Maui: Prisoners in Paradise

We are talking ‘captives’ not ‘captivating’ as we take you on a tour through a bit of history in Maui’s port town of Lahaina.

Banner over Lahaina's Main street 

This small town, the first capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, is  now a hub of tourism on this Hawaiian island.

Once a busy whaling port and (sugar cane) plantation settlement, it continues to be a busy port town although it is day-tour boats and cruise ship tenders that ply the Pacific waters these days.

As you know a trademark of our travel lifestyle is to get off the beaten path – away from the tourist bustle – in this case, anywhere near the port.

We set off on foot as Lahaina is an easy walking town and just a few blocks away from this bee hive of commercialism we found ourselves strolling through a laid-back semi-residential neighborhood.

Soon we came to a road called “Prison Street”.  We followed it and found ourselves at . . ., you guessed it. . .a prison. A prison that is now an outdoor museum, that is.

Hale Pa’Ahao, which loosely translated means ‘stuck in irons’ was built by convict labor. In the late afternoon we found the entryway open – there was no admission charge and no one staffing the historic site. We had the place to ourselves.

 

(Note the sign says guardhouse and cells were rebuilt in 1959 – the same year Hawaii became a part of the United States, so one might assume from its worn interior today that it was still in use then.)

As far as prison grounds go, this one seemed rather comfortable (at least in is present state) with green lawn and trees.  But it was clear that comfort was left on the doorstep of that small building that housed the prisoners:

It appeared that it wasn’t just a place to ‘sleep off’  too much fun --  prisoners had rules. . .lots of rules, for example:

It’s unclear how long the place housed prisoners, but the cells and stockade were reconstructed, according to historical records, as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). And then there’s the plaque in the photo above says there was a rebuild in 1959. By 1967 the place was in a state of deterioration and the Lahaina Restoration Foundation developed a plan approved by the Historical Commission to save it.

Walls of coral border the old prison site

If only those coral walls that surround the prison could talk. . .

TRAVEL TIPS:
A number of airlines have direct flights from the Mainland US to Maui’s Kahului airport and there are several flights daily from Honolulu. You’ll need to hop the local bus or rent a car to get to Lahaina.

Stop by the Visitor’s Center (housed in Lahaina’s historic courthouse) footsteps from the harbor and take a tour of the Museum (in the same building) – entry here is also free but donations are welcome. While there pPick up a free copy of the Historic Walking Tour map and take a self-guided tour of the area’s  62 historical sites.  Bronze plaques at the sites give brief overviews of the historic significance.

The old prison, now considered an outdoor museum, is open daily from 10 a.m. – 4  p.m.

As always, we thank you  for spending time with us today. Hope to see you back again soon – bring a friend or two with you!

Linking with Judith's Mosaic Monday at Lavender Cottage Gardening

Maui Meanderings: Shh! History at Rest. . .

The line of traffic progressed at its regular snail’s pace along the highway connecting Lahaina Town to Ka’anapali Beach. The plus side of sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic is that – at least on this stretch of Hawaiian highway -- you have a chance to admire the view out over the Pacific Ocean.

Island of Lana'i in background

And sometimes a forced slowdown is what it takes to see things along the roadway that you might have missed had you been traveling the speed limit. Such was the case of the graveyard.

Bordered by the highway, Wahikili State Wayside Park and the Hyatt Regency Maui, this resting place was pretty much barren ground, some gravestones hidden by overgrowth.  Water jugs and wilted leis indicated some tending. By whom? And when?

A sign to the side of the five-acre site identifies it as Hanaka o’ o’ Cemetery, where immigrant plantation workers are buried.  On our walk into Lahaina one day we stopped to visit this somewhat forgotten- and  forlorn-looking place.

Those laid to rest here, according to the small information sign, hailed from China, Japan, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Korea, Spain, and Philippines.

Sugar Cane field in Maui

Sugar cane was the industry of the island after whaling ceased in the late 1800’s.

In 1862 Pioneer Mill Company opened and at its peak produced 45,000 tons of sugar.  

In 1910 there were  1,600 laborers, most of them contract workers at the mill.

I’d like to tell you more about the people buried here or the cemetery, but two subsequent Internet searches have turned up little more than a few photos on Flickr.

Are you drawn to cemeteries when you travel?  If so, where were they and what was your reaction to the experience? Many of you out there travel to Maui’s Ka’anapali Beach regularly. Have you ever visited this cemetery?

As always, thanks for the time you spend with us ~ it is nice to have you along on our journeys. Keep your bags packed . . .we’ll be heading to Greece soon!

Linking up:
Travel Photo Discovery – Monday

Maui: On the Road Less Taken

“The road around this north side of Maui is desolate, but ruggedly picturesque. 
It also has a very narrow section of road with a sheer cliff 
and no guard rail before you reach Kahakuloa when driving from Kapalua. 
Not for the faint-hearted. 

Drive at your own risk.”

Had we taken the driving map, we would likely have noticed that warning.

Instead, I’d grabbed the tourist magazine with a general map of the island as we set our for a Saturday drive, heading north from Ka’anapali Beach on the west shore of Maui.

We followed the two-lane paved road along lush hillsides, past surfer beaches and places with lyrical names that rolled off our tongues: Honokowai, Kahana, Napili and Kapalua. 

So beautiful was this Saturday morning that we decided to continue on to the place called Kahakuloa, through an area on the map showing Waihee Coastal Dunes and Wetland Preserve.

Not long after stopping to admire the view (above)–near Nakalele Point and Blow Hole, we approached a curve and found a convertible stopped on the roadway, the driver waved us around him. . .

As we went around the car, it didn’t take long to see why he’d stopped. The road had become a narrow little thing - far too narrow to change our minds at that point. There was no place to turn around so we just kept going..

While we hadn’t noticed a 'narrow road'  before entering this section of road, but we had to laugh along the way because they were posted at regular intervals – obviously for those who hadn’t noticed the size of the roadway on which they were traveling.

It was comforting to find other tourists, like us, creeping along at the posted speed limit of 5 miles per hour, sometimes as fast as 15 miles per hour. Believe it or not, we did pass vehicles coming from the other direction. . . it was a squeeze as each car  pulled as far to the side as one could. . .

Oh yes, and that one really narrow section without the guardrail (as if the other sections had had a guardrail).  It was just that. . .

It was not a road for the faint-hearted. (And those who’ve ‘Survived the Road to Hana’ – the looping road at the south end of the island while biting their nails, might want to avoid this all together).  TIP: If you drive this road, drive in a clockwise direction, starting  from the north end and then at least you will be on the inside when it comes to easing past approaching vehicles.

The reality is that this has been one of the best things we've experienced on this tourist-congested island. We saw a bit of real Hawaii on this road trip, for instance. . .

This delightful and enterprising refreshment stand parked on the one and only wide spot curve along the way.

And a close up look at Kahakuloa Head. . .

This delightful hamlet with this picture-perfect little church. . .

And some of the most marvelous countryside we’ve ever seen. . .

Have you been to Maui? Did you take this drive? How about other roads less taken? Are you one to take the road or would you have stopped and waved other motorists past?

That’s it for this installment of the Travels of  Hula Babe and Beach Boy. We appreciate the time you spend reading of our adventures and hope you are having some great ones of your own! Please come back often!

Linking up:
Budget Travelers Sandbox Travel Photo Thursday
Sweet Shot Tuesday

Maui: Sun’s (Finally!) Out ~ Surf’s Up!!

Those postcard images of Hawaii came to life Saturday morning as we began our final week of timeshare life in our new digs on the island of Maui.

(As I have noted periodically on Facebook, this has been a wetter, more windy winter in these tropical islands than we’ve experienced in previous stays. That’s not a complaint, just a weather fact around here.)

I’d been wanting to test out my new Fuji camera – the first one broke during our cruise to Australia last fall and was replaced by the company from where it had been purchased. 

On Saturday I finally got the chance to check it out and these are some of my test shots.

The break in the clouds prompted everyone, it seemed, to hop in the car and head out to the beaches. Even the smallest of pullouts were full of parked cars along the roadway at Maui’s north end, as people lined up to photograph and watch amateur surfers out ‘hanging ten’.

It was picture-perfect Hawaii.

And at the moment I took the photo above I knew I was in love with my new camera!

Our explorations continued as we rounded the north end of the island and found ourselves traveling a narrow one-lane (speed limit 5 m.p.h. in places) road that might make the infamous Road to Hana seem like child’s play. It was probably one of the top five most beautiful drives we’ve ever taken and a delightful change from tourist-clogged Ka'anapali Beach where we are staying – I’ll post photos and tell you about it later this week.

Thanks for your time spent traveling the roads of Maui with us today. Hope to see you back again soon!

Linking up:
Noel Morata’s Travel Photo Discovery
Kent Weakley's Sweet Shot Tuesday

Song of the South . . .Pacific, that is!

Our month-long journey that sliced through a mere section of the South Pacific has come to an end.  We sailed 18 days across the Pacific Ocean from Honolulu to reach Australia and flew home to Seattle in 17 hours. We sampled a tiny bit of a very vast region, overwhelmingly vast. . .


The Pacific Ocean covers 63.78 million square miles, 165.2 million square kilometers.

We knew it was big but didn’t comprehend its vastness until we found ourselves aboard the Celebrity Solstice sailing from Honolulu, Hawaii to Sydney, Australia.

The Pacific Ocean is home to some 25,000 islands; some 6,000 – 10,000 of which are inhabited.

We visited six in a month’s time.


When remembering those visits – aside from the sheer joy of seeing land each time we approached a new island – we remember the welcomes we received by the Pacific Islanders who shared their proud heritage and culture with us through song and dance. . .

This Hawaiian troupe from the Lahaina, Maui Senior Center showered us with sweet ‘aloha’ through their songs and dances.

 

Six days later when we reached the next island in our journey, this band of troubadours greeted us in Pape’ete, Tahiti. And just footsteps beyond, another group performed for us:

We had reached French Polynesia, almost a mid-way point in our journey. Before leaving Tahiti we were treated to a bit more entertainment as we returned to the ship for a mid-day break from the 90-degree temperatures, which didn’t stop these two from performing.

Then it was on to Bora Bora and Mo’orea, where musicians again filled the air with lyrical welcome.

The old adage, ‘first impressions count’ couldn’t hold more true than for cruise passengers disembarking at new locations. Those first few steps off a ship can say a lot about a place. Here, it was warmth and welcome

When we think French Polynesia now, we think of the warmth of smiles and the Songs of the South.

Hope you’ll sign up to receive our reports about the South Pacific – you can do so on our home page,TravelnWrite. We’ve got a lot of places and people to tell you about in the coming weeks, and we'll take you behind the scenes on board the Solstice, and we've got some new tips for finding cruise deals! See you again soon.


That’s it for this week’s Travel Photo Thursday so head over to Budget Travelers Sandbox for more armchair travel.

Two Sides of Sweets

A photo I posted yesterday to the TravelnWrite Facebook page was so overwhelmingly popular that it took me by surprise.  I thought I’d include it here for those of you who don’t follow us on FB:

This was served to us at  Maui’s Kaanapali Beach Hula Grill Restaurant after the waitress told us that our Marriott guest card qualified us for “a free ice cream sandwich.” We expected to have a couple bites of some small cooler. 

It was served after we’d each consumed a fish burger and the macadamia nut salad that came with it.
Let me assure you that when you travel as much as we do, we can't eat like this all the time. Those of you following the blog know that we’ve followed a diet that pretty much eliminates both sugar and carbs (links to our Diet to Go posts can be found on our homepage).

This meal was an exception. (And in all truthfulness, even though we shared the dessert and didn’t finish it, that much sugar was enough to upset our tummies for a few hours afterwards).

So to show you the other – more normal view - of our sweet treats, I am adding this photo. This is how we start our days around here: locally grown pineapple and bananas topped with a locally produced mango yogurt – now that’s a ‘sweet treat’ we could eat every day. . .in fact we do!