Maui – The Valley Isle of Paradise

April 29th, 2008 by Kathy - NWA WorldVacations

Thanks to my sister, I was able to go on many Hawaii vacations and visit her at the same time! My sister lived on Maui, in the Hawaiian Islands. She and her husband bought a house in Pukalani in the Haleakala hills.

Looking up and behind her back yard, the lush green hills rise to where you can see cattle ranches, and farms. Rising steeply above all of that is the Haleakala volcano. This is the area in which they lived - Haleakala hills. In my sister’s back yard, I could pick a banana from a tree. When you live in Minnesota - that is just so cool!

Standing on the front deck of my sister’s house was like being in a helicopter or hang glider. I was looking out across most of Maui. As if I was hang gliding right off her deck, my eyes flew across half the island of Maui! About 50 miles away, down the hills to the left into the distant ocean, was another island called Kahoolawe. In between Maui and Kahoolawe is a moon-shaped island called Molokini, famous for snorkeling and diving. Looking front and center was a complete view of the narrow section of Maui, where the volcanoes rise up on either side. Maui is known as the “Valley Isle” because there is a valley in between volcanic mountainsides rising up on either side of the Island. Kihei and Wailea were to my left. The towns of Kahalui and Wailuku were to my right. There, I could see a long stretch of the beach and coastline called the “North Shore”. Famous beaches dot this coastline, such as Ho’okipa Beach Park where there is world-class windsurfing and surfing, and not far from there is the fun little artsy surf town called Paia. Many of the local surfers live and work in Paia. And on the other side of the Island, far behind her home and over Haleakala, is the town of Hana.

For the rest of the week, everything I saw and experienced was a theme park of senses; the Maui breeze which is a mix of moist salty air, the smell of Jasmine or Pikaki flowers, the photogenic scenery, the big ocean, and the soothing sounds of island music. We visited many beaches, little villages, roadside fruit stands, waterfalls, mountains, and her fun island friends. I spent half a day on the beach, watching kiteboarders sail through the air and land on waves. Kiteboarders are a combination of windsurfers and parasailers. That was a really cool sight to see!

Maui is a true island of paradise. The smells, sounds and sights are so big and breathtaking. I will never forget the little sushi café in Wailuku. Their outdoor seating area was filled with gardens, and the sun peeked through the palms. My biggest memory of all is the bamboo forest with a unique sound of music, as the trees seemed to whistle and chime through the air. How lucky my sister was to have lived in this paradise. The only catch is that once you experience a Maui vacation, I guarantee you will want to go back.