MOLOKINI AND NO BIKINI

LITTLE BEACH

Our Wednesday in Maui was a planned beach day. Maui has especially lovely beaches, mostly along the western coastline from D.T. Fleming Park north of Lahaina all the way down to Big Beach at Makena Beach State Park with a few in the north mostly centered in the valley between Kahului and Paia. In the town of Hana, on the extreme eastern edge of Maui, there are also a couple of beaches; a red sand beach and a black sand beach at Wai’anapanapa State Park. Mostly the northern edge of the island is rockier with cliffs although there are coves where

Wai’anapanapa State Park Hana

you can swim if interested but they have none of the facilities found in the beach parks. All the beach parks no matter how small have bathrooms and outdoor showers. South of Lahaina for lengthy stretches along Route 30 there are no official “beach parks” but we noticed lots of people parked and surfing and camping. Basically if you find a place that strikes your fancy you can swim. Hawaiian law says no one can own the surf and so even if you have private property people can have access to your beach. “Beach access” signs are everywhere, sometimes next to some very exclusive looking property.

And, the best part is they are all free, no New Jersey type beach tags necessary along any of

Big Beach

the 30 official miles of Maui beaches.

We decided to go to Little Beach this day. Clothing optional bathing is tolerated here and the beach is just over a little hill from Big Beach. Park at Makena Beach State Park and when you get to Big Beach make a right or follow people towards the collapsed cinder cone. Unlike Big Beach there are no bathroom facilities or lifeguards at Little Beach, just some gnarled trees and sadly some people who come to Little Beach to ogle…a bit too long. There were all kinds of people at the beach that day, from young to old wrinkly folks who don’t care what they look like

Little Beach with Molokini

anymore…ahem… me… But, the water was clear; we could see turtles in the water; and refreshing. The waves were strong though, you have to be a careful for sometimes the surf broke very close to shore. You can be several feet in the air on a wave and then pounded into 3 inches of water. Nearby Big Beach bears the dubious nickname of “Breakneck Beach” for this very reason and afterwards we learned that someone just last week cracked a vertebra in the capricious waters. So if you decide to go to either Big or Little Beach please be sure you are very aware of your surroundings.

We survived the day though. After making sure our sun screen was applied appropriately we

Molokini

lounged in the warm sun and cooled off in the beautiful water when necessary. From Little Beach there are great views of Molokini, a half-submerged crater 3 miles offshore and great for snorkeling, and Kahoolawe, nicknamed the Target Island. Uninhabited because of a lack of fresh water Kahoolawe was used by the military for target practice from WWII until it was stopped in 1990.

To avoid the sun some people draped towels or blankets over the gnarled trees at Little Beach to form shady areas; others brought umbrellas. It was very low key, but it was a Wednesday. Sunday afternoon and evening is very different. The beach gets crowded with people and a “drum circle” forms and fire dancers contort along with the rhythm. Not sure why they do it, but I’m sure it has something to do with Aloha Spirit. If you decide to go, make sure you bring a flashlight because the hike over the hill is rough and after sunset it’ll be more treacherous. Perhaps you’ll run into Steve Tyler, that guy from Aerosmith.

He’s been known to make the trek to Little Beach… Myself, I’m holding out for Liv. Oops …sorry Janet.
LITTLE BEACH

GO….

Mahalo for reading!

Here's a video of the drum circle...

PASS THE POI

THE OLD LAHAINA LUAU

I had never been interested in going to a Luau. It was a destination for tourists after all, parodied by the likes of Fred Flintstone, who had a famous line in one episode where he was cast in a Hawaiian Island movie: “Pass the Poi,” he said, practicing it over and over. It is probably good advice to never hire a lawyer who can discuss individual episodes of the

Flintstones, although this quality is admirable with hack travel writers. But, I digress here.

Seriously though, I thought luaus were events where Hawaiian natives hula’ed the night away for the benefit of brash tourists wearing loud Aloha shirts as they gobbled down Kalua Pork and LauLau and got drunk on Mai-Tais as they lasciviously ogled the young native dancers in their grass skirts and coconut bras. I thought such “celebrations” held for us haoles were cheap and degrading to the Native Hawaiians. We had already stolen their kingdom, now we have them performing like trained pets.

Despite my observations Janet insisted on going to one and I’m not one to go against her wishes.

HOW COULD I SAY "NO"?

“Yes Dear,” are the two most essential words a man can ever utter. But, I digress here.

She did her research well and got us two tickets for the Old Lahaina Luau. It is a traditional hula and feast and very well attended. All the reviews were aglow about this particular luau, perhaps because it was not a bunch of “fire-eaters showing off.” We were on stand-by and fortunate to get seats. The Old Lahaina Luau is held nightly, but the waiting list stretched until mid-August. We went on our Tuesday in Maui and we traveled to this area of Lahaina called Moali’i, just north of the main tourist area. It’s on Front Street and across from the Lahaina Cannery Mall.

Joking aside, in the tradition of old Hawaii, travelers were always offered food as a show

POI IS UPPER RIGHT

of love and respect and the beginnings of the hula may have been as both a religious ritual while also providing entertainment for the rulers. Until a written language was created Hawaiian lore was passed to the next generation through stories and displays of the dances that we witnessed on our fortuitous night at the luau. Keeping such old Hawaiian traditions are very important to the Hawaiian people who take great pride in their history and the Old Lahaina Luau showed a progression of dance and music from ancient drum dances through to the missionary hulas, the modern hulas before finishing with a Tahitian fete celebration of dance that features solo dancers.

Most interestingly, Lahaina, Maui today is a tourist town. Shops, restaurants and bars catering to the tourist trade crowd Front Street. But, before it was a tourist destination, and before it was the center of the Pacific whaling industry and a plantation town, Lahaina was the capital of the kingdom of Hawaii and the residence of ancient kings who would come here for rest and play. So, it’s conceivable that a luau in Lahaina with its feast and hula is the real McCoy.

We were greeted at the Old Lahaina Luau with music and Lei’s and Mai-Tai’s and seated at a l

TOURIST CENTRAL

ong line of tables surrounding a large central stage and then invited to walk the grounds past several displays of Hawaiian crafts and take hula lessons and bask in a glorious sunset. It was crowded with haoles and yes there were a lot of crazy Aloha shirts on display, but the Aloha Spirit was strong here (aided by more Mai-Tai’s and Little Tita’s and Honey Girls and Blue Hawaiians, all with “extra-loving” poured by the shirtless bartenders in traditional garb...that's more rum kids). Then we were invited to surround the underground oven or Imu for the digging up of the Kalua Pig. Dinner was served buffet style and the traditional feast featured not only the pig, but the poke (both Ahi and He’e …octopus…) and yes Poi. We did not pass on the poi by the way.

The feast continued with steak and chicken and island prepared fish and several side dishes.

Front St. Lahaina

We ate and drank a lot and the show was informative and beautiful. When couples were invited to dance to a modern song played by the live band, Janet and I twirled happily in the warm Hawaiian night. Though it was all steeped in tradition it was a bit hokey, but wonderfully loveable and for one night I did not mind being a tourist.
OLD LAHAINA LUAU

Go…

Before we went to the luau we spent a full relaxing day in the sun at the resort lounging by the

BANYAN TREE LAHAINA

pool. We left a little earlier than necessary to stroll around Lahaina a bit, stopping by the old massive banyan tree that fills a city block and to poke our noses in some of the shops in the area.  It may all be just a tourist destination but this area of the world is beautiful. 

Mahalo for reading.

Here is a taste of what we enjoyed at the Old Lahaina Luau. We hope your travels lead you to such enchanting destinations.

THE ROAD TO HANA

The “Road to Hana” is the number one activity for tourists on Maui. EVERYONE who has ever visited the Valley Isle will state that you MUST take this 68 mile road trip along a winding, narrow road, over seemingly countless bridges and with so many twists and curves you can go DIZZY, but with so many gorgeous stops and spectacular vistas you’ll take a FULL DAY to see it all. Maybe you should take TWO days some say. The drive skirts the rainy side of Mt. Haleakala and passes through lush growth and along dramatic cliffs. There are short hikes to waterfalls and secluded beaches at nearly every turn and at every turn you will want to stop and enjoy the natural beauty before you. Yes, you HAVE TO take the ROAD TO HANA!!!

The thing is there will be a lot of other people doing the same thing at the exact same time

the Road to Hana

and it takes just one guy slower than the rest for you to get into a slow conga line of cars, and you will spend the day WORRIED about the bumper in front of you. Along with all the natural beauty you WILL definitely encounter very impatient locals hurtling down this lovely road; they have seen all of this spectacular BEAUTY before and now YOU ARE IN THEIR WAY. They don’t care you’re reveling in your great fortune to be ON THE ROAD TO HANA because EVERYONE told you to take this road trip. You are IN THEIR WAY! Yes, Aloha Spirit DOES NOT travel well on the Road to Hana.

Perhaps, inspired by the brazen locals, you also try to barrel white knuckled along the turns on two wheels? Perhaps such insanity will be out of necessity, because you’ve taken far too much time and you certainly don’t want to be stuck on the road to Hana at NIGHT! Perhaps when you get back to your resort or during a stop in the little hippie town of Paia you will purchase a “Survivor” t-shirt proclaiming your bravery at traveling the ROAD TO HANA without going airborne? Perhaps after reading this blog entry you may say why bother taking this trip?

You should, all kidding aside, take the Road to Hana, but prepare. Leave early enough, even

pre-dawn just so you can beat the RUSH hours and all the other tourists, even consider staying overnight that way you can be far more relaxed and willing to explore. Guide books devote a lot of pages on preparing for the trip as there are no gas stations, etc. and can offer some good advice and places to stay. I also recommend purchasing a cd guide for the trip that will point out places to stop to explore. Fumbling with an outdated and mismarked ledger leads to frustration. Also, DON’T STOP everywhere. There is so much beauty that you can linger along this incredible stretch for too long and then give the rest short shrift. Even when you reach your destination of Hana, a sleepy little town stuck in time, there can still be so much more traveling. You can snorkel at the black sand beach at Waianapanaga State Park, find the red sand beach which is difficult to reach but is clothing optional, or drive further to the seven sacred pools of Oh’eo that are actually in Haleakala National Park or drive even further along to visit the gravesite of the American aviator, Charles Lindbergh in Kipahulu.

If you decide to linger in Hana visit the Hasegawa General Store for return supplies.
HASEGAWA GENERAL STORE

Sadly, we did none of this. Rain dampened our ardor and with an eye on the time we just did a quick swing through Hana after having a good, if pricey, lunch at the Hana Ranch Restaurant.

I had my first Loco Moco there; a hamburger patty with a fried egg, brown gravy and sitting on rice. At $17 it was pricey, but the quality of the meat was very good.

Waianapanaga State Park

Go...

ROAD TO HANA

Mahalo

ISTHMUS BE MY LUCKY DAY

THE VALLEY ISLE
Maui was one of those places I had never expected to visit in my life. Hawaii is an exotic location, but I never considered going to Maui. EVERYONE seemingly goes to the Valley Isle. and I always thought of it as a large version of Waikiki. Expensive resorts, tourist towns like Lahaina were not on my personal radar and when the Ka'anapali Beach Club time share gift fell into our laps I was disappointed. I really wanted something on Oahu or the Big Island. But, we just spent a week on West Maui where there are lots of resorts and tourists and I have to say I would love to return.

Maui was once two islands; an isthmus now connects the collapsed mountain of West Maui and the younger, much more massive Mount Haleakala. The area between the two is arid considered desert, which makes it a great place to grow sugar cane. Through irrigation sugar cane fields flourish and from this seven mile wide valley Maui gets its nickname, the Valley Isle. When mature water is cut off from the cane. The leaves wither and the sugar is concentrated in the stalks. Farmers then burn off the leaves leaving just the stalks for harvesting. The ash from the burning falls on the neighboring areas and is called "Maui Snow". 

White snow sometimes falls on Mt. Haleakala, which forms the eastern island. At 10,000+ feet above sea level it is cold at the summit even during the summer. The eastern side of Maui is a lush rainforest and the Iao Valley gets more rain than anywhere else in the United States, and this is where Maui gets its drinking water. Beaches circle the island and the sand is either tan, black or in one place near Hana, the number one day trip on Maui, red because of a collapsed cinder cone.

The more I read about Maui, the more excited I was to visit this island. There was so much to do and I was afraid we would not fit everything in, that we would be running crazily around from one event to the next. Thankfully we had the very comfortable Ka'anapali Beach Club as a home base and despite our busy week were not stressed. Our home for the week was a large airy one bedroom with a huge bathroom and a kitchenette that opened onto a living room as large as our bedroom. We had a little balcony and a wall of sliding glass doors that gave us a "scenic" view (not ocean) of the West Maui mountains (and a super market). We could see how the collapsed mountain had formed gullies in the face of the mountain. Afternoon clouds would gather and the moisture would grace us with rainbows.

When we wanted to hang out a while between planned excursions we would go down to the pool or the ocean. There was an exercise room, and a running path along the resort strip in Ka’anapali when we were inclined to work off the Mai-Tai’s and beer from the on campus Tiki-Bar. The pool is vast, the open air lobby has exotic birds. It’s all very islandy, so when we are stressed from too many activities we can simply drifted awhile to catch our breath.  

When we arrived last Saturday the concierge at the Ka’anapali BC helped arrange our week of activities. She wrote out a little calendar for us and made phone calls and set up tours  when necessary; all at a discount I might add. She was very helpful and the week filled us very quickly.

Here is a listing of our planned madness for the week:

Sunday was the World Cup Final…sadly over coffee and papaya and not beers and wings… They started playing at 9 a.m. Then it was that damned timeshare hard sell presentation. We are still not sure it was worth $200! Later that afternoon we strolled along the resort walk in Ka'anapali and took a swim in the ocean near Black Rock, a landmark halfway along the resort beach walk. 

Monday was the "Drive to Hana." This is the number one “thing to do” in Maui. The road twists and turns and there are countless places for around 40 miles passing through lush rainforest and past waterfalls before depositing those brave enough to take the day long trip in the little town of Hana. There is a black sand beach and a red sand beach there.

Tuesday was the Old Lahaina Luau. This event is usually sold out months in advance, but somehow Janet got us two tickets. 

Wednesday was a Willie K concert. He's a very talented local Hawaiian musician. I first heard his song "North Shore Reggae Blues" nearly 20 years ago and  I have been a fan since. We saw him at a dinner show at the only Irish bar on Maui, Mulligans on the Blue 

Thursday we went snorkeling at Molokini, a collapsed volcanic cone three miles off shore and said to be the best place to snorkel on Maui.

On Thursday night/Friday morning we got up around 2 am to drive up to the House of the Sun, Mt. Haleakala. At 9,740 feet it was cold, but the sunrise was worth the shrinkage. Then, we rode bicycles DOWN the mountain. 

Sounds like we did a lot! The casualty of so such an active week has been keeping up with telling you details about our days. These will follow in time. 

Maui Brewing Co

After all that planning last Saturday we had to relax. But, instead of just lingering by the pool; it was already dark; we decided to take a short drive up Route 30 to the Maui Brewing Company for a couple of beers and a light snack. Janet had a Coconut Porter and I had a Big Swell IPA, my favorite beer so far on this trip. Too bad I’ll not be able to get Maui Brewing back home. 

MAUI BREWING


Mahalo for reading, our next stop on our never ending excursion through the Hawaiian Islands will be the Big Island and the Turtle House in Kea'au. 

Ka'anapali Beach Club

Okay… you’re probably wondering HOW in the hell are these two cheapos in Hawaii! It ain’t easy. For us on the east coast it is a long costly flight and truthfully this is the first time I’ve traveled to Hawaii for pleasure AND had to pay for my air fare. In times past I’ve had free travel from frequent flyer miles, but not this time. UGH….

It's certainly NOT cheap here in Hawaii, gas right now is around $4.40, and I just purchased a $7.22 4 oz. bag of potato chips (for Janet) from the Maui Potato Chip company….Kitch’n Cook’d!!!!  I want to buy stock in this F-ing company. They are at 295 Lalo Street, Kahului, Maui if you are so inclined, although I don’t think there is much of a tour. 

 

EXPENSIVE

The only way Hawaii became a feasible destination for us was through the kindness of Janet’s step-mother and her father who gave us a timeshare at a resort for a week. We are staying in west Maui. The resort is one of a string of places north of Lahaina and home to a golden stretch of sand called Ka'anapali Beach. This place is a lot more expensive than we could ever afford and not really our way to travel, but it is bright and airy and pink and right on the water. We don’t have an ocean view, but when the clouds roll in from the mountain and rain comes in the late afternoon we are blessed with rainbows.

Because this is a time share we somehow got tangled into a presentation. They dangled $200 worth of vouchers for spending in many area establishments. Burgers are roughly $14 here and well, if not burgers, there’s a lot of Mai-Tai’s, or at least a couple of bags of Maui Potato Chips in that $200, so we winced our way through the 2 ½ hour hard sell presentation and then used that money to go to Kimo's in Lahaina for a nice seafood dinner, telling ourselves between bites that we earned it.We sipped Mai-Tai's and watched a brilliant sunset as we ate dinner.

 

PRICELESS

We are bracketing our week stay in Maui with two smaller trips, a few days on the north shore of Oahu and nearly a week on the Big Island. We got our places through a new website called Air BNB. Through Air BNB we rented a room in a lovely couple's home in Waialua and in the Hilo area are getting an entire place on an acre of land for just $75 per night.

Although AirBNB is new, renting homes/rooms in Hawaii is not. In years past I have rented a bungalow near Lanikai beach in Kailua, Oahu, an entire house at Malaekahana Bay and a room in a mansion in Hilo through a bed and breakfast network listing.

AIR BNB

Some people like resorts, some people can’t afford it…. We are both!

It is very different traveling this way. I have to admit it's impersonal, there is not a lot of Aloha Spirit, in fact we have not seen a lot of Native Hawaiians since arriving to this resort on western Maui. It reminds me of last year's trip through South Carolina's lowcountry which finished up on Hilton Head Island. All of it was beautiful, but the resorts of HHI were faster paced and catered to a vacationing crowd rather than a traveling crowd. Ka'anapali is like this. From our pool and personal beach we have a spectacular view of Molokai and you never have to leave for the week. The culture of Hawaii is secondary to the "downtime" people seek when they vacation. I love it and yet I know there is much more out there. It's like saying Waikiki IS Hawaii. It's beautiful with spectacular views and you really never have to leave it, unless you want to experience Hawaii. Truthfully though the pool at the Ka'anapali Beach Club is lovely and vast with plenty of chaise lounges the beach part is very poor. Not really much of a beach and there's a lot of coral. If you want to see good beaches, you'll have to get off campus. Ka'anapali is a perfect, very luxurious home base from which to explore Maui and with $200 dollars of hard-earned bucks it's that much sweeter.

Our personal rainbow

Mahalo, thanks for reading. Come back to follow our antics on the Valley Isle.

love 

Janet and greg

THE TIKI BAR IS OPEN

Sadly it was time to leave Oahu for Maui. We were taking a ten seat island-hopper prop plane from Honolulu to the smaller Kapalua airport on western Maui, just north of Lahaina on Mokulele Airlines. The co-pilot wore lime green framed sunglasses. Our flight path took us directly over Diamond Head and the length of Molokai.
MOKULELE AIRLINES 

Where to go?

We said our good-byes to our hosts Kristin and Bill and their dogs Blue and Snausages (Friday) and drove over to the Waialua Sugar Mill Farmer’s Market to sniff through some produce. The sugar mill, once very productive for the Dole Company, closed in 1996 and now the area serves as a home for the Waialua Estate coffee and several other shops. Janet bought some coconut flavored peanut butter for her girls at one of the produce stands. 

It was then one last slow ride through the little hippie/surfer Haleiwa Town and just one more slow crossing of the enchanting Anahulu Stream Bridge, its white rainbow-curved lines soft and just so very Hawaiian before heading towards the jammed roadways of Honolulu. For me, the Anahulu Bridge appears when I dream of Hawaii. I sighed and headed east towards the capital.

Anahulu Bridge, Haleiwa

Traffic on H1 was backed up, but we were eventually able to find our way to a destination recommended by our hosts; the Mariana Sailing Club and Original Tiki Bar. We were told it was worth going out of the way to reach and we were warned not to be dissuaded by the industrial park location. La Mariana was appropriately worn and lovingly tacky; looking like the décor had not been updated since it opened in 1957, including Wayne the bartender. Sporting a greying pompadour and a porn star moustache and a twinkle in his eye Wayne looked like if he ever stepped out from the protective bubble of the Mariana Tiki Bar he would turn to dust. He made the best, strongest Mai-Tai we have had so far in Hawaii. (And the cheapest). Timeless, Tiki Bar knick-knacks covered every available space in the joint. It was a slow afternoon at Mariana. We sat at the bar, dodging pufferfish lamps overhead, and Wayne served us Mahi sandwiches and chatted us up with sports talk and asked us about our travels in Hawaii. When it was time to leave for our flight we shook hands and said good-bye. I looked over my shoulder at Wayne and he was still smiling warmly and bidding us Aloha before he faded away.

Truthfully though, if you want to see a bit of old Hawaii, visit Wayne at La Mariana. Reasonable prices, great drinks and wonderful decor.

THE TIKI BAR IS OPEN!

LA MARIANA TIKI BAR

La Mariana Tiki Bar

Tiki Bar revelry

THE GATHERING PLACE

Kaena Point Surf

KAENA POINT

We spent the day near Waialua, rising with the cacophony of birds outside our window. The house we are renting is across from Aweoweo Beach Park. We could see waves breaking beyond the palms from the lanai. The summit of Mount Ka’ala at 4,025 feet was shrouded in clouds, but the ridge that juts out into the Pacific forming the westernmost edge of Oahu was brilliant in the morning sun. It is called Kaena Point and considered by ancient Hawaiians as the “jumping off” place to meet their ancestors. It is a remote area, accessible only by a rough unpaved road after Farrington Highway ends a few miles past Dillingham Airfield. For years I’ve marveled at the forbidden looking Kaena Point from places like Sunset Beach and Haliewa Town and never thought I would get there. It looked like the end of the world. In fact this entire trip to Oahu has been filled with new adventures for me for I have never traveled as far west on Oahu as Waialua and the beauty that lay beyond.

This whole area is called “country” by the people of Oahu and it certainly is very rural here. We’re staying in a little development with a cluster of homes near the shore, but soon there is nothing but the road, the ocean and the ominous ridge that ends with Kaena Point. It is just under seven miles from our place in Waialua to the end of the Farrington Road. In fact our hosts said some previous guests stayed with them just so they could be closer to the hiking trails of Kaena Point. It is possible to drive a four-wheel vehicle around, but it is very rough going. A lot walk the 2.5 miles to the tip, where during the winter waves have been known to swell upwards to 50 feet.

We left Au Street and turned onto Waialua Beach Road, which eventually narrowed down to Crozier Drive, and we passed some incredible homes on spectacular lots right on the water, before turning onto Farrington Highway and going to the end. We sighed at every homestead and dreamed, but knew we could never afford to live here; don’t worry we asked and were shocked at the prices.

Kaena Point road

Farrington Road is very isolated. There were a number of ranches, a polo field right on the ocean and a small grouping of homes, but after the Dillingham Airfield there was nothing but windswept views of the Pacific. Here the ridge of Kaena Point nears the road, glowering, huge, its surface gullied and raw. Appropriately, the paved road ends and the untamed track is menacing. We only walked about one mile on the pitched, furrowed road. A couple of four wheelers weaving around huge depressions passed us and we met a number of hikers with walking sticks hats and supplies. We were not as prepared as the hikers; it is highly recommended you bring water if you are going to seriously head out to the point. This is raw land. There are only a few coves with any sand. Mostly the angry waves here crash against volcanic rock. There is no place to swim, although a few people pitched tents and brought in campers to make it a day of near isolation.

near Dillingham Airfield

We drove back to a sandy area right off Farrington Road, right near the end of Dillingham Airfield for some sand gravity. There are no bathrooms at all here and just a few natives and toursits relaxing on this Friday afternoon. The water was clear and surprisingly cool and it got very deep a few feet from the surf line. Dillingham Airfield is a military facility, once integral during WW2, but now mostly used by gliders riding the ridge lift currents off Kaena Point and skydivers, although we also watched a military helicopter land. Gliders sometimes flew directly over us on their landing approach. It is a beautiful spot. The official name for the ridge behind us is Kuaokala Forest Reserve and if so inclined the Kealia Trail begins near Dillingham to get you up onto the ridge. 

a neccesity

KEALIA TRAIL

Popular with windsurfers is Mokuleia Beach Park and we stopped to watch these skilled riders flit along the waves, including a local eccentric named “Top Hat” who wears a top hat as he skirts the waves. Our hosts, Kristin and Billy thinks he’s a trust fund baby because surfing is all he does. What luck Mr. Top Hat walked by us and said hello!

Another place that we did not sadly visit was Makaleha Beach Park/Polo Beach Public Access Path. It wasn’t until later that we learned it was perhaps “clothing optional”. There are no official nude beaches on Oahu, so it’s a proceed-at-your-own-risk endeavor. I understand there is a clothing optional place on Maui called Little Beach.

TOP HAT

We spent our last night in Oahu with our hosts and a gathering of their friends for a communal BBQ in the little courtyard of their homes. With the sky afire with the vibrant sunset colors of another successful day in paradise we drank wine and mingled and petted dogs. One friend was a Hawaiian native, everyone else was white. Eric and I spoke for a long while. He actually lived on the 9th “unofficial Hawaiian Island”, Las Vegas, for 13 years. Evidently a lot of Hawaiian natives, lured by the lower cost of living and job prospects gravitate to Vegas, but the allure of Hawaii was too strong to ignore and he eventually had to return with his wife. I envy him.

Honey! I'm home....

I have visited Oahu more than the other islands and on this short three day trip I have had so many new experiences and this little party was the highlight. Appropriately Oahu is nicknamed the Gathering Place probably because of the endeavors of King Kamehameha in the 1800's to unify the islands, but I like to think the name comes from nights like this, where serenity and friendship are all that matters. I hope that I never lose this Aloha Spirit.

Mahalo 
Janet and greg