Share the Aloha and Pay it Forward

Living in Maui, I am able to meet people from everywhere. It is important to me to treat everyone with Aloha when they are here on holiday. Working in the restaurant industry and in the mortgage industry, I am able to meet and talk story with a variety of people. Most everyone is friendly with Aloha here on the islands. Whether they are from the mainland, Canada, China, Japan, or Australia; it is important for us to remember that we need to show Aloha to everyone we encounter. That is what the Aloha Spirit is all about. These people visit the islands because they are a beautiful paradise. The people that live here are warm and friendly. Some people have to save a very long time in order to be able to bring the entire family here. When visitors are shown Aloha when they are on holiday here, they return the gift of Aloha. It may be by taking the Aloha Spirit home with them or even by performing acts of kindness and Aloha back to you or someone else on the island.

MALA employees “Practice Aloha” …. Visit the website sometime

Recently, I was fortunate enough to meet 2 incredible people having holiday here on Maui. Mother and daughter, Birgit and Kiona, are from Munich, Germany and have been taking holiday on the Hawaiian Islands. They have visited Oahu, Kauai, and finally Maui. I have been fortunate enough to spend time with them while they are here and we have had some great times. Birgit has enjoyed some fine scuba all over the island (including the Cathedral in Lanai and Molokini).

Scuba the First Cathedral – Lanai
Photo courtesy of Lahaina Divers*

Kiona wanted to have a Hawaiian surf experience (she had taken a surf class in Kauai already) so my good friend, Eric Chapin, and I took Kiona to Goofy Foot Surf Shop at the 505 in south Lahaina to rent some boards. Kiona and I rented two 11ft soft-top boards, some rash guards, and water shoes and headed to the beach at Breakwall.

Logo courtesy of Goofy Foot Surf School, Maui*

Quick side note – The folks over at Goofy Foot Surf School shop were very friendly. I know some of the people who work there and they love what they do. I have not taken a lesson from them but it seems to me that they have a good program there. For more information on them – feel free to click the logo on the right to visit their website or follow this link:http://www.goofyfootsurfschool.com/

Even the overcast day didn’t stop the surfing at Breakwall… unfortunately the camera mount wouldn’t work on the soft-top boards…

Soon after we had our boards and got settled in at the beach, Birgit showed up after finishing her dive and was able to watch us all surf. Kiona had a good day surfing and was able to surf some of the smaller waves that day. However, she was not fully satisfied and insisted we come back the next day. Eric told us that the waves would be much better the next day. Eric was right. The second day, while Birgit was out diving again, Kiona and I rented 2 more boards and soon headed out into much larger waves compared to the previous day. We paddled out and tackled the white water and crashing waves to claim our spot. Then, Kiona starts paddling and catches her very first wave of the day! Super stoked! I was not able to catch my first wave, standing to far foward on my board and taking a wonderful nose-dive just after standing up. Kiona was able to catch a few more waves that day but her last one resulted in a scraped leg after jumping off the board on her last ride. She was bummed that it ended her day of surfing but this young lady took it like a champ and she now has a Hawaiian surf wound as proof that “She Is Aloha”. Birgit and Kiona leave this coming Monday and I just want to thank them both for everything. They have taken Eric and I to dinner at Duke’s Beach House, hung out on the beach at midnight having cocktails in the rain, and we lounged on the beach at BlackRock together (Kiona even jumped from BlackRock!) They have been able to experience Hawaii by scuba, surfing, buying local, and taking excursions. Today they are driving to Hana and tomorrow they will experience Maui by way of helicopter! I want to say Mahalo to Eric for showing his Aloha with them and a big mahalo to Birgit and Kiona for embracing the Spirit of Aloha. Eric is Aloha. Birgit is Aloha. Kiona is Aloha….. I AM ALOHA.

Kiona from Germany shows off her “I Am Aloha” shirt while throwing shakas at the Breakwall after a day of surfing…

Day Tripping… Lanai

Lanai Excursion

The island of Lanai is a fantastic place to visit when you are visiting Maui! There are a couple of companies that offer Lanai tours and excursions for snorkeling and day cruises.

Logo Courtesy of Trilogy*

Trilogy Ocean Adventures offers trips around Maui, Molokini and Lanai. The Lanai day trips sail from Maui to Lanai and include time to explore the island, go snokeling, or other adventures. Trilogy happens to be the only company that is allowed to take customers to Hulopoe Beach. They offer 2 Lanai excursions: both range from about $95 – $170 and last around 8 hours.

Although I have yet to go on either of these excursions offered by Trilogy, I am sure that they offer adequate fun during the sailing and guided snorkel tours. These may be the best options for people who want an all-inclusive package. You can click the logo above to visit their website or by clicking here: http://www.sailtrilogy.com/lanai/

There is another way to visit Lanai, however, and I have made the trip over more than a few times this way. Expeditions Maui-Lanai Ferry offers daily trips to and from Lanai.

Logo Courtesy of Expeditions Ferry*

The ferry leaves from the Lahaina Harbor at multiple times during the day:

Lahaina Departures: (public loading dock in front of Pioneer Inn) Departs promptly at:6:45am 9:15am 12:45pm 3:15pm 5:45pm Lanai Departures: Departs for Lahaina at: 8:00am 10:30am 2:00pm 4:30pm 6:45pm Tickets: ADULT: $30.00 each way / CHILD: $20.00 each way

Expeditions has been operating for over 15 years and tourist and locals alike enjoy the quick trip over the Auau Channel aboard Coast Guard Certified Vessels. The ferry allows you to bring everything from camping gear, luggage, ice chests, golf clubs, or even bulk items like groceries from a Costco run…and more. The trip over is nice. They serve beverages and snacks downstairs in the cabin and offer indoor and outdoor seating on the top deck. Not only does Expeditions offer the ferry service, but they can also arrange activities for your Lanai trip including 4×4 rentals, golfing, hotels, and even sporting clays if you feel like squeezing off some rounds at clay pigeons… Expeditions pulls into the harbor at Manele Bay. It is a short walk to Hulopoe Beach Park from the harbor. So if you are camping at the beach park or just heading to the beach for a relaxing day of lounging on the beach and snorkeling, getting from the harbor to the beach is an easy walk.

American Flag flyig on the rear of Expeditions Ferry…

Check out the Expeditions website by clicking the logo above or by clicking here:

http://www.go-lanai.com/

Hulopoe Beach

Hulopoe Beach looking towards Four Seasons Manele Bay….

Hulopoe Beach palms swaying in the wind…

Bring your favorite beach chair to lounge around in….

Hulopoe Beach is one of America’s most beautiful beaches and is located in south Lanai along the crescent-shaped Hulopoe Bay. The bay is also protected as a Marine Life Conservation Area.

Hulopoe Beach looking towards lava tide pools and Sweetheart Rock area

The golden sands of Hulopoe Beach make for an ideal day on the beach in Lanai.

Waves crashing onto Hulopoe Beach

Swimming out into the bay, the sea-bottom is mostly sand with crystal clear blue water.

Waves crash on the shoreline at Hulopoe Beach

The waves at the beach vary in size here… sometimes, if a big swell is coming in, surfers can be found here ripping some waves… along with body and boogie boarders.

Hulopoe Beach from the water

On the eastern side is a lava area where there are tide pools. They offer excellent snorkeling there in the tide pools. There is easy access via a staircase down to the pools.

Stairs leading to lava tide pools

The lava tide pools here are teaming with marine life and make for good snorkeling…

In Hulopoe Bay is Hulopoe Beach Park and it has picnic tables, barbecue grills and  grassy, shaded areas. Restrooms and showers are also available. There is also a site within Hulopoe Beach park that allows for some great camping.

Lanai residents can set up camp right on the beach

If you are a local Lanai resident, you are able to set up camp directly on the beach. Otherwise, if you are just visiting, there is a large camping park with numerous spots in which to camp.

This can be your view when camping in Hulopoe Beach Park…

To the left of the bays near the tidepools is a trail that leads to the left of Hulopoe Beach nearer to Sweetheart Rock. This is a volcanic cone that has eroded and creates two coves, one is called Puu Pehe Cove. Offshore is the small island rock of Puu Pehe, better known as Sweetheart Rock. Taking a short hike to SweetHeart Rock early in the morning is a great way to catch a beautiful sunrise… or just to snap some photos of your sweetheart!

SweetHeart Rock in the background…. Sweet Heart girl posing up front…at sunrise….

Sunrise from SweetHeart Rock is breath taking!

The Four Seasons Manele Bay hotel is located on the right side overlooking Hulopoe Beach. The resort features a spa, restaurants, a wonderful pool, hot tub and pool bar area, and the world-class golf course called Challenge at Manele designed by Jack Nicklaus. My mother, father and I enjoyed a day of golf there when they visited me in Maui. We also had lunch at the clubhouse. I suggest you try eating there if you play a round of golf. The food is Ono-licious!

Dad and I getting in 18 holes at the Challenge at Manele Bay

I have visited Lanai on multiple occassions and even when I camp, I enjoy visiting the Four Seasons for a wonderful (albeit expensive) breakfast. My favorite is the Eggs Benedict with a Bloody Mary. Yeah, I know what you may be thinking… Four Seasons breakfast while camping?!  Well, YES! This is how we… well, I do it on Hawaii. Go big or go home!

Eggs Benedict at the Four Seasons Manele Bay are incredible!

Lanai is a wonderful and magical place to visit. By taking the Expeditions Ferry, you can save money by packing an ice chest with lunch and beverages. Bring your snorkel gear and some beach towels to lounge on the beach all day. If you want, you can catch a shuttle into Lanai City to explore. There is also a second Four Seasons on the island. It is called the Lodge at Koele. It also features another amazing golf course.

My favorite thing about Lanai and Hulopoe Beach is the fact that you can get a chance to swim with hundreds of Spinner Dolphins that come into the bay almost every day. Swimming with this many wild dolphins in their habitat is an awesome and inspiring event! Local photographer, Paul Karanik, of Karanik Photography (http://www.karanikphotography.com/) took this photo recently of the dolphins there….

Rare shot of Spinner dolphins mating. Hulopoe Bay, Lanai. Photo courtesy of Karanik Photography* 2012

Go visit Lanai the next time you are in Maui! With the island recently being purchased by CEO of Oracle, Larry Ellison, there will be some new and exciting upgrades to the 2 Four Seasons Resorts among other things. You can visit this magical place affordably or you can go big and drop 2 dimes and a nickel spending just a day here. Lanai is definitely on the top of my Maui Day Trips!

Link

Maui, Hawaii – Printable Guide by Jon Blum

Jon Blum created Maui Vacations – Jon’s Maui Info website at http://www.mauihawaii.org because of his love for Maui, Hawaii. He has been coming here for 25+ years and has a ton of Maui related info for visitors and locals alike.

He has printable Maui Info Guide that gives you important information for your visit here. You can check out the guide and print or download it at:

http://www.mauihawaii.org/MauiPDF.pdf

Check it out!

Mahalo Jon!

‘Ohe’o Gulch aka 7 Sacred Pools

The road to Hana. Every tourist that comes to Maui should try and complete it. The end result in your journey and the main attraction for most people is the 7 Sacred Pools. The 7 Sacred Pools is actually called the ‘Ohe’o Gulch and the truth is…there are more than seven pools and they don’t happen to be sacred. The old owner of the Hotel Hana-Maui started calling them the “Seven Sacred Pools” to attract more tourist to the small town of Hana. When reading a brochure a person would more likely come visit the “Seven Sacred Pools” rather than the ‘Ohe’o Gulch.

The best time to visit the pools is probably in the morning to avoid the masses but make sure and check the weather because heavy rain can cause the area to flash flood and the pools can be closed at times. The pools happened to be closed the first time Shane and I arrived so we decided to hike up to the Pipiwai trail to see sites like the Infinity Pool, Makahiku Falls, additional pools, and finally the towering Waimoku Falls. If the pools are closed, you may still be able to swim in pools above the main tourist area, although there are signs that will tell you not to pass… we just kinda went around them.

When you enter the Kipahulu area you will be greeted by very friendly National Park staff. Remember, this is part of the Haleakala National Park and if you visited the Haleakala crater for sunrise before coming here – your receipt from the crater will get you in here as well. That $10 fee is good for both areas entry and camping for 3 days. To the right when you pull in is the campground. We camped out there for 2 nights in the main camping field. There is no running water but there are restrooms available and grill pits. On the outskirts of the camping field tall grass seperates you from the ocean. Dotted across the coast are trees and if you walk passed the tall grass to any of these trees you will find a picnic table, grill pit and camping area. These are first come first serve so make sure and get there early. We didn’t know about them at first and by the time we discovered them – they were all occupied. The view from each of these private sites is insane! The rocky coast below is pounded by the ocean and it all adds to your Kipahulu experience.

To the left when you pull in is the parking area and Visitor center. From there you can take the short trail head to the ‘Ohe’o Gulch and pools….

You know you are getting close when the trail head opens up just past the Banyon tree. What lies ahead is a beautiful site.

Just ahead is the Kuloa Point.

This is where the 7 Sacred Pools meet the ocean…

When you make it to the coastline you will find that an old lava flow has helped to create the pools and there is a black sand beach that the waves crash into…

The pools really are a fantastic sight and if they happen to be open for you to swim in – you are in for a treat. Just don’t think about trying to swim in the ocean – the area is home to Grey Sharks that would be happy to take a bite out of you….not to mention this area is not meant for ocean swimming. There is no life guard on duty at the pools either…so exercise caution. Because the pools were closed when we first got there, as I said earlier – we made the hike up the Kipahulu Gap via the Pipiwai trail head.

We were able to swim in some of the higher pools like this one…

Along the hike there are numerous pools to swim in. Again, exercise caution and use your best judgment before entering any pool. They always warn that flash flash flooding can occur…

A waterfall on the Pipiwai trail

Also along the hike there are many look-outs for you to view the numerous waterfalls along the way… but the real exciting part is yet to come…

This is the 200ft falls that the Infinity Pool rests on top of…

The picture above shows Makahiku Falls, a 200ft waterfall that is incredible. The really cool thing is that on top of this fall there is another pool that you can swim in. The Infinity Pool flows over these falls just like an Infinity pool flows over an edge in a backyard pool. Imagine bathing in these cool waters looking out over the ‘Ohe’o Gulch towards the ocean…. the 200ft falls rumbling in front of you!

We didn’t adhere to some of the posted signs….

In order to get to the Infinity Pool, you have to go past some signs that would make most people stop and stay on the trail. Hey! The book that showed me this said I should do it…. so I am telling you to do it too…

The park doesn’t encourage visiting the pool anymore probably because a man and his daughter were swept off the falls while the wife watched… but as I said…. use your judgment. If the water is high and rushing…stay away. The fall down from these falls may be like flying at first…but I can assure you that you won’t land like a cat…or a bird, for that matter.

There are areas to the right of the falls that you can gaze down or you can stand on the edge and gaze straight down…

The picture below shows you what the Infinity Pool looks like. Shane and I did not enter that day but we did walk all around it…

Gazing 200 feet down Makahiku Falls on the edge of the Infinity Pool…

You will come across another old Banyan tree on the Pipiwai trail on your way to Waimoku falls. These trees really are incredible! Take some time to rest here if you need to and get some photos.

Banyon Tree on Pipiwai Trail

After a while you will come to a bamboo forest that you enter from a bridge over a valley. Unforunately, I am trying to locate my pictures and video of it at the moment. I will update this as soon as I have them located. After the hike through the bamboo forest, you finally make it to the towering Waimoku Falls…

The Pipiwai trail is only about 2 miles up. It is a very moderate trail and we encountered children and their parents making the hike as well as people in flip-flops… I am leaving off my photos of the Waimoku Falls. You are going to have to come take the hike to see these magnificent falls is person. Maui no ka oi!

Star-Gazing to Sunrise at Haleakala

Last week at 2:30am Sunday night (Monday morning), my brother and I packed the car up for our drive to check out the night sky on top of the volcano, Haleakala. I drove us there in the Mustang – he slept the majority of the way. The drive up the switch-back road on Haleakala Highway was an interesting one. I was fighting sleepiness and altitude which I am sure made me hallucinate the entire way up. Never fearful of hallucinations, I hugged the side of the mountain and drove 10mph the entire way….

When we arrived at the top there were already quite a few people there. Most of them bundled up accordingly – fighting the cold. The night sky was illuminated with the moon and stars. Star-gazing from Haleakala is something spectacular. At 10,023 feet, Haleakala gets you closer to the heavens than most places. We were above the clouds and gazing at the top of cloud cover is very cool. It costs $10 to enter Haleakala National Park and the pass is good for 3 days. You can hike and camp anywhere in the park for this fee. This pass will also allow you into the Kipahulu park near the Oheo Gulch (7 Sacred Pools) so don’t toss it out.

From the parking lot, we hiked the short distance up to the summit and found our place among others, front and center for the main event: sunrise. I could tell you about how majestic the sunrise is from here but, honestly, words cannot explain just how beautiful it is. You just have to go see it for yourself.

After the sun had risen, we made our way back down to the parking lot and drove down to Leleiwi Overlook. Apparently, this look-out would make for a fantastic place to view the sunrise as well. And it would be much less crowded.

Check out this lookout when you watch the sunrise at Haleakala

You can find more information on Haleakala National Park here at the website:

www.nps.gov/hale/

The Mustang Convertable on Maui

I have always loved the Ford Mustang…

A Jeep was the Original plan… We drove off in a black Ford Mustang Convertable. We also mounted a Wingman HD camera to the Mustang in select areas… to capture some of our drives around the Maui coastline….

Skydive Hawaii

On August 11, 2012 I will take my first step out of a plane…. I am looking forward to falling at 120 mph and experiencing this extreme sport! I am planning on taking my Wingman HD camera to record all of the action. I will post some pictures and video of the jump and of our Oahu experience.