Maui Festivals and Events Happening in June

If you decide to take your Maui vacation in June, there are quite a few great festivals and events going on this month.

Saturday June 4 - 5:30 - 8:30 PM - Fundraiser for Friends of Moku'ula

On Saturday June 4th the Old Lahaina Luau will hold a fundraiser for the Friends of Moku'ula. If you attend this benefit, proceeds will go to aid in the perservation and excavation of Moku'ula, one of Hawaii's most significant archaological site.
Maui's Old Lahaina Luau, includes a fantastic buffet, open bar and incredible entertainment. It is billed as the Best Luau on Maui.

Friday June 9 - June 12 - 30th Annual Kapalua Wine and Food Festival - Ritz-Carlton Kapalua

This wine lover's festival is kicked off by Sniff! Swish! Sip! on June 9 from 10 AM to 1 PM. This introductory class will be given by master sommeliers as they explore the great winegrowing regions of the world. The festival will feature tasting, pairings, lectures, receptions and more. During the Sunday finale of the event, Maui No Ka 'Oi Magazine will host the Seafood Festival and present its Best of Fest Award to one outstanding restaurant.

Wednesday June 15 - June 19 - Maui Film Festival at Wailea

On the opening night there will be a Twilight Reception at Capische restaurant in the Hotel Wailea. After pu pus and cocktails, the Festival will pay tribute to Megan Fox and Jack McCoy, director of the opening night film "A Deeper Shade of Blue" The various films during the 5 day festival will be held throughtout Wailea Resort as well as the Maui Arts and Cultural Center. For more info click here

June 25 - 10 AM - 3 PM - Mesore! Maui Okinawan Festival

The Maui Okinawan Festival is presented by Maui's Okinawan community and features music dance, taiko and sanshin, martial arts deomonstrations as well as traditional Okinawan food, crafts and artifacts. Free Admission. FYI Okinawa is one of Japan's southern prefectures.

Make the Maui Garden House your base for taking in the June Festivals and Events in Maui.

West Jet Seat Sale - Vancouver to Honolulu C$159 each Way

Just heard about an awesome deal on cheap flights to Hawaii. West Jet is offering an amazing fare of only C$159  each way between Vancouver and Honolulu which translates to C$422 return all taxes in. Apparently this special is going to be offered May thru June 22 and then mid Sept thru early December.

In case you didn't know the Spring and Fall are great times to travel to Hawaii. By then you are out of the rainy season, flowers are blooming and the reefs are crystal clear for optimum snorkeling and diving opportunities.  Another very good reason to travel to Hawaii in the off season is that most owners of Hawaii vacation rentals offer fantastic rates during these times so it is definitely the best time to get an affordable vacation in the tropics.
So what are you waiting for? Call up West Jet today to book your flight and then find an affordable condo to rent directly from an owner. Oh and don't forget that you can easily access the other Hawaiian islands from Honolulu if you like to hop around a bit.

Cycling Around West Maui - The West Maui Loop

Today our article is by guest writer, our son in law, Chad.  He agreed to share some of their Maui adventures with us while using our Maui Garden House in Kihei as their base. Tammy and Chad are triathletes so cycling around West Maui was a challenge they couldn't resist. Read on.

Lobster boy and Cervelo Girl Tackle West Maui

I should point out the title of the post indicates my nickname for the trip. Yesterday we spent 2 1/2 hours at Polo Beach in South Maui. It is a beautiful shallow, sandy beach with very clear water. Not great for snorkeling but it was fantastic for doing some body surfing. Tammy knows very well that I am a water baby and when I see water I am in it until I get called that it is time to go (I don't think I'll ever grow up).

I spent 2 hours and 25 minutes in the water with what I thought was a waterproof sunscreen. Turns out the sunscreen wore off fast with all the surf and playing in the waves. I now have a very red back and triceps. Hence the name "Lobster boy".

After all the playing in the waves we made a choice to get up early and ride around West Maui. We heard that it is very beautiful and low in traffic (in certain areas). We mapped it out and saw that it was 110km from the front of our door in Kihei. Kinda a big ride, but we were confident that we were capable. We started early to avoid the heat of the day.

The ride through to Lahaina was fast and flat, the ride started to go up shortly after Napili. The road narrowed and became 18% for what felt like a lifetime (really only a minute).

The ride was crazy awesome, with us cycling on what seemed to be a semi-paved goat trail barely wide enough for a car. We were extremely low on fluids then suddenly the city of Wailuku appears and we stopped for some much deserved Dr.Pepper and water. Finally with the trade winds at our back we ripped down towards Ma'alaea only to make a wrong turn on a state highway. We quickly realized our (my) blunder and U-turned back to Kihei.
Now after a shower and some pool time I feel better, but that was a shattering ride. Tonight we might devour enough food for a family of six.

Thankyou Chad for sharing your this adventure with us.  Read about more Tammy and Chad Adventures. Consider making the Maui Garden House your base for a Maui Vacation in Paradise.

Hiking in Maui on the Kapalua Resort Trails

We had heard about the hiking trails over at the Kapalua Resort in West Maui and were determined that before returning home to Canada we would experience what my hiker friend calls, the most awesome hike she has ever been on! She had told me that it was just like being in Jurassic Park.

Belle and Gordon were enthusiastic about the idea so we all piled in Gordon’s silver caddie, and drove to the Kapalua Adventure Center where we had to catch a free shuttle to the trail start.

The ride took us through a beautiful private residential neighborhood, with pricey, extravagant homes and sweeping views through the golf course and down to the ocean. The streets on either side were lined with Cook Pines from Australia, apparently brought over so that sailors would have replacement wood in case a ship mast needed repairing. In about 10 minutes we reached the trail head and we were on our own to explore the trails.

Years ago, back in the 1920s this area was all part of the Honolua Ranch and the plantation manager was a man named D.T. Fleming. You may have heard of the popular Kapalua beach that was named after him. Fleming was a man with vision and took it upon himself to search the world for various plants and trees that would flourish in Maui’s tropical environment. As a result the Maunalei Arboretum was born, with the plantings encircling the mountain top like a lei.

We were armed with a map and the trails were safe and well marked, so we made our way upward into an amazing jungle setting of vines, ferns, gigantic trees, and plants both familiar and unique.

Belle, who used to own a flower shop, pointed out a bird’s nest fern, so named because of its resemblance to a bird’s nest. Most of the trees had identifying plaques and came from faraway places such as India, New Zealand and Australia.

Some of the most impressive were the huge Rubber tree from India, a New Zealand Kauri tree, the Hoop Pine from Eastern Australia and a Banyan tree forest with ginormous specimens.

A giant plant that looked like a banana tree turned out to be something called a Traveler's Palm.

There were loops you could take which always brought you back to the main Honolua Ridge trail and once we had made our way up to the summit we were treated with an awesome view of the Pu’ukukui Watershed Preserve, a rainforest area and one of the wettest places on the planet.

From here people had a choice to do an additional six mile hike down which would take them back to the resort center. We decided to walk back the same way we had come, do a few loops and take the shuttle back to the resort.

Once back at the resort we were hungry from our adventure so enjoyed a nice lunch in the deli/restaurant. Another great place for a nearby lunch is the popular Honolua Store, a historic area landmark, where they have a full service Expresso Bar and Deli offering breakfast and lunch.

One the way home we all agreed, that the hike was amazing and we are so proud that Maui has its very own Jurassic Park, thanks to the hard work of D.T. Fleming some 80 years ago. We will definitely tell our friends about this unique Maui activitiy, and we'll be back next year to experience it again.

Kapalua Resort also offers zipline tours and is home to some great beaches and a fantastic walkway along the ocean. For more information visit their website at Kapalua Resort Adventure Center.

You may want to consider staying in a vacation rental on the west side of Maui so you will be closer to these great activities. Try Ideal Vacation Rentals for some lovely condos in the area and the rest of Maui.

2 for 1 Maui Whale Watch with Boss Frog

Ever since we arrived on Maui we have noticed a big banner on the lawn of the Kihei Longs Centre. The sign says “Boss Frog’s Dive and Surf 2 for 1 whale watch. $29.95 for 2 people” We thought we would give it a try, so signed up with friends Belle, Gordon and Debbie for the 1:30 adventure. Our destination was slip 87 in Maalaea Harbour and on arrival we lined up to sign in and wait to board the vessel. Luckily for us, Marine Naturalist Katie Grove-Velasquez was on hand to tell us all about the wonderful animals we were about to see face to face. She started by telling us that whales have been her passion for the last 18 years, and it turns out that she is extremely knowledgeable on the subject. As a retired teacher I was very impressed with her presentation which included photographs, examples of real whale teeth and baleen, and a wealth of information about whales. If you haven’t already you may want to read the post Humpback Whales of Maui.

Once on board Frogman II we were introduced to Captain Ed and his crew Adam and Andrea.

Captain Ed gave us safety instructions and a heads up about the “heads”, which differ from other toilets in that you can’t throw any paper products etc. into them. He nicely volunteered crew member Andrea to fix the problem if anyone should forget. I think she preferred her other job as bar tender and assisting the passengers as needed.

Finally we left the harbor and headed out to find whales. The captain had already been tipped off by another boat, about some activity going on at a certain location. As we approached we had to stop 100 yards away from the pod, as required by Hawaii state law. Suddenly Katie called out that we had been “Mugged on Maui”, which means that the whales had decided to swim very close to our boat. This meant that we were held hostage until they decided to leave and I didn’t hear anyone complain. It turned out that the pod consisted of at least 2 male animals who were pursuing a female, so they were in angry competition.

Needless to say it was very exciting and we had front row seats to watch a breach, tail slapping, and other mating activity. I guess in whale land the females are larger than the males and they rule, so it is one big fight to see which lucky suitor will win her hand and swim away to the deep to do their thing.

Belle managed to take these awesome photos of a breach, and fluke going down.   Thankyou Belle!!!!

Finally the whales decided it was time to leave, and since some of their activity took place under water, Katie said that it was unsure if one of the male whales had won or if they were still going to continue the competition elsewhere.

On the way back to Maalaea we had another treat watching a baby whale learning to breach with Mom close at hand.

Once back in the harbor, Katie had yet more goodies up her sleeve, and she laid out some handouts about whales for us to take home. There was also an interesting specimen of a coronula barnacle which had been taken off a deceased humpback whale.

I would rate this whale watch very high for three reasons. Firstly the captain was very skilled and we felt confident in his hands. Secondly the crew was fun, helpful and very friendly. Thirdly having a qualified naturalist on board, giving a running commentary of everything we were seeing, made the adventure so much more meaningful than past whale watches we have been on. Oh and I forgot to add that $29.95 for 2 people is a steal for such a memorable afternoon!!!! You can find more information at the Boss Frog Website.

Katie has been the Marine Naturalist on various whale watching vessels around Maui. Her fascination of whales also takes her to Prince Rupert and Alaska to watch and study the Hawaiian Humpback whales in their feeding grounds. We feel that Boss Frog’s is very fortunate to have her on their vessels to share her expertise with Maui visitors. Katie also confessed that she is a children’s author and is now writing a series of books centering around marine life with stories that offer life lessons while imparting true facts about the ocean and its creatures.

Why not stay in a Kihei vacation rental, and you won’t have far to go to slip 87 in Maalaea Harbor to catch Boss Frog’s 2 for 1.

Maui Day Trip to Haleakala

The day we decided to drive up to Haleakala was one of those perfect Maui days with clear blue skies and perfect wind conditions.
On the way, we drove through Kula on the Old Haleakala Highway and marvelled at the green lush fields which are such a contrast to the ocean side property where we are staying. It wasn't hard to picture in our minds the paniolos (Hawaiian cowboys) rounding up their herds or checking their fences in this wonderful up-country place.

As we made our accent up the curvy narrow road, the terrain changed again to brush and lava rock, reminiscent of the eruption of the volcano, so long ago. When we stopped the car to enjoy the breathtaking view down towards the ocean and city, it was chilly and we were grateful that we had brought along some warm clothing.

We found out that it was wise to go pretty slowly along the windy road, as we met vehicles, bikers and even large buses heading back down. When we arrived at the entrance to Haleakala State Park we had to pay a $10 fee which is a seven day pass to the park. That means if you go to Hana within 7 days, your pass will get you into the seven pools which are also part of the state park on the other side of the mountain. We finally got to the visitors centre and mistakenly thought we were almost there. It turns out that there are quite a few hiking trails before and at the summit, if it is your bag to explore some of the flora and fauna of the area. There are also Wilderness Area Hikes, and even overnight camping if you get a permit

It seemed to take forever but finally we neared the summit and huge parking lot. If we thought it was a bit chilly when we stopped on the way, it was freezing now. It probably felt even colder to us because we had been living in 85 degree weather after escaping winter in Canada.

So with chattering teeth we made our way to the look out, with spectacular views of the crater and informative signs. After taking lots of photos we made our way to the very top where there are even more views on the opposite side down towards Kihei. Here there are also some of the silversword plants which are indigenous to this altitude. Hoping to get a glimpse of the rare Nene bird which is the Hawaii state bird, we saw instead an interesting bird which we found out was a Chukar Partridge, introduced to the US from its native Pakistan.
It was no wonder that we felt the cold, because the altitude at the summit of Mount Haleakala is 10,023 feet

There are some great hikes into the crater, if you are dressed warmly, and also you can take a horse trail ride if you are game. Another fun thing to try is the bike down Haleakala, which is offered by several local companies. My daughter and husband are coming to Maui in May and plan to ride up the mountain. They are triathletes so maybe they won't have any problem. I personally couldn't even begin to imagine biking up hill for such a long way, but hey "each to his own" I say. After we had shivered enough we got back in the car and made our way downhill to Paia where we stopped for a great lunch at Charlie's before returned home to Kihei.

A trip to Haleakala is definitely a worthwhile day trip on your Maui vacation.  For more information go to the website of  Haleakala State Park.

Be sure to make your base at one of the many Maui Vacation Rentals on the island.

Paddling with the Maui Canoe Club

As a dragon boater when back home in Canada, I was eager to experience Outrigger Canoeing here on Maui so was excited when our friends Gord and Joyce invited me to go with them early one morning. They had received inside information that The Maui Canoe Club, was offering a Provisional Membership for a 1/2 hour paddle, in exchange for a donation to the Food Bank. Not needing any more encouragement I grabbed some tins of food and headed for Sugar Beach, the new home of the club.

First we were required to sign a waver, exempting the Canoe Club of any responsibility for our adventure.
Shel, a long time canoe club member, then gave all the newcomers a quick lesson on how to get in and out of the canoe without tipping it, as well as paddling technique and how to respond to commands.
Each of the seven canoes had a captain/steersperson and around 3 canoe club members, while us provisional members were invited to fill in where there was space. Phil was our captain, and he was the kind of person who inspires confidence in first time paddlers with a few helpful hints and words of encouragement.
It was time to go, so we took our positions beside our assigned seat and waited for the command to push off into the water. I was surprised how easy it was to enter the canoe, sitting on the side, legs swinging over and into my seat. I picked up my paddle and was ready for action. The first command was 'Ho'omakaukau' (ready your paddles). 'Hoe hapi' (paddles up) was the seond command and the third command was 'Imua' (push forward). Because I didn't understand these Hawaiian words, I just had to play a game of "monkey see, monkey do" for the time being.

Unlike Dragon Boating which has a crew of 22 seated in pairs, the Hawaiian Outrigger has a crew of 6 in single file seats including the captain who sits in Seat 6 as the steers person.
The person in Seat 1 at the front is called the stroker as in Dragon Boating, and sets the pace for the rest of the crew to follow. Seat 3 is typically the caller who yells out commands for changing sides.  Thankful for Shel's brief lesson I knew that "Hut Ho" means that on hut you prepare to change and on Ho you make the transition and paddle on the other side. I was in Seat 4 and was told that I had a special job to do whenever we stopped paddling for whale watching, turtle viewing or just to rest. I had to sit on one of the beams (called the 'lako') that support the outrigger or 'ama' part of the canoe. Also in rough waters it the job of the person in Seat 4 to keep an eye on the 'lako' and steady it if necessary. This is to ensure that the canoe won't flip over, so not really prepared for an unexpected swim I was happy to comply.

At one point someone thought they spotted some manta rays but it was a false alarm. We sat and rested anyway, enjoying being out on a calm ocean, hoping to spot a whale. Finally it was time to head back so it was "paddles up" "hut ho" and we were slicing through the ocean towards the beach. Coming in was timing and turning so we could back the canoe up onto the shore. This time, once I was back on the sand, my job was to hold up the 'lako' so it didn't drag. Outrigger conoeing etiquette, requires that each crew member does his share with "Kuleana", a Hawaiian word meaning "one's personal sense of responsibility." I thoroughly enjoyed my morning paddle and went away wanting to know much more about this sport and the fascinationg history and culture that is still so much a part of Hawaiian Outrigger Canoeing today.

For more information about the Maui Canoe Club visit their website.