn't keep us out of the water though! After observing from shore (and getting knocked down once ... okay, twice) Andrew and I headed out into the raging seas. We found that if you swam out to right beyond where the waves crest, they pick you high, high up before gently placing you down as they crash toward the shore. The trick is, of course, to watch the timing of the waves so that you don't get clobbered!
Kaanapali: Ever seen pictures of high-rise high end resorts along the shoreline? Yeah, well then you know what Kaanapali looks like. We parked at the public access point (of course, the worst spot of beach in the whole area) before walking along for what seemed like miles of resorts. Most impressive was the Westin which felt a tad bit like a cross between Disneyworld and Vegas. The beach and the ocean was nothing all that spectacular, although it probably once was. A coral reef running parallel to the shoreline must have at one time been spectacular, but was now pretty inundated by sediment, making the coral a yucky brown.
Kamaole in Kehei: This is a very popular string of three beaches and we've seen why. For some strange reason, both times we have been to these beaches we've felt the need to roll in the sand. Unexplainable. The water was very warm and during surf advisories, they're excellent beaches for boogie boarding!
Baldwin Beach: Baldwin is our closest beach, so we've been a number of times. It's typically choppy, a little cold, and rocky at places, but the sand is fabulously soft. On one end of the beach, a reef close to the shore acts as a barrier and creates calmer waters that are ideal for some lap swimming - something we've only taken advantage of once, unfortunately!
Swinging Bridges - This trail leads through the Waihe'e Valley and crosses a number of streams. As the name implies the bridges that cross the streams really do swing! They're fun, but we decided not worth the $6 per person admission fee to pass through private property to get to the trail.
Waihe'e Ridge Trail - We hiked up onto the ridge overlooking Waihe'e and the Pacific Ocean on a cloudy afternoon. Too bad too because the view from up there would be amazing!
Volunteering in Pu'ukukui and D.T. Fleming Beach - A majority of the west Maui mountains are privately held and owned by Maui Land and Pineapple. So, in order to get access to these beautiful spots we needed to volunteer. Although our mission was to pick weeds, it was clear by the un-strenuous work we were really up there to enjoy the scenery. The group we were in was very interesting - multi-millionaire 30 year olds, renowned green architects, and even a former St. Olaf admissions counselor!
Poli Poli State Park - This is a large preserve which, unfortunately, suffered a severe fire several years ago. Still, there are a number of walking, ATV and mountain biking trails that make it a fun area.
Iao Valley and Needle - Impressive scenery, but disappointing access. When Andrew and I visited, a fabuous halo of sunshine shown on the needle.
Oreloa (aka the Big Beach) in Makena: The excellent reputation of the Big Beach prompted us to drive to the southern most shore of the island to see what all the fuss was about. We were not disappointed one bit. The day we visited the ocean must have been angry because a high surf advisory had been put in place, warning of waves up to 8 or even 10 feet tall! That certainly didn't keep us out of the water though! After observing from shore (and getting knocked down once ... okay, twice) Andrew and I headed out into the raging seas. We found that if you swam out to right beyond where the waves crest, they pick you high, high up before gently placing you down as they crash toward the shore. The trick is, of course, to watch the timing of the waves so that you don't get clobbered!
Kaanapali: Ever seen pictures of high-rise high end resorts along the shoreline? Yeah, well then you know what Kaanapali looks like. We parked at the public access point (of course, the worst spot of beach in the whole area) before walking along for what seemed like miles of resorts. Most impressive was the Westin which felt a tad bit like a cross between Disneyworld and Vegas. The beach and the ocean was nothing all that spectacular, although it probably once was. A coral reef running parallel to the shoreline must have at one time been spectacular, but was now pretty inundated by sediment, making the coral a yucky brown.
Kamaole in Kehei: This is a very popular string of three beaches and we've seen why. For some strange reason, both times we have been to these beaches we've felt the need to roll in the sand. Unexplainable. The water was very warm and during surf advisories, they're excellent beaches for boogie boarding!
Baldwin Beach: Baldwin is our closest beach, so we've been a number of times. It's typically choppy, a little cold, and rocky at places, but the sand is fabulously soft. On one end of the beach, a reef close to the shore acts as a barrier and creates calmer waters that are ideal for some lap swimming - something we've only taken advantage of once, unfortunately!
Swinging Bridges - This trail leads through the Waihe'e Valley and crosses a number of streams. As the name implies the bridges that cross the streams really do swing! They're fun, but we decided not worth the $6 per person admission fee to pass through private property to get to the trail.
Waihe'e Ridge Trail - We hiked up onto the ridge overlooking Waihe'e and the Pacific Ocean on a cloudy afternoon. Too bad too because the view from up there would be amazing!
Volunteering in Pu'ukukui and D.T. Fleming Beach - A majority of the west Maui mountains are privately held and owned by Maui Land and Pineapple. So, in order to get access to these beautiful spots we needed to volunteer. Although our mission was to pick weeds, it was clear by the un-strenuous work we were really up there to enjoy the scenery. The group we were in was very interesting - multi-millionaire 30 year olds, renowned green architects, and even a former St. Olaf admissions counselor!
Poli Poli State Park - This is a large preserve which, unfortunately, suffered a severe fire several years ago. Still, there are a number of walking, ATV and mountain biking trails that make it a fun area.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Haleakala: the Remix
Despite North Korea's Kim Jong-il threatening to provide Hawaii with a spectacular display of fireworks (a.k.a. shooting off long range missiles) on the 4th of July, Andrew and I decided it would be a good idea to head out for another hiking adventure in Haleakala National Park.
To avoid another camping folly (forgetting stove fuel, neglecting to get a permit, etc.) we were extra careful packing and preparing this go round. Our plan was to park at the Halemau'u trail head, hitch up to the summit, hike down the Sliding Sands trail about 9.8 miles to our campsite at Paliku. Although we were expecting the park to be scurrying with tourists on the holiday it was strangely quiet. Finally, after trying for about 15 minutes to get a hitch up to the summit from where we parked our car a park patrol man pulled over for us. After being examined (Do you have any weapons? Drugs? Felonies? Etc.) we were thrown (okay, not quite) in the backseat of the patrol car. Needless to say, it was our first and hopefully last experience behind glass and bars!
The decent down into the moonscape crater was just as beautiful as we remembered. The reds, greens, browns and blacks of the crater seemed especially vivid with the Carolina Blue sky backdrop. There were only a few signs that a month had past since we had last been on the volcano. Andrew was especially delighted to see several silver swords blooming, which is really pretty cool since these endangered plant species bloom only once). Not only that, the nene which so stealthy taunted and avoided us on our last hike were so friendly we could hardly escape them!
We passed only a few hikers in the crater, making it feel at times like we were all alone. If we knew what was ahead I'm sure we would have cherished every moment of this peace and calm .....
We arrived at our campsite at Paliku with plenty of daylight left. The campsite was nestled alongside cliffs that shape the Kaupo Gap. Our expectations were perhaps unfairly high since we had been promised this campsite would feel vastly different than the rest of the arid park. Although we were a little underwhelmed, it really was beautiful. We did an extra hike, maybe 2 miles, into the Kaupo gap, but returned in time for a game of cards and dinner.
While we were playing cards a woman who was staying in the campground's cabin approached us. She was with a group who was doing a service project on the mountain, but for whatever reason didn't want to risk hiking the route the group was going. So, she asked if she could hike our route with us.
Now, let's pause here. Our most vigilant readers will most likely recognize that Andrew and I have had some extremely good luck here in Maui. Everything from hitchhiking to free rent. Anyway, whether you believe in karma or not, we have felt for quite some time that we owe some good deeds. Hiking with this woman, we felt, would help to make up for some of it. Little did we know that by the end of the day we would not have only have repaid our karma, we'd have some invested in the bank .....
Roxana. Where to begin? Roxana believes metal interferes with her energy fields; Roxana thinks she is 'tuned in' with people and nature in a deeper sense (but couldn't be more wrong otherwise wouldn't she sense we wanted her to be quiet?!); Roxana has been not only a science teacher, but also a horse and dog trainer, an expert in every part of the tourist industry, in "business", and interior design; Roxana believes appropriate hiking apparel is long jeans, about 15 rings, and lip gloss; Roxana believes Andrew and I are "cut from reindeer" since we are Norwegian; Roxana has problems with rules and authority; Roxana wants bites of our candy bar despite having three of her own; Roxana complains about the iodine taste in the water after Andrew gives her iodine tablets to treat the water of micro organisms; Roxana needs to take breaks from hiking about every 10 minutes; etc.
And after nearly 10 hours of listening to her blab constantly, Andrew and I believe Roxana is a headache. We didn't ditch her, but we thought of it several times. Overall, our trip to Haleakala was certainly not a test of our physical endurance, but a real test of our patience.
To avoid another camping folly (forgetting stove fuel, neglecting to get a permit, etc.) we were extra careful packing and preparing this go round. Our plan was to park at the Halemau'u trail head, hitch up to the summit, hike down the Sliding Sands trail about 9.8 miles to our campsite at Paliku. Although we were expecting the park to be scurrying with tourists on the holiday it was strangely quiet. Finally, after trying for about 15 minutes to get a hitch up to the summit from where we parked our car a park patrol man pulled over for us. After being examined (Do you have any weapons? Drugs? Felonies? Etc.) we were thrown (okay, not quite) in the backseat of the patrol car. Needless to say, it was our first and hopefully last experience behind glass and bars!
The decent down into the moonscape crater was just as beautiful as we remembered. The reds, greens, browns and blacks of the crater seemed especially vivid with the Carolina Blue sky backdrop. There were only a few signs that a month had past since we had last been on the volcano. Andrew was especially delighted to see several silver swords blooming, which is really pretty cool since these endangered plant species bloom only once). Not only that, the nene which so stealthy taunted and avoided us on our last hike were so friendly we could hardly escape them!
We passed only a few hikers in the crater, making it feel at times like we were all alone. If we knew what was ahead I'm sure we would have cherished every moment of this peace and calm .....
We arrived at our campsite at Paliku with plenty of daylight left. The campsite was nestled alongside cliffs that shape the Kaupo Gap. Our expectations were perhaps unfairly high since we had been promised this campsite would feel vastly different than the rest of the arid park. Although we were a little underwhelmed, it really was beautiful. We did an extra hike, maybe 2 miles, into the Kaupo gap, but returned in time for a game of cards and dinner.
While we were playing cards a woman who was staying in the campground's cabin approached us. She was with a group who was doing a service project on the mountain, but for whatever reason didn't want to risk hiking the route the group was going. So, she asked if she could hike our route with us.
Now, let's pause here. Our most vigilant readers will most likely recognize that Andrew and I have had some extremely good luck here in Maui. Everything from hitchhiking to free rent. Anyway, whether you believe in karma or not, we have felt for quite some time that we owe some good deeds. Hiking with this woman, we felt, would help to make up for some of it. Little did we know that by the end of the day we would not have only have repaid our karma, we'd have some invested in the bank .....
Roxana. Where to begin? Roxana believes metal interferes with her energy fields; Roxana thinks she is 'tuned in' with people and nature in a deeper sense (but couldn't be more wrong otherwise wouldn't she sense we wanted her to be quiet?!); Roxana has been not only a science teacher, but also a horse and dog trainer, an expert in every part of the tourist industry, in "business", and interior design; Roxana believes appropriate hiking apparel is long jeans, about 15 rings, and lip gloss; Roxana believes Andrew and I are "cut from reindeer" since we are Norwegian; Roxana has problems with rules and authority; Roxana wants bites of our candy bar despite having three of her own; Roxana complains about the iodine taste in the water after Andrew gives her iodine tablets to treat the water of micro organisms; Roxana needs to take breaks from hiking about every 10 minutes; etc.
And after nearly 10 hours of listening to her blab constantly, Andrew and I believe Roxana is a headache. We didn't ditch her, but we thought of it several times. Overall, our trip to Haleakala was certainly not a test of our physical endurance, but a real test of our patience.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
The Road to Hana and Beyond: Adventures on and off the beaten path
Trips to Maui are incomplete without exploring the Road to Hana, or so says the guidebooks Andrew and I have read. The town of Hana itself is a very small town in the eastern most reaches of the island, far (in many respects) from the larger population centers in west and central Maui. And while, as we discovered, the town itself is not super exciting, it is the journey along the most famous highway in Maui that gets people all jazzed.
As usual, we had multiple motives before heading out on the road. Obviously, we needed to check out the stunningly beautiful, lush tropical landscape (the quintessential Hawaiian paradise) the guidebooks promise. That task was pretty easy. But, more intriguing, we had been assigned to an investigating mission. The land trust Andrew works for has recently given him a new project that involves scoping out properties in the region and talking to local people to assess the role that the land trust can play in this area, if any. For reasons that will come up later, this task will prove to be quite difficult, but extremely fascinating.
We spent three whole days exploring, so instead of recounting everything mile marker by mile marker, I will save us all time and just focus on our most memorable five moments (kind of in chronological order):
1. Waikani Falls. To paint the picture, the Road to Hana is a narrow, winding road that hugs the coastline on one side and the cliffs of Haleakala on the other. Cars pass through gulches on many bridges
that are sometimes in excess of 90 years old, so naturally, they are one-lane across. Waterfalls cascade from the cliffs, providing the streams of tourists (the "lemmings") with excellent photo ops. While Andrew and I were often times among those tourists, we would sometimes venture off the road on foot to try to catch a closer and more private look. We did so at Waikani Falls, also known as "The Three Bears" (a papa, a mama, and a baby). Although we did not have to go too far off the road, we were completely alone at the pool at the bottom of the falls. Luckily, the water was calm enough for my first waterfall swim! Though it was cold, it was such a thrill to be in the crystal clear water in the middle of paradise!
2. "Camping" in Style. We had planned to camp the first night in Hana at a State Park, so it was quite a shock when we arrived at the ranger's office, asked for a permit, and were told that we needed to pick up a permit in Wailuku (4 hours in the opposite direction!). With camping (legally) out of the question Andrew began brainstorming other options: camp at a property TLC owned; call our host for the next night a day early; go back home, etc. As none of these being too appealing, he opted for another course of action. From a pay phone (definitely no cell phone service out here) he called the president of the board from the land trust who he'd met only once and asked if we could stay on their property in the area. Luckily, luckily (this cannot be emphasized enough) with our last 50 cents, she anwered her phone and said, 'sure, come on over'. We followed her directions and what we found was a magnificent estate. Their property is approximately 80 acres, with a view overlooking the ocean. The house is a stunning lodge, with a wrap around deck, and a room specifically for ping pong (Andrew won, boo.)
About 20 minutes into our stay there, as we were heating up our dinner, what we thought was a huge blast of wind shook the windows for about 10 seconds. The next day we found out we were actually at the heart of an earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale!
3. Infinity Pool. We spent most of our second day at Kipahulu, a part of Haleakal
a National Park. The park is most known for it's Seven Sacred Pools that are connected by waterfalls and lead out to the ocean. The setting was admitting beautiful, but the masses of people that go to this spot make it zoo-like. A lesser known, and more idyllic, spot in the park is the Infinity Pool, which sits atop a 200 ft. waterfall and overlooks a richly green valley leading to the ocean. It's hard to describe the beauty of this spot, even in pictures. But we spent most of the morning jumping in and out of the pool and sunning ourselves.
4. May's Landing. As I mentioned before, part of the reason for the trip was to talk with some local people about the issues surrounding land conservation in the Hana region. Andrew had set up a meeting with a guy named Ricky who is essentially the 'gate keeper' of the community. Although he's white (a 'houle' as we're called, somewhat derogatorily) Ricky runs a non-profit with the children of the native Hawaiians that has earned him trust and respect. We met up with him on our second day and after showing us around his workshop (his organization teaches kids skills to help with home repair and building extra space/rooms for multigenerational Hawaiian families) he took us to his "office". His so-called office happened to be a spot in the ocean off of a property called May's Landing. We jumped in off the rocks (10ft or so) into the amazingly warm ocean where we talked about the land issues plaguing the area, meanwhile being carried back and forth (Andrew estimates nearly 15 feet) with each wave. Clambering up the small cliff while the waves rolled in was the only difficult part.
Mahalo for reading!
Have a wonderful Fourth of July!
As usual, we had multiple motives before heading out on the road. Obviously, we needed to check out the stunningly beautiful, lush tropical landscape (the quintessential Hawaiian paradise) the guidebooks promise. That task was pretty easy. But, more intriguing, we had been assigned to an investigating mission. The land trust Andrew works for has recently given him a new project that involves scoping out properties in the region and talking to local people to assess the role that the land trust can play in this area, if any. For reasons that will come up later, this task will prove to be quite difficult, but extremely fascinating.
We spent three whole days exploring, so instead of recounting everything mile marker by mile marker, I will save us all time and just focus on our most memorable five moments (kind of in chronological order):
1. Waikani Falls. To paint the picture, the Road to Hana is a narrow, winding road that hugs the coastline on one side and the cliffs of Haleakala on the other. Cars pass through gulches on many bridges
that are sometimes in excess of 90 years old, so naturally, they are one-lane across. Waterfalls cascade from the cliffs, providing the streams of tourists (the "lemmings") with excellent photo ops. While Andrew and I were often times among those tourists, we would sometimes venture off the road on foot to try to catch a closer and more private look. We did so at Waikani Falls, also known as "The Three Bears" (a papa, a mama, and a baby). Although we did not have to go too far off the road, we were completely alone at the pool at the bottom of the falls. Luckily, the water was calm enough for my first waterfall swim! Though it was cold, it was such a thrill to be in the crystal clear water in the middle of paradise!
2. "Camping" in Style. We had planned to camp the first night in Hana at a State Park, so it was quite a shock when we arrived at the ranger's office, asked for a permit, and were told that we needed to pick up a permit in Wailuku (4 hours in the opposite direction!). With camping (legally) out of the question Andrew began brainstorming other options: camp at a property TLC owned; call our host for the next night a day early; go back home, etc. As none of these being too appealing, he opted for another course of action. From a pay phone (definitely no cell phone service out here) he called the president of the board from the land trust who he'd met only once and asked if we could stay on their property in the area. Luckily, luckily (this cannot be emphasized enough) with our last 50 cents, she anwered her phone and said, 'sure, come on over'. We followed her directions and what we found was a magnificent estate. Their property is approximately 80 acres, with a view overlooking the ocean. The house is a stunning lodge, with a wrap around deck, and a room specifically for ping pong (Andrew won, boo.)
About 20 minutes into our stay there, as we were heating up our dinner, what we thought was a huge blast of wind shook the windows for about 10 seconds. The next day we found out we were actually at the heart of an earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale!
3. Infinity Pool. We spent most of our second day at Kipahulu, a part of Haleakal
a National Park. The park is most known for it's Seven Sacred Pools that are connected by waterfalls and lead out to the ocean. The setting was admitting beautiful, but the masses of people that go to this spot make it zoo-like. A lesser known, and more idyllic, spot in the park is the Infinity Pool, which sits atop a 200 ft. waterfall and overlooks a richly green valley leading to the ocean. It's hard to describe the beauty of this spot, even in pictures. But we spent most of the morning jumping in and out of the pool and sunning ourselves.4. May's Landing. As I mentioned before, part of the reason for the trip was to talk with some local people about the issues surrounding land conservation in the Hana region. Andrew had set up a meeting with a guy named Ricky who is essentially the 'gate keeper' of the community. Although he's white (a 'houle' as we're called, somewhat derogatorily) Ricky runs a non-profit with the children of the native Hawaiians that has earned him trust and respect. We met up with him on our second day and after showing us around his workshop (his organization teaches kids skills to help with home repair and building extra space/rooms for multigenerational Hawaiian families) he took us to his "office". His so-called office happened to be a spot in the ocean off of a property called May's Landing. We jumped in off the rocks (10ft or so) into the amazingly warm ocean where we talked about the land issues plaguing the area, meanwhile being carried back and forth (Andrew estimates nearly 15 feet) with each wave. Clambering up the small cliff while the waves rolled in was the only difficult part.
5. Mahi Mahi. Ricky and his wife Kersten had graciously offered to host Andrew and I at their home for the night. Being a home builder for 30 years, his home was magnificent, but it was the meal they fed us that really, really stood out (oh yea, it wasn't the next day until Kersten told us that at one point Ricky had owned a restaurant in Paris - go figure). We started with an appetizer right from their garden of passionfruit and lychees, both delicious. Then we moved on to lychee margaritas, much to my delight :) For dinner we had a sesame encrusted mahi mahi over a bed of fresh vegetables and noodles. And finally, for dessert we had homemade sorbet. This hit the spot, to say the least.
Luckily we'll have several more opportunities to return to Hana, but we had an amazing time our first run-through. On top of all the above activities we also spent some time at Hamua beach (easily one of the best in Maui so far) where we had a great time bodysurfing for the first time. As you can see, much to be done in Hana - we are both excited to spend more time there.
Mahalo for reading!
Have a wonderful Fourth of July!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Animal House
It's amazing how quickly life can change and even more amazing how quickly people can adapt and fall into routines. Just a few weeks ago the heat and the noise of Wailuku were our major gripes (and early morning wake-up calls). Now, a whole host of hungry and curious animals demand our attention from dawn to dusk. A little over two weeks since we arrived in Haiku with our new life and new responsibilities, we are hesitant to say it but, we now act like full-fledged pet owners: our conversations revolve around the daily pranks and pitfalls of our seven animals. And now, we'll share a sample of these conversations with you all.
As any pet owner can tell you, each animal has individual quirks that allow it "to carve out a niche in your heart" (Jacobson, A., 2009):
Peter, Jingles, and Honey-Bunny (aka 'the rabbits'): It's hard to pin down specific personality traits of each rabbit, since our interactions are limited to the weekly "poop purge" (Berg, H., 2009) of their cages which are typically carried out by Andrew, because he's the only one quick enough to catch the bunnies.
George the Cat: The dark, dashing, and mysterious cat who really only shows up (sometimes) in time for dinner and bedtime. It's always a reverse game of cat and mouse with this one (us being the unappealing mouse) trying to lure him into the garage at night. This will sometimes take 20 minutes or more of hiding clandestinely waiting for George to enter the garage and then "bang" the mouse shuts the door for the night.
(Because he's so flighty, the paparazzi hasn't been able to capture his photo yet)
Lani the Kitty: The more attention demanding cat who loves being in the middle of the action (like sitting in the middle of the ping pong table while we're playing!), but gets picked on relentlessly by all the other animals. She is also the primary one in bringing out Andrew's interest in cats.
Bubbles the Westie dog: "The best thing about Maui" (Jacobson, A., 2009). Bubbles looks like he might be straight in from the alley, but his arthritic self and floppy ears have enough spunk and character to make anyone smile. He is also the easiest pet to take care of (seriously, he may be easier than the rabbits) since he sleeps around 20 hours a day.
Ginger the chocholate lab puppy: Like any puppy who has not been well-trained, she easily demands the most attention and causes the most aggravation. She's completely unaware of personal space and thinks play-time is all-the-time. She jumps, she chews (though thankfully only on her toys), she picks fights, and she begs for food, but hey, she's a puppy and will learn how to be more civilized.
Its been fun to see what will get us angry and amused at the different antics of the animals. Hannah is learning how to wag her finger and be stern (Andrew laughs everytime she pulls this out) and Andrew has become more of a pet-lover. Just a few weeks ago we certainly wouldn't have anticipated our lives taking this turn. But, in the 'Aloha' spirit, we count ourselves very lucky and say the more the merrier.
As any pet owner can tell you, each animal has individual quirks that allow it "to carve out a niche in your heart" (Jacobson, A., 2009):
Peter, Jingles, and Honey-Bunny (aka 'the rabbits'): It's hard to pin down specific personality traits of each rabbit, since our interactions are limited to the weekly "poop purge" (Berg, H., 2009) of their cages which are typically carried out by Andrew, because he's the only one quick enough to catch the bunnies.
George the Cat: The dark, dashing, and mysterious cat who really only shows up (sometimes) in time for dinner and bedtime. It's always a reverse game of cat and mouse with this one (us being the unappealing mouse) trying to lure him into the garage at night. This will sometimes take 20 minutes or more of hiding clandestinely waiting for George to enter the garage and then "bang" the mouse shuts the door for the night.
(Because he's so flighty, the paparazzi hasn't been able to capture his photo yet)
Lani the Kitty: The more attention demanding cat who loves being in the middle of the action (like sitting in the middle of the ping pong table while we're playing!), but gets picked on relentlessly by all the other animals. She is also the primary one in bringing out Andrew's interest in cats.
Bubbles the Westie dog: "The best thing about Maui" (Jacobson, A., 2009). Bubbles looks like he might be straight in from the alley, but his arthritic self and floppy ears have enough spunk and character to make anyone smile. He is also the easiest pet to take care of (seriously, he may be easier than the rabbits) since he sleeps around 20 hours a day.
Ginger the chocholate lab puppy: Like any puppy who has not been well-trained, she easily demands the most attention and causes the most aggravation. She's completely unaware of personal space and thinks play-time is all-the-time. She jumps, she chews (though thankfully only on her toys), she picks fights, and she begs for food, but hey, she's a puppy and will learn how to be more civilized.
Its been fun to see what will get us angry and amused at the different antics of the animals. Hannah is learning how to wag her finger and be stern (Andrew laughs everytime she pulls this out) and Andrew has become more of a pet-lover. Just a few weeks ago we certainly wouldn't have anticipated our lives taking this turn. But, in the 'Aloha' spirit, we count ourselves very lucky and say the more the merrier.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
A Stroke of luck
I don't know about anyone else, but it seems to me that true luck really only strikes when you're not looking for it. Metaphorically, Andrew and I hadn't even put any money in the slot machine when we hit the jackpot: Free living arrangements in a beautiful cottage in Upcountry Maui!!
The move Upcountry, which physically happened on Tuesday, actually began developing several weeks ago. With nothing better to do, we accepted an invitation to go camping with Scott, Andrew's boss, at the Waihe'e Refuge, a property owned and maintained by the land trust. Great, huh? Well, the hitch was that along with Scott would be Scott's son. And along with Scott's son would be his entire 3rd grad class. And along with the 3rd graders would be their parents. Despite knowing full-well that we'd be entering into an awkward situation the lure of s'mores and ghost stories proved too strong.
For most of the evening and the next morning we kept to ourselves, only making small talk with a couple of parents (particularly those in charge of handing out marshmallows!) But clearly, we were there to enjoy camping and not to make friends. So, when it came time to leave in the morning (I needed to rush back to attend a job fair that couldn't wait for Scott), we found ourselves in the awkward position of asking strangers for a lift back to Wailuku. As I cowered in the background, Andrew walked right up to ask. Rejected on the first attempt, he tried again. This time successful.
The man who gave us a ride was named Pete Peck. not knowing that this would be an important conversation, I remember only a few of the details. But the salient points are what matter: his family was leaving for California for the summer and was looking for house-sitters to take care of thier pets and plants while the were away. Andrew traded phone numbers with him and within 2 hours his wife Susie, called and asked if we'd like to meet up at their house to talk details.
After seeing their house and guest cottage, meeting the pets, and finding out that we could stay for free and be paid to look after the animals, we both agreed that 'yes, we'd like very much to house-sit'. Um, kind of a no-brainer! Andrew was right when he said that the only thing that would make the deal better for us would be the use of the BMW Z-4.
So now we're living in Ha'iku. Like the poem. The town is on the northern, more remote, edge of the island between the two more lively towns of Pa'ia and Makawao. The Peck's house is on several acres and has a small guest cottage, where we'll be staying. The cottage sits on a hillside and overlooks a wooded gulch so that the only neighbors we can see and hear are the birdies. Its a simple studio style layout, but is furnished by almost all things Pier I, as far as I can tell. It's lovely and has everything we need, plus some.
I may have mentioned in pasing that the Peck's have pets. To be more presice, they have 3 rabbits, 2 cats, and 2 dogs. For people who are not naturally pet-people (aside from Gracie Spot and Mona), this is a whole lot. As if that we're enough, Ginger, the 9-month old brown lab, demands as much attention as all of the other pets combined (probably times 5!). We may be in over our head, but I guess we'll find out once the Peck's leave (actually, their cab just pulled up!). But for now, we're sitting back and enjoying the cooler air and thinking that life is good!.
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