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.All Trips / Hawaii / North America
The Valley Island of Maui: 3) Central, Upcountry and South Maui
The largest stretch of (relatively) flat land on Maui is the valley between the two volcanoes, Haleakala and the West Maui Mountains. This area is commonly called “Central Maui” and it’s here most locals live. “Upcountry Maui” refers to those communities that lie within a thousand meters or so of sea level on the lower slopes of Haleakala abutting Central Maui, an area that tends to be cooler and greener and that’s popular with cowboys and ranchers. “South Maui” refers to the stretch of coast on Haleakala’s southwestern rain-shadow, just south of Central Maui. South Maui is a very dry and popular tourist area with great beaches, upscale resorts and lots of golf.
Rainbow over sugar cane field, Central Maui
Besides its thousands of homes, Central Maui is mostly …
Tagged Aquarium, Hawaii, Maui, rainbow, sugar cane
.All Trips / Hawaii / North America
The Valley Island of Maui: 2) Haleakala National Park
Volcanoes never cease to fascinate me! Something about their massive size and primal earth shaping power appeals to my sense of curiosity and awe. So it’s not surprising that I find Haleakala to be Maui’s most interesting place to visit. There are no lodges or hotels in the park making it truly a day trip destination. It’s easily accessible and besides a massive crater and awe-inspiring views, offers the chance to see some rare species — namely the Nene (Hawaiian goose) and Silversword (silver-green cactus-like prickly plant).
Some background on Haleakala….
In Hawaiian, Haleakala means “House of the Sun” — a great name for a mountain that stretches to the heavens and dominates Maui’s landscapes! Haleakala National Park covers much of …
.All Trips / Hawaii / North America
The Valley Island of Maui: 1) Introduction and West Maui
There are few destinations that evoke more traveler’s fantasies than the Hawaiian islands; of these, Maui is thought by many as THE island to visit. I have a genuine fondness for the Big Island, one of my favorite travel destinations, but Maui certainly is in the same league. Most definitely worthy of your time and energy.
Hawaii is among the most remote places in the world, farther from any continent than most anywhere. As such, it always takes many hours of flying (or an incredibly long boat journey) to get there. For us it’s a six hour trip from Portland but it’s always a worthwhile trip. As our plane approaches Kahului Airport from the south — as do …
“Pic of the Week”. November 2, 2012 — Sunset, Hilo Bay, Big Island of Hawaii
John Steinbeck is one of my favorite writers. In his great book, Cannery Row, he devotes an entire chapter to the quality of light an hour before the sun sets — what he called, “the hour of the pearl”. This has become deeply embedded in my neural network and whenever possible I like to head out either just before sunset or just after sunrise to take photos because of the soft special quality of the light.
This remains one of my favorite sunset photos. The day was rainy and cloudy on the southeast side of the Big Island of Hawaii and I had low expectations for viewing a sunset. But with about 30 minutes left before dark, the clouds …
Nov 2, 2012
Comments Off on “Pic of the Week”. November 2, 2012 — Sunset, Hilo Bay, Big Island of Hawaii
.All Trips / Hawaii / North America
The Big Island of Hawaii (Part 4) Kohala & Saddle Road
My final blog post on the Big Island covers the driest (less than 10 inches of rain a year) and oldest parts of the island — the northwest and central regions.
The Kohala coast is a popular destination for tourists, with a string of resorts built beside beaches a half hour and more north of Kona. Many of the island’s best resorts and golf courses are located on this dry sunny lava plain. Most of my trips to the Big Island are centered around medical meetings which tend to be situated in Waikoloa so I’m most familiar with this part of the island. Because the Big Island is a fairly new piece of land, beaches are limited and the best beaches — Hapuna and Mauna Kea — are located …
Tagged Big Island, Hawaii, Kohala, Mauna Kea, Saddle Road, volcano
.All Trips / Hawaii / North America
The Big Island of Hawaii (Part 3) Kona & South Coast
Kona is the favored travel destination on the big island because its weather is nearly perfect, the temperature averaging 80 degrees F. As it’s in the island’s rain-shadow the climate is dry and not too windy. I like Kona because it’s home to the island’s only Costco, my favorite store (a great place to buy your gifts like macadamia nuts, quality Hawaiian shirts, etc) that also has the island’s lowest priced gas.
The main airport on the Big Island is Kona International; this most probably will be your port of arrival. At the airport you can visit the Ellison S. Onizuka Space Center, an educational facility dedicated to space exploration and a good …
Tagged Big Island, coffee plantation, Hawaii, Kona, Sunset
.All Trips / Hawaii / North America
The Big Island of Hawaii (Part 2) Hilo & Hamakua Coast
Hilo is tucked into the northeastern corner of the Big Island, on the slopes of Mauna Loa’s rainy side. And boy can it rain; the region gets up to 200 inches each year though (fortunately) much of the rain falls at night. It’s because of this moisture and the warm weather that this is the side of the island where you get to see great waterfalls set in thick lush tropical rain-forest.
Hilo is the largest town on the Big Island although its population is less than 50,000 — “small town” by most standards. Its history dates back to the sugar plantation days when it was a thriving center of commerce, and it has a charming historic …
Tagged Big Island, Hawaii, Hilo, Japanese Garden, rainforest
.All Trips / Hawaii / North America
The Big Island of Hawaii (Part 1) Volcanoes Park
There are many places in the world I wish everyone could visit. At the top of this list is Hawaii. It’s a great travel destination and for me retains its magic even after multiple visits. Hawaii — the name of the island chain and also it’s biggest island — is one of the most remote places in the world, thousands of miles from other major land masses. Still, hundreds of planes land on these islands each day and much of the island chain is “touristy”, though there’s still a “real Hawaii” to be found. For me the “real Hawaii” is not natives living in primitive conditions but rather in memorable natural beauty — mountains, rain-forest, lava flows, desert and beaches. …
