Aloha Adventure
Page 06

Another short (45 Min.) hop to Maui. Our first stop after landing was in the town of Wailuku. The group went to a local restaurant for lunch and Mary Ann and I had our sandwiches from the Marriott on Kaua’i.

After lunch we drove to the State Park in Iao Valley

The Iao Needle (Kūkaemoku) is the most famous landmark in the Iao State Park. It is a vegetation-covered lava remnant rising 1,200 feet from the valley floor or 2,250 feet when measured from sea level.

The Hawaiian god Kāne is considered to be the procreator and the provider of life. He is associated with wai (fresh water) as well as clouds, rain, streams, and springs. Kanaloa, the Hawaiian god of the underworld, is represented by the phallic stone of the Iao Needle.

Kapawa, a early king of Hawaiʻi was buried here. Maui’s ruler Kakaʻe, in the late 15th century, designated Iao Valley as a royal burial ground. Their remains were buried in secret places. In 1790, the Battle of Kepaniwai took place here, in which Kamehameha the Great defeated Kalanikūpule and the Maui army during his campaign to unify the islands. The battle was said to be so bloody that dead bodies blocked Iao Stream, and the battle site was named Kepaniwai (“the damming of the waters”).

The Wailuku river Flows through the Valley, It’s a beautiful river clear and cool. It’s like many rivers in the mountains of New England. Note my curls! Eat your hearts out ladies (until I take my hat off.)

We were told that the water was cold. You couldn’t prove it by these kids.

We drove up the long Iao Valley towards Lahaina and I got a picture of a Candle Nut tree and found a picture of some of the beads that are made from the nuts.

At Lahaina we split a Dole Whip and rested on a bench next to “Bubba Gump’s Restaurant” That’s his suitcase with a “boxa choclits” on top.

This is the Hyatt Regency Maui. Our room was on the shady side (see arrow). It was super hotel with all the amenities, two pools and beautiful gardens. Also a nice beach (more on that later).

We were greeted in our room by a huge (4″) Praying Mantis. We left him alone as he was on the outside of our balcony screen. He was gone the next morning,

These are the views from our room . A nice golf course, 6 more hotels, and a vista beyond. We didn’t miss the ocean view in our hotel because those room were in the sun all day and their balconies were probably very hot (sour grapes?).

Below are some of the feathered denizen of the hotel gardens:

African Black-Footed Penguins

Black Crowned Night Heron

A Talkative Parrot Named Shrek

A very friendly White Cockatoo named Madison (with Chris)

An Australian Black Goose

A Flock of Pink Flamingos

African Crowned Cranes

Enough with the boids, already!

We checked out the beach at the hotel and decided that it was too rough for snorkeling there.

We hiked to “Black Rock Beach”. It’s a favorite “jumping off” spot, but the snorkeling was still very difficult- too much of a surge in the water motion for us old folks. But, the jumpers loved it!

We gave up on snorkeling and caught the shuttle bus back to the Hyatt.

That night we went with the group to the “Drums of the Pacific Lu’au.

This is the setting for the Lu’au. It’s right next to the ocean and the breezes were delightful!

This is the Lu’au Buffet. It was pretty good: pork, chicken, many veggies and salads. There was even some Poi (see arrow). I had to taste it – it was awful!

The show was a real spectacle. Lots of pretty Hula girls, Hula guys, drums, ukuleles and fire. Here are a few pics: