Maui’s quiet (and wet) side
Cynthia Johnson doesn’t bother to play music during her early morning yoga classes. She prefers the natural audio of chirping birds, wind rustling through the palms and the crash of the Pacific far below.
“The setting speaks for itself,” says Johnson.
My wife and I have gotten into the habit of attending Johnson’s classes every morning while staying at Travaasa Resort in Hana on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
And we find Johnson’s approach to exercise as alternative as Hana itself.
You see, Hana, population 3,000, is on the far east coast of Maui, a world away from the bustling megaresort strips of Wailea and Kaanapali on the island’s south and west coasts.
And Travaasa, an eco-luxury resort with only 71 suites in cottages on 60 acres, is the only hotel in town.
A vacation in Hana is ultra-Hawaiian and anti-Hawaiian all at the same time.
It’s secluded, laid-back and the Aloha spirit is at its most genuine here.
But, conversely, it’s not what many holidaymakers have come to associate with Hawaii: giant hotels, busy beaches and hula shows. Hana’s not easy to get to, either. While only 50 miles from Maui’s main airport mid-island at Kahului, it’s a three-hour drive.
Hana Highway, more commonly known as the Road to Hana, has become iconic as the narrow ribbon with 617 turns, 56 one-lane bridges and countless jaw-dropping views of the Pacific.
Rather than a chore to drive, it’s treated as an attraction, a live-action driving video game where the twists, hairpins and close calls are all real.
We decide to give the road its due and upgrade to a Mustang convertible at Budget Rent A Car for this unforgettable drive.
Lucky the sun stays up so the convertible top can stay down.
That brings us to the issue of heat and sunshine in Hana.
Both are pretty well guaranteed on the south and west coasts of Maui.
That’s why the mega-resorts are there and tourists flock to them.
Hana’s handle is “land of the lowlying cloud,” which gives you an idea that rain is a factor on this side of the island.
In fact, there’s precipitation virtually every day at some point and the region is in the running for the title of the wettest place on Earth.
While that might scare some people off, it’s attracted a contingent of visitors to Travaasa who don’t mind the sound of a downpour on the tin roof of their cottage and then like to bolt out to the pool, beach or waterfall when the sun inevitably shines.
That’s how my wife and I and our 10-year-old daughter find ourselves utilizing a clear morning to explore nearby Haleakala National Park.
There’d been debate whether we should use the sunshine to lounge poolside or beach it or check out Haleakala.
The National Park won out because we got to talking to a newlywed couple from Arizona in the hot tub who raved about Haleakala’s spectacular 400-foot Waimoku waterfall and the seven natural freshwater pools along the Pipiwai Stream in the Oheo Gulch before they spill into the salty Pacific Ocean.
Catch is Waimoku Falls is an hour hike straight up a mountain through rainforest and requires a lot of clambering over rocks and through creeks. It’s very much a case of delayed gratification.
The hike is payment for the reward of reaching the Waimoku prize.
And you hear the roar of the falls long before you get to see her majesty.
You think you’re there, but, no, there’s another creek to wade through, one more rock field to negotiate and yet another bend to turn.
But when Waimoku does reveal herself around that last corner, it is breathtaking.
It cascades in a narrow ribbon down the sheer face of the mountain, cutting a precise vertical in the dense vegetation hugging the incline.
The natural response is a mad desire to swim in the pool that’s formed at the bottom and stand under the final splash of the falls for a perfectly pummelling shower.
It’s exactly what we do, after doing a half-jog tippy toe through the final rock obstacle course.
The return was quicker and more jubilant not just because it was downhill, but because we’d ogled Waimoku and been baptized in its spray.
Another sunny afternoon gives us the chance to loll at Hamoa Beach, a short shuttle from Travaasa, which isn’t on the beach, but rather perched hilltop to maximize vistas.
This crescent of dark sand is open to the public, but Travaasa has special privileges there to provide guests with lounge chairs, umbrellas, towels, drinks and private washrooms. It’s the ideal place to catch some sun, when it’s out, and boogie board in the surf that kicks up later in the day.
Alas, our Hawaiian holiday wouldn’t all be alternative.
Two nights at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel, named after the famous and lengthy west coast swath of sand it’s on, gives us that big resort fix.
It’s where we meet what we’ve come to call our cast of Hawaiian characters.
Chris Finau from Friendly Tree Trimming was seen scaling palms in spiked boots armed with a machette.
Dale Simonsen, who’s worked at the hotel’s Tiki Bar since 1969, whipped us up some Kaanapali Coolers.
Mika Villaren taught us how to strum the ukelele.
Thomas Muromoto, a professional surfer turned chef, met us under a gazebo to demonstrate how to steam fish wrapped in taro leaves.
And Malihini Keahi-Heath showed us how to make fresh flower leis: the circle of love.