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About 'kaanapali beach hotel'|Where is Lanikai Beach?
Link to Part 1: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1012008/first_hand_travel_guide_to_maui.html?cat=16 Nakalele Blowhole My husband Z and I find the parking area and hike down a wide dirt road, quickly reaching a footpath that winds along the shore. As we stare down, we can see black cliffs and turquoise water with white caps madly burgeoning. We glimpse a turtle swimming and bobbing in the turbulent waters far below. We continue parallel to the ocean and across rocky terrain and, after a short hike, we reach the blowhole. Rather than approach it, we opt to stay and view it from a slight distance above. Every few minutes, water jettisons in the air, and then there is a pause. An opening in the lava cliff reveals a view of the surf where the edge of the cliff meets the deep water. A young man and woman approach the blowhole, waiting for the water to spurt up. We wonder if there is any danger of the blowhole or the waves sweeping the couple away, and we watch with intense interest. The couple approaches a little closer...the blowhole explodes with water...the water is sucked violently back down....the young man approaches a little more...his girlfriend follows. A moment goes by, then another, while the young man moves closer and closer to the edge of the blowhole, and the woman is right behind him. Another group with children, emboldened by the couple's confident adventurousness, mill about, some creeping near to the blowhole's edge. Then, pow! the water explodes up in a grandiose display. Spray soaks the young man as he rapidly backs away. Happily, he is not as close as it appeared he was from our vantage point. Honolua - Mokule'ia Bay Once we have had our fill of the blowhole, we hike back to the car and drive past the magnificent landscape once again, looking for access to the shoreline. We find Honolua - Mokule'ia Bay, a small secluded beach which we enter via a steep stone stairway. A sign tells us that it is a marine protected area, which usually means for us snorkelers that it is rich with fish life and coral. Once we've settled our towels and things on the sand, I test the waters. I find myself slipping into the warmest water I've experienced on Maui. The beach on Mokule'ia Bay is a tiny cove nestled into a cliff and has a cozy communal feel. As people in the water talk to each other, their voices echo against the cliff. I am bathed in the pleasant murmur of conversation without being overwhelmed by noise or hearing the stridence of individual voices. On the beach, a David Beckham look-alike with a chiseled torso and red bathing suit dries himself off. Z is ready to head off with his snorkeling mask, so I decide to explore the wonderland of tidepools off to my right. I pleasantly while away a great deal of time hopping from rock to rock and exploring the myriad pools and rock formations. Many of the pools are big enough to dip oneself into, and I linger at a few of these. I eventually come across a rock formation that resembles a natural chair. I sit on the flat part of the "chair," and the waves wash over my lap. Back on the beach, I find Z. He excitedly tells me that the snorkeling is excellent - lots of fish! And, to top it off, he swam underwater with a turtle! In the bright sunlight, we shade our eyes to peer at the underwater photos he just took (see the last page of this article for the link to the slideshow). He even got video of the turtle gliding meditatively through the pristine water, front flipper moving slowly and rhythmically up and down, up and down. We eat our picnic lunch and sun for a while. On the way back, I hang my head out the car window and look up. The cloud formation looks like a whale's tale. For a good stretch of road, we are level with the sea, which is a few feet away from the road. I breathe in the fresh marine air and stare at the expanse of vast, tranquil ocean. We arrive home and realize it is almost six p.m. How fast the day went by! * * * Yoga & Snorkeling This morning, I look out on the patio and see a twitch of an ear. Alex, or Alexander the Great, as I have decided to call our resident stray cat, is sleeping under the deck chair. I go out and give him a pet. He turns his enchanting green eyes up to me and purrs. He likes being petted now, although he's still cautious. His body seems to be filling out. Z's plan to "fatten him up" is working. I am going to a yoga class this morning, looking forward to the pleasant exertion of stretching and strengthening my body. The class is given at the Mana Kai Maui Resort. This is my first time here, and I find the location and approach the entrance. The resort is a hi-rise condominium complex located directly next to the shoreline. Two women introduce themselves to me and are asking me questions, and I am getting flustered, wondering where do I pay, and which one is the teacher. Then I see a third woman standing near the door, greeting students. Her black hair is pulled into a tight bun. She is wearing a black leotard, and her face and eyes radiate kindness. I say hello and ask her for her name. "Deni," she says. Her posture is disciplined but relaxed and grounded, and her eyes reveal she is empathetic and perceptive enough to pick up on my nervousness. I feel better. Class starts with a breathing/meditation exercise, then we begin to move and stretch. During a standing forward bend, with my face to my knees, I notice with gentle surprise that the cut on my shin has all but healed. Being in and out of Maui ocean water has been good for me. The cut would have taken twice as long to heal at home. As Deni talks us into poses, she provides a wealth of instruction on body adjustments, yoga history and pose variations for those (like me) who need it. She circulates around the room, assisting many of the students individually and works with me several times, encouraging me and helping me get deeper into the poses. At the end of class, my body feels engaged and deeply relaxed. The other students and I extend our respectful farewell to Deni and put our props away. Then, I walk out the door of the basement yoga studio and contemplate the ocean in front of me. The waves seem to be beckoning to me. A school of thimble-sized fish darts about in the aquamarine water at my feet. I can't resist shedding my t-shirt and shorts and wading in for a quick dip. The transparency of the water and the rocky area jutting out promise good snorkeling, so I leave to find Z and entice him back with tantalizing but vague remarks about this wonderful beach he "just has" to see. He takes the bait, and we head back to the beach in front of the Mana Kai, this time with snorkel masks. Once we get into the water, we head out toward the rock formations, which turn out to be made of coral and lava. I am amazed at the pristine clarity of the water. I can see fish and coral - white, pink, orange - for 20 feet down. As I swim, I realize I am making my way around a huge coral ledge that extends several hundred feet out from the rocky shoreline. It is like an underwater cliff, and it invites diving down to explore at close range. At one point, an opening forms a sort of small underwater canyon with reefs to each side. I dive down and follow the fish through this crevice until I have to turn around and come up for air. Sun streams through the water. Tea-cup sized puffer fish, black with dainty white polka dots, pause to nibble at the coral and then float away. The white sand on the ocean floor stretches as far as the eye can see. I see more kinds of fish than I can describe - all sizes, all colors. Among the menagerie are yellow tang, long cylindrical blue trumpet fish, '"Nemo"-type orange and white clownfish. As I swim, I feel the ebb and flow of warm water currents. I take my time exploring coral cliffs, canyons and crevices, careful not to stay too close to the reef. The waters are fairly calm, but I am not as strong a swimmer as Z, nor as experienced in ocean conditions. He knows how to read the surf and has helped me out of a few dicey situations. He also equips us with good gear - reef shoes, US Diver masks, anti-fog solution. Now, as I'm floating above the surface, I watch a school of reef triggerfish. They have neutral-colored bodies decorated with wide bands of black across their bellies and tiny accents of electric blue on their heads. The Hawaiians have a long name for this species, which is the state fish of Hawaii: Humuhumu nukunuku apua'a. I see an eel undulate towards a crevice in the lava, then it is gone. Z will be jealous: he hasn't seen one yet. In our experience, eel sightings are more infrequent than spotting other forms of marine life. However, according to the Maui Ocean Center, there are 38 species of Moray eels in the waters off the Hawaiian islands. We are now ready to head back to shore and rest. As we exit the water, I turn to Z and say, "As clear as a swimming pool, eh?" He agrees. We are both continually amazed at how each time we go to Maui, we discover beaches, some well known, some hidden, like little gems that hide modestly in plain sight. We stretch out on the sand and soak up the warm bright sun for a while and then decide to explore the beach side of the lava outcropping. It is only when we walk over to the lava that we realize there are tide pools, lots of them. Tiny crabs, snails and fish zip elusively from pool to pool, allowing themselves to be washed in and out with the current. Z rock-hops out to a particularly large pool and finds a clearing where he can sit down without disturbing any coral or other creatures. I join him, and we watch the crystalline waves break and subside against the lava a few feet from us. It's kind of like having a natural flat-screen t.v., except it's 3-D. Z decides he wants to sun some more, and I walk over to Zack's at the Mana Kai resort, a worthwhile effort, as it turned out that besides their ample deli and snack selection, they also have a couple of aisles of gifts and souvenirs with fairly reasonable prices. For 10 or 15 minutes, I happily browse as I listen to two cashiers banter with their customers. One of the cashiers, a dark-haired woman, performs her duties with relaxed friendliness, calling all her clients "hon." I pick out some earrings and a hibiscus-shaped hairpin for my niece. At the register when I pay for my treasures, the warm-hearted cashier extends the same pleasant salutation to me. Turtles, turtles everywhere! We are getting closer to the end of our stay in Maui, but Z has organized one more adventure. He's reserved a double kayak so we can explore and snorkel Makena bay. We rise early today and quickly check the patio for Alex. He has left us a small pile of feathers and fluff. I am encouraged to know he has hunting skills, although I shudder to think of the poor francolin chick who met its end at Alexander the Great's claws. We pour some milk in the ramekin, and his ears prick forward. I love the way he sticks his tongue out over and over as he laps the milk, but this morning there is no time to linger. We arrive promptly, 7 am, at Makena and meet the guys from South Pacific Kayak, one of whom gives us a brief refresher course / pep talk on how to get the boat in and out of the water (get out of the surf quickly!), how to sit in the boat (with an athletic bend to the knee), and how to get our bodies in and out of the kayak (both feet at a time). He tells us the best way to go so that the wind will help us back in to the landing cove. Then we are on our way. The surf is miniscule this early in the morning, so we both get in the kayak without incident. The paddling is easy. The slight resistance of the oars in the water gives me a nice feeling of gentle tension across my chest, shoulders and back. We traverse a series of several small bays where the water is so clear we can see its depth, which range from 9 to 20 feet deep. We approach what I am guessing is Makena Beach, a very popular tourist spot with a long stretch of white sand in front of a large hotel complex. For the moment, on this quiet morning, it is deserted. Not a soul out there. Z suddenly says, "I see turtles at 1 o'clock." I search the water and don't immediately see them, until, yes, a head bobs in and out of the water. Then I see the dome of a turtle's shell emerge, then its flipper. Then, the dome of another turtle's shell reveals itself. The ocean currents bring us closer for a moment, and I can clearly see the turtle's beak , the profile of its face, and one wise eye. We continue paddling until, moments later, my husband (who apparently has a talent for spotting these sometimes elusive creatures) says, "there's one - right ahead of us!" This one is a large creature with a back as wide as a heavy-set man. It swims towards us, quite close, and then descends with a graceful dive into deeper waters. We keep going and see an ocean canoe in a stationary position near a group of five or six snorkelers. We decide to approach them, and Z slides off the kayak and snorkels away. He doesn't get far from the boat when he shouts with joyous excitement, "turtles - look! Look!" Sure enough, I see two turtles surfacing near him, their fins making small water splashes as they swim leisurely in his direction. These creatures appear to be as curious about us as we are about them. Z dives down a few feet and bobs back up. He gasps for air as he shouts, "there's twenty or thirty turtles down there," in joyful awe. Another turtle surfaces and swims with Z, following him. Then, it dives down, and another bobs up in its place. Z treads water while a parade of turtles bob up one by one to inspect him. I paddle to keep the kayak far enough away not to scare the turtles but close enough so Z can climb back in. Once he has had his fill, he gets in the boat and we continue on. The water is so calm that we pull out our snacks - Maui banana bread from the Farmer's Market, cheese and hard boiled eggs - and we eat, right there on the water. The warm sun, gentle breeze and calm ocean are pleasant and calming. We joke that we could take a nap right here on the water, and I do close my eyes for a few minutes, succumbing to a wave of relaxation. On the next beach down, a lone fisherman holds court with his poles. We continue on. Whenever we don't feel like paddling, we just stop and let the current take us. Before we know it, it is time to head back to the landing area. We paddle in close to the shore, and the waves push us the rest of the way, right onto the sand. Mango lady We drive back to the condo at a leisurely pace, passing by a few oceanfront homes. Then Z slows down, commenting, with curiosity, "Look how many mangoes are growing on that tree!" The tree is indeed laden with quite a few of the green oval-shaped fruits. He stops in front of the residence's driveway, where a woman has gotten out of her car and is walking over to pick some mangoes. After she plucks her treasures from the tree, she sees us looking at her and walks towards us, smiling, with two mangoes in her hands. She steps up to the car window. As she bends forward to speak, every smile line deepens on her face, and she says, "You really must try these!" Feeling concerned that we might have somehow made her feel obligated to make this offer, I try to convey slight remorse and ask her, "Really?" while searching her face. She smiles reassuringly and says, "yes!" We accept the mango gifts and extended her our enthusiastic and warm thanks. As we drive off, I put the mangoes up to my nose and inhale their enchanting aroma. It's like breathing in ambrosia - honey, with a slight pungency that is sweeter and milder than South American mangoes. When we get home, we immediately peel and slice the fruit. It is juicy, perfectly ripe, peachy and fresh, with a pleasant sharpness that piques the palate. Last Evening Now, it's time to pack for home. With my suitcase open on the bed, I gaze contentedly at my tube of sunscreen that is now empty. I used the whole thing during this short stay. We definitely made the most of this trip - snorkeling and swimming every day in so many beautiful beaches - Kaanapali, Ahihi, Kamaole III. And the best part was the kayak trip. I am going to miss this place, its warmth and beauty. On this, my fourth trip to Maui, I am only beginning to have an inkling of understanding of Maui culture and what I have come to know as the Aloha spirit. I don't think the competitivity and separateness of mainland American culture exists here. Instead, what Z and I discovered was a sense of being able to relax and surrender within the gentle, warm climate and the powerful but placid ocean. It's a sense that is mirrored in the people we meet. Like the mango lady, these beautiful souls are trusting, generous, tranquil, gentle, and supple. Gradually, we've discovered, we are becoming so as well. We feel a sense of union with nature and peace with other people. We feel a sense of reverence for the aina (land) and the kai (ocean). I run my fingers across the pineapple engraving of the bamboo headboard in our room, feeling the solidity and the curves of the engraving. Z walks in, and I look over at his bronzed torso and smile. "You're tan!" I say appreciatively. He looks at me, touches my shoulder gently and says, "you're peachy!" We finish packing and say goodbye to Alex Miaow. Z leaves him 2 huge dishes of dry food, and I leave a note on the fridge that says "please feed hungry cat!." As we drive down the driveway, we are treated to one last Maui sunset - the sun an orange orb, the black silhouette of palm trees. We say, "aloha," goodbye, to this island, in hopes that it won't be too long before we say "aloha", hello, once again. Link to Swimming with Turtles slideshow: http://www.associatedcontent.com/slideshow/8042/swimming_with_turtles_.html Hike to the Blowhole: http://www.hawaiiweb.com/maui/sites_to_see/NakaleleBlowhole.htm Honulua / Makalei: http://www.hawaiiweb.com/maui/beaches/HonoluaBay.htm Kihei Farmer's Market: 61 S. Kihei Road: Mon. - Thur. 8-4pm & Fri. 8-5 pm. The Mana Kai Resort is a condominium complex (many units are privately owned). For rentals, see http://www.gohawaii.com/listing?id=7324 or http://www.maui.cc/vmanakai.html Maui Ocean Center Marine Life Profiles: www.mauioceancenter.com Maui Revealed Guidebook: http://www.wizardpub.com/maui/maui.html South Pacific Kayaks: http://www.southpacifickayaks.com/ US Divers Snorkeling 101: http://www.usdivers.com/pages/howtosnorkel.html Yoga at the Mana Kai Maui Resort: http://mauiyogapath.maui.net/ |
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