Idyll in the Pacific — Valley Isle
ANIS SUNIL JACOB
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A visit to Maui could leave you saying "Hana Hou".
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ABSOLUTELY RELAXING: Sun burnished beaches.
Maui is the second largest Hawaiian island, lying just below the Tropic of Cancer, in the Pacific Ocean. Maui is named after the Polynesian demi-god who, according to legend, fished these islands out of Pacific's watery depth.
A bit of adventure
Flying over from Honolulu, Maui looks like the head and torso of a man. It is actually two giant shield volcanoes connected by a valley-like isthmus giving Maui the name "valley isle". West Maui is the head or the older portion of the island and the torso has the 10,023 feet tall dormant volcano Haleakala, the largest in the world.
Along Maui's 120 miles of coastline there are at least 80 sun-burnished beaches, so choose one to suit your mood or energy level.
The blowhole at Mokolea point on the little Makena Beach is a unique volcanic feature. Blow holes are crevices on the shore, through which waves rush in from below, giving it a fountain-like effect, the stronger the wind and the waves, the higher the spray of water.
If you like a bit of adventure, then it's Blue Water Rafting for you. This is an Open Ocean "rafting" powered by strong engines. Rafts depart from the Kihei boat Ramp. Due to the raft's small size and manoeuvrability you can see the La Perouse Bay and Kanalo, which are otherwise rarely visited. You can see lava archways, sea caves and grottos formed by wind and water erosion.
Another unique experience is watching the sun rise from the summits of the world's largest dormant volcano Haleakala or "house of the sun". The first rays of the emerging sun seem to set the cinder capes ablaze. The spectrum of colours runs riot along the horizon, before the sun finally emerges in splendour. This dormant volcano, which last erupted in 1970, has a crater filled with exotic Hawaiian plants.
Too soon, it is time to leave the landscape of indescribable beauty and a people of renowned hospitality, but you feel like saying "Hana Hou" meaning "one more time" or "encore".
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