The Maui Goodness

Maui’s south and west side are drier than the rest of the island, which will often be the catalyst for serious fires.  In the recent past, we’ve seen quite a few brush fires flare up in the summer.  Some of these are natural, and others are started by arsonists.

As you can see in the photo, Maui fires can scorch huge areas in a short period of time.  This one is in West Maui close to the Pali (the winding, coastal cliff road from Maalaea Harbor to Lahaina.)  Personally, I’ve spent  a long night in my car due to a similar fire a few years back.  I was driving south from Lahaina, and the roads were completely stopped.  The road closure lasted until the next morning around 8am.

If you ever find yourself stuck in traffic due to a road closing from a fire, it’d be wise considering staying on the side you’re on.  Some adventurous people decided to drive around the back side of the West Maui Mountains.  This route takes much longer, but some of them made it.  Unfortunately, annoyed locals shut the road off after sometime.  This area is pretty dangerous to drive in traffic because it is often 1 lane on cliffy roads.  If someone is coming in the opposite direction, someone is in for a long, scary reverse.

Almost every year, Maui experiences some fires.  There’s not much you can do about it.  Stay away from it and hope it doesn’t cause too much damage or danger to homes and lives.  If you need to get anywhere, and you’ve heard there’s a fire, call (808) 986-1200 for road closure updates. You can also contact your Maui car rental office.

If you haven’t already seen it, you will.  Stand Up Paddle boarding and surfing is the latest retro craze.  For years, we we’re reluctant to give it a try because we feel tied to our own roots of surfing.  But, finally we gave it a shot and rented some boards from Boss Frog’s Dive & Surf in Kihei, Maui, Hawaii in Dolphin Plaza (ask for Benjammin.)

And WOW!  It’s a lot of fun!  Now we’re all hooked.  It’s like going snorkeling without getting wet (if it’s calm and you don’t fall.)  From looking down over your board, you can see the reef clearly as well as any sealife.  Turtles are everywhere!

Not only is it fun for the views of Maui and sealife, we enjoy it because it’s great exercise and a lot of fun.  Sometimes we’ll put some snorkel gear on our board (attached to the leash) and go out to spots that are difficult to access.

When it comes to surfing, it can make a really bad day good.  I don’t recommend taking them out in big waves, but riding tiny waves is really fun.  I feel you have more of an advantage in surfing larger waves with a short board or regular longboard.  Some would disagree, but we suggest only riding the SUP boards in really small waves or just for distance exploration.

Here’s a video from the boards the last time we went out.  We rode from the Makena Golf Resort to Little Beach and back.  We got up a little late, so it had a bit of bump.  It was still a lot of fun, but we suggest going out before the wind hits around 10-11 in the morning while it’s still glassy.  If there is wind, make sure to go up wind to start.  Save going down wind for when you’re tired and coming back. Also, always be safe and don’t ride over shallow reef or areas you don’t know. Be careful!

We rented our boards at Boss Frog’s Dive & Surf.  You can call and rent boards on Maui, Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii by calling (808) 661-3333.

This coming Halloween, 2008, will be the first in decades to not enjoy the cheerful costume contests and local booths in Banyan Tree Park. The Maui County Cultural Resources Commission denied permits for costume contests, live outdoor stages, and food and craft booths. Their reasoning behind this is to curb indecent and lewd behavior and to preserve the historical significance of the town. They maintain that the events surrounding Halloween do nothing to promote Lahaina’s cultural history.

There are 2, among many, reasons why the Cultural Commission has failed in their thinking.

- They feel that the Halloween event takes away from the cultural identity of the town. Please keep in mind that Lahaina is as well known for its whaling than the Ali’i that used to congregate here. Does every event have to reflect ancient Hawaiian history? It’s important to continue promoting the cultural significance of an area, but shutting down a successful event just because it doesn’t directly have historical references is rediculous.

When we say “successful event” we mean to state that it is one of the more peaceful and positive celebrations in Hawaii. Opponents will refer to the 24 arrests made last year for disorderly conduct. We ask them to name any event with anywhere from 25,000-35,000 attendees where there haven’t been some bad apples. When you do the math, the fraction of disruptive individuals compared to orderly attendees is miniscual.

- The one event being granted a permit for this Halloween in Lahaina will be the Keiki Costume parade. In their thinking, Keiki’s dressed as ghosts and cowboys are far less culturally destructive than an adult wearing a similar costume. What the Commission seems to be ignoring is that with less outdoor activities, adults will be forced to spend more time in the various bars that will be holding costume contests. This will lead to more alcohol consumption and more arrests due to drunk driving and disorderly conduct. If they would continue to allow outdoor activities (where alcohol is forbidden), Lahaina is more likely to see order and cheerful behavior.

The nighttime excitement of Halloween is always positive. This atmosphere is conducive to family fun and the Aloha Spirit. Lahaina Town is famous for its gatherings through the centuries. Promoting Ohana and Aloha is the real historical significance that should be respected and upheld.

Even though the events will be trimmed down, Halloween in Lahaina, Maui will again thrive this year with vehicular traffic being traded for costumed foot traffic. Hopefully after the commission sees how their ill attempts and closing the event are ineffective, maybe they will bring back permits for the many fun activities that we’ve enjoyed for almost 2 decades.