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Hawaiian Vacation for Two!
Explore Kahikinui, Kaupo & Kipahulu
By Ed Lincoln Published: 06/25/2007
“Ewe hanau o ka aina—the children born of this land, our lives cannot help but be shaped by these giants of Maui whom we have partnered with for this lifetime. Here are the native Hawaiians—at home with their nature.”
Two prominent features shape daily lives on this East side of Maui: the bold body of water separating Maui from Hawai‘i, chiseled into the black lava shoreline, frothed white by the constant pounding of the Northeast swell as it is blown into the Alenuihaha Channel by the consistent trade winds. Lava arches, blowholes, crevices, peninsulas and bays dot this barren and foreboding coastline—yet to the child of this land, these are verdant fishing grounds, riddled with fresh water springs that allowed ancient fishing villages to thrive.
Moody and emotional, towering billows, foam-blown, gray and overcast—bundles of dark clouds trailing columns of rain race through as if to avoid collision with the mountain. A salty haze obscures the horizon and rainbows stand straight as ladders from earth to heaven.
As quickly as it begins, the wind subsides—the surface of the sea is oily, streaked with pale lines of currents, deep is the blue—the horizon is crisp and in the distance, the volcano tops of Hawai‘i protrude above the clouds as islands floating above the sea.
On the opposite side is the mountain. Haleakala, sacred ancestor of the Hawaiian people—for here lie the bones of Pele—Hawaiian goddess of the volcanoes. Water worn gullies and dry grasslands reach from the sea to the forest line. The early sun casting long shadows mimicking the lines of waves marching across the channel. At the Kaupo gap, where eons ago the crater rim gave way to a large slide, the edge of the rainforest begins. Steep Manawainui Valley is frequently streaked with waterfalls, as heavy banks of clouds settle on the shoulder of Haleakala and dip deep into her mountain valleys. These upland forests, providers of life for the ancients, stretch along the high slopes and broad Kipahulu Valley, protector of Maui’s endangered native flora and fauna. This precious land of Maui is the ancient playground of the pantheon of demi-gods and goddesses who thrived here before mankind was born.
Locations
Maui, Hana
Photo Gallery - Explore Kahikinui, Kaupo & Kipahulu
Click here for Slideshow. You can also click on any of the photos to start slideshow.
