Island Hopping

27 February 2014

An in-between day...  We had to be out of the condo by 11, yet our flight to Oahu wasn't until 4. What to do in the interim? Joe couldn't walk much, we certainly didn't want to go to the beach again (sunburns plus nowhere to clean up) and we didn't have time to take any kind of long drive. I'd wanted to go upcountry (inland and up) as it's supposed to be very different terrain, where the farming goes on and many of the native islanders live.  We met lots of folks who'd moved to Hawaii, but not so many born there.  I doubt we met any actual Hawaiians, as there aren't many of them.  You're not Hawaiian just by being born there - it's an ethnic group. You're an islander instead. I'd read about Iao Valley and thought it sounded like a nice destination for a quick trip - and it was.  Not quite what I thought - it's a state park, not just a valley showing you "real" life on Maui - but certainly a lovely spot to spend some time.

We stopped on the way and got Joe a cane.  He insisted he didn't need it and I insisted he did. He quickly admitted I was right and it was probably the best 20 bucks we spent. He still limped, but could at least get around in considerably less pain.

Iao Valley State Park is know for the Iao Needle. From http://www.gohawaii.com/maui/regions-neighborhoods/central-maui/iao-valley-state-park,

...this peaceful 4,000-acre, 10-mile long park is home to one of Maui's most recognizable landmarks, the 1,200-foot Iao Needle. This iconic green-mantled rock outcropping overlooks Iao stream and is an ideal attraction for easy hiking and sightseeing.Aside from its natural tropical beautiful, sacred Iao Valley has great historical significance. It was here in 1790 at the Battle of Kepaniwai that King Kamehamaha I clashed with Maui's army in his quest to unite the islands. Even with Iao Needle serving as a lookout point, Kamehameha defeated Maui's forces in a ferocious battle that ultimately changed the course of Hawaiian history.

That's the Needle on the right

With the ocean in the distance

REALLY steep hills and valleys!

James, Kendra and I wandered around for a while - Joe rested. The terrain was somewhat steep in places - as you can see - and it just wasn't worth the risk of aggravating his ankle. There's a stream running through the valley - now there's a surprise - and in one area they've diverted it to show how kalo (taro) is grown.  It's much like rice - often grown in flooded conditions.  There really wasn't all that much to see or do here, but we certainly had a gorgeous day and I can't come up with a better

Could it really be a maple?

Sugarcane - wow.

place to pass some time. We headed down to Wailuku for lunch. The boys had the catch of the day, and, once again, it proved to be delicious. It's amazing the food you can get at hole in the wall cafes. We find it's either fantastic or awful, and you never know which!

On our way to Iao, we'd passed the entrance to Kepaniwai Park, so we decided to go back.  What a lovely choice! It's a series of gardens, each showcasing something about a different ethnic group that emigrated to Hawaii at some point in time - Korea, Japan, China, Portugese, American (missionaries came long before Hawaii was a state) and more. It sure was odd to see a New England style house plunked down on Maui, but I guess they built what they knew (NOT getting into any discussion of what happened

Korean pavilion, where we listened to the band

 

SO steep here...

 to Hawaiians after the Europeans arrived...let's just say that some still consider the islands to be occupied by a hostile foreign government).We meandered from one to another, listening to a band practicing. They were pretty good, and it's not hard to sit in a cool, shady pavilion with music playing!

view out the open airport window of Maui's mountains

We headed to the airport, and flew from Maui to Oahu, then on to Hawaii - better known, perhaps, as the Big Island. If you look at a map of Hawaii, you'll see how far out of our way we ended up going. Maui is northwest of Hawaii, and Oahu further west than Maui. So we flew west just to turn around and fly east, back over Maui! We arrived after dark, but fortunately the owner of the B&B in Hilo gave excellent directions and we had no trouble finding the house. We hadn't yet eaten, and asked her for suggestions. She told us that since it was after 8, only a couple of places would still be open. Really? After 8? What is this, downtown St. Paul? I found out later that Hilo's population sits at roughly 40,000  - about double that of Kihei, where we certainly had no trouble finding places open after 8! So it was off to Ken's Pancake House, open 24/7. It was a lot like a Perkins - big portions, not too expensive, breakfast the best thing on the menu - but with a Hawaiian twist, with things like mango syrup. The food was passable and the service terrible.  I think the server made four separate mistakes! Reviews tend to love it, but one apparent foodie on Yelp said Hilo is a restaurant wasteland, and people don't know that food can be so much better and that they could demand much higher quality. We were baffled by the lack of hotels and other things catering to tourists. So many people visit Volcanos National Park, and it's not like you can really land in the morning, tour the park and fly out again.  Or maybe you can - if you are content to only glimpse the park's surface. More on that later. Back to the B&B and off to bed - somehow our days just always seemed to end up going much later than planned...