Eruption of Kilauea Volcano March 6/2011

If you haven't yet seen the fantastic video footage of the newest eruption of Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii I found some footage on YouTube to share.

According to an article on Big Island Video News, "volcanographer" Mick Kalber, was quick thinking enough to take a video of the eruption during a helicopter fly over, just before it was designated as a no fly zone.
Apparently between the Pu'u O'o Craters and the Napau Crater there are two eruptions (fissure and summit) happening at the same time.  
For me, it is an overwhelming experience to witness Mother Nature in her rawest state and it has given me a renewed respect for our planet.

Fun Fitness Class in Kihei Maui

"Travelin Pat" is back in Maui, and here is her take on our indoor aerobics class.

Zu Zu Zumba and More!!!!

Concentrating fiercely I stumble my way to the left. (Grapevine I think) Then, thankfully not crashing into the next person we quickly whip around to the right - step touch, step touch, step touch oh oh is there one more? Oops, sorry I mumble, then back at it hands on my hips, twirling around I stagger slightly but manage to find my way back to face the front. The instructor looks at me with arched eyebrows but smiles and sexily shakes her booty and informs us that it’s all about attitude.

The zumba / exercise class is as much about your mental fitness as it is about getting in shape. I read somewhere that in order to create new pathways in your brain you need to do stuff that you don’t normally do. So why not try this? It starts out with about a half an hour of aerobics then the Zumba dance fun starts. Geared to the 55 plus set, the classes are super fun, good for any level of fitness and budget happy 2 dollars. (Bargain city!)

Instructor Jini Hall has been teaching at the center for around 20 years and makes this hour a fun, happy, no stress workout. After class we all walk out with a great big smile!

Location
Kaunoa Seniors Center (in Kihei, Maui County)
On Lipoa Street ( adjacent to the aquatic center)

Tuesday:  9:30 – 10:30

Friday:  9:00 – 10:00

For more information call 808 270- 7308

The great thing is that if you stay at the Maui Garden House you can walk to aerobics, and get even more fit.

Sequel to Santa on Vacation in Maui

I know full well that Christmas is over and Santa is not really on people's minds right now, however meeting him on vacation in Maui kind of changed all that for me.

If you read the comments on the blog post Santa is on Vacation in Maui you will see what I mean. I thought that this one from his sister Rose was very telling.
"I get very teary eyed when Santa Joe tells me all the wonderful stories he has relating to children. He also becomes very emotional about his work, and although he is my brother, I believe he has become the true Santa."

It seems that when Santa Joe touches people's lives in any way, they just never forget him.

A woman named Cindy, left the following comment

"I truly loved your article on Santa Jo. Santa Jo and his wife are an exceptional couple whom have came to our house for the past 5 years for our annual Christmas party. He really does have a way with children not to mention adults. They are genuine and very special to everyone who meets them. So glad you came across his path."
Cindy emailed me a photo taken at one of those Christmas parties, and said I was welcome to share it with my readers. (see photo at top)

This made me think that if anyone else has a photo taken of or with Santa Joe, I would love to post it on this blog.
Also please leave a comment if you can tell us more about this remarkable jolly fellow and how he has touched your life.
It is so wonderful to know that the spirit of Christmas is around not just for a day, but for 365 days of the year because of this man!!!!

If you email us a photo of Santa Joe, or if you send us a story or comment about how this special man has touched your life we will offer you a discounted rate at our  Maui Garden House vacation condo between the dates of May 1 and Nov 1, 2011 subject to availability.

Beat of Hawaii - Find Cheap Flights to Hawaiian Islands

I recently came across a great website which was designed to help promote the Hawaiian Islands to visitors. 
"Beat of Hawaii" contains a wealth of information including Travel Tips, Industry News, Culture and Events. The thing that impressed me the most is that Jeff and Rob, the authors of the site, manage somehow to get what apprears to be inside information about fantastic deals on flights to Hawaii.
For example right now you can fly from California to Oahu or Maui for only $197 each way. Some of the deals even include a hotel. And, get this, I saw one from California to Maui for an unheard of $185 round trip. Certain travel dates apply to these specials but hey, if you are flexible it may be just the ticket for you.


The most exciting news for me as a Canadian is that West Jet has reached an agreement to operate a leased Boeing 757-200 for use on its non-stop service between Alberta and Hawaii. Many Canadians are already taking advantage of this trial run taking place from February through April 2011.

In this specail email that came out from Beat of Hawaii, they also state that "Vancouver B.C. plans to cut $20 million in annual aviation fuel taxes imposed on airlines, which should directly translate to lower fares from Canada's most important Hawaii travel port." I wonder if the unrest in Libya will change this plan. Hope not. The airport also plans a five-year incentive program to freeze landing and terminal fees at 2010 levels.

We are very aware of the huge number of Canadians that come to Maui each year. Where we are living in Maui it seems like every second person we meet is from Western Canada.

With the economy picking up and our Canadian dollar hovering around par, the numbers of Canadians visting the Hawaiian Islands are increasing daily.

According to the authors , "visitors from Canada are Beat of Hawaii's third largest source of website traffic, following only California and Hawaii."

As Arthur Frommer states, "If you're a fan of Hawaiian Islands, you'll want to rush quick to the "Beat of Hawaii"  I subscribed to their news letter for free so I can keep up to date on things happening in Hawaii. You may want to do the same.

Maui Vacation Rentals - Choose Kihei for your Maui Holiday

Today we are sharing a few of the many good reasons to choose Maui Vacation Rentals by owner in Kihei.

Kihei is located in South Maui and is popular for its fine beaches and a vacation rental for every budget. As you make your way down South Kihei Road there are many privately owned condos in great locations for your special Hawaii holiday. You can even get oceanfront properties in Kihei or nearby Wailea at affordable rates. There are also many family oriented rentals with green areas for your children to run and play on.

There are many great family friendly beaches in Kihei (some with life guards)  including Charley Young, Kamaole I, II and III, Sugar beach, and some smaller walking beaches.

Kihei has a wide choice of restaurants from fast food to fine dining and to suit every pocket book. The shopping areas in Kihei are not confined to one district and you can find craft fairs, farmer's markets, factory outlet stores, clothing stores, sports stores, Longs Drugs ( a great place to buy wine etc at fantastic prices) Hawaiian Moons health food store and many other interesting shops. The Piilani Village Centre has Safeway,Hilo Hatties, ABC Store, Dairy Queen and Starbucks, where incidentally I saw Santa the other day on vacation, enjoying a cup of coffee . No kidding. Read More.

Wailea is not far away with wonderful golf courses, the lovely Shops of Wailea and higher end condos. It is a treat just to drive through this lovely district and if you are located in a Kihei vacation rental it is not far.

There is a wonderful walk you can do if you park at Ulua Beach. The walkway takes you along the ocean in front of all the Wailea Hotels. If you feel like a special treat you may want to stop off at one of the hotels for a lovely buffet breakfast, but just remember you are paying not only for the wonderful food but also for the fantastic setting. Our favourite Happy Hour place in Wailea is Gannons on the Gold (golf) course. Experience fantastic sunsets from here, and suprisingly in such a classy place, drinks and pupus( appetizers) during happy hour are affordable for anyone.

All of these amenities combined make Kihei Vacation Rentals an excellent choice for your holiday in beautiful Hawaii.

Here are just some of the Maui condos that you can rent directly from the owner.

Maui Oasis Rental - Designer's two bedroom two bath vacation condo with lots of extra amenities. Close to beach, shopping, restaurants, parks etc. Great central location! Lovely tropical grounds with pool, hot tub and outdoor kitchen.

Maui Kihei Vacation Rental - The Maui Garden House is a two bedroom/2 bath vacation home nestled in a beautiful tropical garden setting overlooking the grounds and pool. Close to beach, shops, church, restaurants etc.

Maui Kihei Vacation Condo - Vacation in Paradise at our updated two bedroom, two bath condo located in a peaceful garden setting, just steps to the beach and close to shops and restaurants.

One Bedroom Kihei Vacation Condo - spacious and beautifully furnished condo in a great complex right across the road from well known Kamaole 3 beach. Free internet, two pools, tennis court and BBQs. Sleeps 4
Beachfront Vacation Condo - large one bedroom condo centrally located on Maui's sunshine coast of Kihei. Enjoy awesome sunsets from your own private lanai. Pool, hot tub, child's wading pool, BBQs, picnic areas, shuffleboard and a great ocean front setting. Sleeps 4

Oceanfront Vacation Rental - large one bedroom condo with ocean view. Close to shopping, restaurants, craft fair and many great Kihei beaches. Oceanfront property with pool, BBQs, shuffleboard and lovely grounds. Sleeps 4

Two Bedroom Ocean View Condo - wall to wall, ceiling to floor windows in the living room and master suite which open onto private lanais, offering views of the West Maui mountain and the ocean. Comfortably sleeps 7 people.

Maui Sun Fun - South Kihei Vacation Condo - spacious 2 bedroom/2 bath condo in great location. Pool View. Close to beach, shopping, restaurants.

Magnificent Beachfront Maui vacation rental condominium is located on the top floor of Mana Kai, Wailea,Maui.

Santa is on Vacation in Maui

The other day as I was walking along the sidewalk at the Piilani Village Shopping Centre minding my own business, I did a double take. There seated in front of Starbucks was none other than Santa Claus himself, having a cup of coffee and reading the Maui News.
As I approached him I noticed that the words written on his red T-shirt said "Yes I Am Him" Of course there was no mistaking it. He had the same white hair and beard, just the right length, and the glasses perched on his nose definitely belonged to Santa. He was dressed in a red T-shirt, red shorts and red flip flops. I mean really, what else would Santa wear in our tropical climate?

I decided to take matters into my own hands and have a word with the old boy so I said Hi and asked him if he was on vacation in Maui. He said he was, and that he has a daughter and spouse living here so he and Mrs. Claus were visiting them and the grandchildren. I was surprised because I guess it never occured to me that Santa may have children, not to mention a life other than delivering presents on Christmas Eve. He went on to tell me that he lived in Georgia when he wasn't at the North Pole, and he was under contract with the Ritz Carlton Hotels there and in other states. He also shared with me that he does a lot of work for charity which keeps him busy after the Christmas season is over. He doesn't have a website because he is already so busy, he would be afraid of getting an overload of work.

Needless to say Santa is a very nice person to chat with and I was very happy to hear about all the people he helps year round. I asked him if I could take his photo to send to my grandson and post on my blog. He was delighted and said "Of Course"

He gave me his business card which is actually a copy of his Georgia driver's licence. It describes him according to hair color, eye color, height, weight etc. but with a few different twists. For example his weight is "Jolly" and his birthday is "Dec 28 A.D". Also his license never expires and the class is 'Senior Open Sleigh" with a restriction for no more than 9 Reindeer. His profession is quite appropriately classified as Toy Donor. I believe he must hand this card to children because on the back is the "Kids for Character Pledge" which he has permission to use courtesy of Character Counts, a program billed as being the biggest character education program in the nation. Not a bad thing to advocate I thought. So, I became more and more impressed with this jolly fellow and the fantastic work he is does year round.

After our little chat I left for home, with my belief in Santa strongly reaffirmed. I have to say that I experienced a Magical Maui Moment Meeting Santa on His Vacation.

5 Good Reasons to Attend Kihei Deep Water Aerobics

The Water Aerobics Gang

You may remember a blog written two years ago about Sara Zander's water aerobics class at the Kihei Aquatic Centre. The class is still alive and well and now every session is in deep water. I love the class and would like to share my reasons for attending.

1. Sara Zander is a trained instructor and brings a lot of experience to the class. She always gives 3 levels of difficulty for each exercise and pays attention to each individual's special needs.

Sara demonstrating one of the exercises

2. Deep water aerobics is a complete body workout and Sara cleverly incorporates Yoga, Pilates, Aerobics and Stretch into each session. She also demonstrates each exercise to ensure we are doing it properly.

3. The class is lots of fun, and provides an opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. I personally have made tons of friends in this class.

Hope on right - Laura on left

4. The latest addition of music during the class makes it even more enjoyable and Sara's sense of humor with her asides and little jokes, are both delightful and contagious.

5. The time goes by so fast you don't even realize that you are getting in shape without the pain of other forms of exercise.

Sara on right - Sunny on left

If you want to get in shape the fun way, try out Sara's class and see what you think. Deep water aerobics are Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10:30 to 11:30 AM at the Kihei Aquatic Center on Lipoa Street in Central Maui (just before the highway). Cost is by donation. Both men and women are welcome. Locals, snowbirds and tourists attend the class so numbers and faces are ever-changing.

If Sara for some reason can't make a class, her vivacious side kick Sunny, is happy to take over and lead us through the exercises.

For more information about Sara and other things she is up to go to Sarafit's Blog.

If you stay at the Maui Garden House during your Maui vacation, The Kihei Community Pool is just a ten minute walk up the road.