November 2007 Trip to Maui and Oahu

An anniversary celebration took DeNeise and I to Maui (no ka oi) in November, 2007. We started with two days in Ka'anapali, then drove the northwest coast and the road to Hana. Hana is definitely heavenly – we have both decided we would love to live here if ever we get rich, at least part time. I figured we could split time every year to spend about half here and half in Utah to be near the kids and grandkids. It’s just a dream, but it’s nice to have a dream. Seriously though, I could really enjoy living here because it is so isolated from the regular, busy world; its tropical beauty and climate are just what I love, and the beautiful places to see and things to do. I love Hana, I love Maui and I love Hawaii. Aaahhh…. dream on.

We drove up the northwest coast of Maui and stopped a while at the Olivine Pools. I had always wanted to go there since hearing about it. It’s a bunch of little lava tide pools near the crashing waves on the shore. It is somewhat similar to Queen’s Bath on Kauai, and although I liked Queen’s Bath better – it was bigger – this was a fun spot to climb around the lava rocks and big waves, and then jump in the pool and swim with fish. As I stood on a ledge in the pool, several little multi-colored fish swam around and behind my legs. It was cool. DeNeise waited on top and read, since again, the trail was steep and rough, as I can attest to with a few cuts on my big toe (open-toed sandals).


I arose early our first morning in Hana, just before sunrise. I walked down the street to where I thought the trail access was to the Waioka (Venus) Pool, and found my way to some beautiful spots. The Waioka Pool is quite pretty, though not as serene as the guidebook described it. The pool which as supposed to be separated from the ocean by a rocky beach was really just an extended cove for ocean waves. From there, I went out to a point above some volcanic rocks meeting the splashing waves. For 4 mornings, this became a favorite spot for me to sit on a rounded rock and watch the sunrise. I dubbed the rock “my rock”, and it was a place for experiencing nature’s wonders, praying and spiritual contemplation.

From there, I decided to explore a little more, blazing through tall grass. I found another place that is one of my favorites – a pretty black sand beach in a cove surrounded by steep cliffs. At first, it seemed like there would be no access, but I found a very steep trail that was assisted by a long, thick rope. So I rappelled down to a very lovely beach, which I had all to myself. Finding places like this are what I really love about being in Hawaii. I named it Waioka Black Sand Beach.


The Pools at Oheo was a top priority place in Hana- and rightfully so. We spent a few hours there, enjoying the water and the sun. I jumped off cliffs, climbed over rocks and up a waterfall, and DeNeise and I swam in the pools. We didn’t want to get out!


On the road to Hana we stopped at the Wailua overlook and then drove into the town. This has been a favorite place for DeNeise – our last trip here she sensed something special about the place. She was videotaped to say that she was going to stay and that Mom and Dad would have to raise the kids. The town has a pretty little white church, built in the 1860s out of sea coral. We stopped there and found another brown church next to it. Inside, a nice older lady was there cleaning the church, and she told us about the church and the town. It was a nice antidote to the sign we read when coming in to town, which said, “If you don’t live here, you don’t belong here.” Still, it’s understandable why the villagers don’t want a lot of noise, traffic and influence into their peaceful village.


One morning, after watching the sunrise, I went to hike the Pipiwai Trail above the Oheo Pools. It’s a beautiful 2 mile hike that ends at a 400-foot waterfall. On the way I saw 10 waterfalls, walked through a thick dark bamboo forest, which clicked, rustled and whistled in the wind, and found a great spot above the Makahiku Falls – the cliff rocks by what is known as the Infinity Pool. It was beautiful, awesome and heavenly. I soaked in the sun and dipped in the pool for about 45 minutes. I could have stayed much longer. It’s one of those special “aaahh” places engraven in my mind and heart which ranks with other great Hawaiian places I’ve been to (See My Favorite Places in Hawaii on the side bar).

Exploring the Hana Coast area, we stopped to enjoy a picnic lunch and water at the beautiful setting of Waianapapa State Park on the black sand beach. The Keanae peninsula is another nice stop where we bought some banana bread and ice cream and watched the waves crash against the black volcanic rocks. We also drove down Kahiku Road which is lush and pretty, ending in another beautiful view spot for the ocean and rocks. On the road we found a stand selling tropical flowers and leis for amazingly low prices. For $5 we bought a large bouquet of tropical plants and flowers that could sell on the mainland for $75-$100, and a pretty ginger lei for only $3. DeNeise wore the lei that night for our anniversary dinner at the Ka'uiki Restaurant at the Hotel Hana Maui, which included Polynesian dancers.

We spent an afternoon at Hamoa Beach, a very pretty little beach that author Mark Twain once called "the most beautiful beach in the world". Leaving Hana was hard. Five glorious days in this area was heaven.

Before heading home, we were able to spend a couple of days with DeNeise's brother and family on Oahu. We visited several nice places on the east and north shores of Oahu, and ended the trip with the night show at the Polynesian Cultural Center - always a great show.