Untrammeled Paradise: Maui, Hawaii
By: Joe Volz Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2004-11-11 18:00:00-05:00
The late 19th century literary giant, Mark Twain, creator of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, fell in love with a pristine paradise—Honolulu. He called it a "perfect jubilee" while the rest of the world, in his own acerbic view, was in decline.
If Twain returned to Honolulu today though, he would find high-rise hotels and apartment buildings sprouting on the sandy beaches and freeways pouring cars into clogged downtown streets. But there is still a chance to find an untrammeled paradise not so far away. It's a 30-minute plane ride from Honolulu to the island named after a Polynesian god called Maui.
Legend has it that the god Maui, enchanted with the South Pacific, asked the sun to slow down as it passed over the island. Well, the sun seems to have listened. Temperatures range from 62 to 70 in the winter and 80 to 88 in summer and the sun is a constant visitor. The god could not do much, though, about warming up Halekala, a 10,000-foot high dormant volcano on Maui. If you drive up the side of the volcano "so you can bike down it at breathtaking speed" you might want to bring a coat.
Most likely, you will spend more time in the warm sun at Kaanapali Beach, a trendy resort area of luxury hotels, 20 miles from a modern airport. Be sure, though, as you admire the sugary sand and the clear azure ocean, that you wear special rubber shoes for wading. The coral can cut your feet.
Capital of Windsurfing
Of course, surfing is popular through the South Pacific. Some of the waves on Maui's North Beach can climb two stories high. Windsurfing, though, has also become a big sport in recent years. In fact, Maui's long-time inhabitants are convinced that they live in the world capital of windsurfing. When you surf you lie down, or stand up, on a long flat board and ride the waves. Windsurfers have made their surfboards into sailboats. They stand up on the board holding onto the sail and sail around the ocean taking advantage of Maui's heady winds. For a long time, Maui was considered too windy for the early heavy windsurfing boats. But manufacturers have lightened the board by using new materials and chopping four feet off the back. Novices can learn the basics in a few hours at windsurfing schools on the beach.
Down to the Sea in Whalers
You may want to drive over to Lahaina, the old whaling town that figured in James Michener's bestseller, "Hawaii." But one word of caution. Make sure to keep your car on the paved roads. There are many unpaved roads that transverse volcanic rock. I learned the hard way that it is not a good idea to drive on that terrain. The sharp stone cut my tires beyond repair.
Tiny Front Street along Lahaina's oceanfront offers an abundance of shops and restaurants. The town looks much like it must have seemed in the heyday of whaling a century or two ago when the sailing ships went off in search of the great whales. You expect to run into peg legged Captain Ahab of "Moby Dick" any second.
The star of the area is the fleet of humpback whales that regularly swim in the Pacific. On some days, you can actually see the whales cavorting off shore as you walk down the least populated part of Front Street.
Watching the Whales
An even better way to watch the whales leaping 30 feet out of the water is to take a boat out to sea a couple of miles. Guided tours on catamarans sail regularly right from Kaanapali Beach. The day I went out, we saw 10 huge whales literally leaping out of the water. But whales are an endangered species these days. Boats must stay at least 100 yards away from them. So if you want to take pictures, make sure you have a telephoto lens.
Costs are in Sight, too
Once you pay the airfare and check into your hotel, you will find a number of bargains in paradise. Anyone who anticipates shopping or dining should grab one of the abundant free booklets distributed at hotels and car rental agencies listing discounts of up to 25 percent. It seems that paying full price for most items or services is a rare occurrence. Gas prices, however, are appreciably higher than on the mainland.
The Ultimate Feast
Don't miss going to at least one luau, the main course of which is a whole pig cooked in a pit. After dinner, which takes an hour or two, Polynesian women perform their famous undulating dances.
Maui Visitors Bureau Website
For full details on how to get there and what to do, visit www.visitmaui.com.
Books
Find these books online at www.BarnesandNoble.com.
Maui Revealed
By Andrew Dougherty and Harriet Friedman, Wizard Publications, Inc., July 2000
Fodor's Maui and Lanai 2002
Fodor's, Random House, Inc., November 2001
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