Maui No Ka 'Oi: Walking Above the Clouds in Haleakala

"Maui No Ka 'Oi" means Maui is the best!  But then every island in Hawaii will tell you they're the best anyway! ;-) To be fair, Maui has been voted best island by many for many years.  So does Maui really deserve this?   After visiting every island in Hawaii, I think it's hard to compare them to each other as each one has a distinct character for me.  While Kauai has the best nature, Maui is probably best for a mix of action and nature.  Oahu, in my view, is more about city life, and the Big Island is all focused on its live volcanic action.  But let's go back to Maui and consider some of the best things to see and do.

We spent a late afternoon at the Haleakala National Park ("House of the Sun") hoping to catch the sunset and see the glow of the sun over the craters.  Haleakala Volcano is a dormant volcano at the East side of Maui.  Legend says the Maui demigod lassoed the sun from the volcano's summit to slow it down from its descent so that the day will last longer.  We didn't really know what to expect except for a warm sunset over highest peak in Maui.  But we were baffled by the tip to bring warm clothing as we were advised that it gets really cold up there.  And as any human nature would dictate, there will always be someone in the group ignoring those tips, thinking "Hey, this is Hawaii, how cold can cold get?"

It was a lovely 1-1/2 hour drive from Kahului and beautiful views meet us along the way especially along Haleakala Crater Road or Highway 378.  This is the fastest ascending road up to the peak, just 38 miles ascending to 10,000 feet.  Wally, our driver, was an excellent narrator.  He kept us all awake with his interesting stories and with his hoarse throaty voice, he keeps building excitement as we go.  As we near the park, the roads turn left and right through a series of switchbacks, and we are finding ourselves on top of the clouds.  Yes, clouds!  Then sun seems to be shining and we still feel the warmth from it through the windows, until we got off the bus somewhere in the middle of the ascent to take a good look at these great views.  And boy, was it getting chilly!

Taking The Diamond Head Trail Challenge

I'm not really a fan of hiking, especially on steep terrains, but somehow I keep getting challenges to hike so that I see and enjoy the places I dream of visiting!  I guess challenges make things more interesting and when one is able to experience a challenge whether they actually overcome it or not, it frees our mind from wondering if we can do it or not, thus creating inner peace.  It also helps us discover things about ourselves and helps us accept ourselves for who we are and who we are not, thus self-discovery, self-acceptance and self-love.

Taking the psychoanalysis aside, this was all about enjoying the hike to Diamond Head Summit, because I know at the top, I would be blessed with breathtaking views as wide as the eye can see, and these would put me in awe and pull a string in my heart every single time.  I can't help but sigh loudly as I try to breath in the beauty of everything around me, hoping I can capture it and keep it within me.  These moments remind me of God's amazing creations and how we are all part of this beautiful world we often forget about.  Being part of a society that has turned more and more worldly material and to a certain extent negative, this yearning is odd to a lot of people and a touch irresponsible to some.  But this is precisely why we all need these reminders from time to time.  Call it a mission, a crusade, a pilgrimage!  It can be addicting!

Having heard that the 1.5 mile Diamond Head Summit Trail only takes about 1.5 hours to hike, I quickly put this in my list to do when I visit Oahu.  Despite the moderate rating coming from some hikers, the trail is mostly paved with actual steps versus rough terrain and testimony from many that this is suitable for non-hikers also because of the short trail.  I am no hiker and I knew my limits.  My biggest enemy is the steep elevation.  I am normally a very risk averse person but I know that getting out of my comfort zone and taking a bit of risks is key to living a full happy time.  It doesn't always have to be the best. I didn't have to outrun anyone.  I just had to at least try and experience it for myself.  Besides I needed the outdoor and physical exposure given my normally sedentary indoor lifestyle.

Flying Over a Live Active Volcano

An experience of a lifetime, flying over a live active volcano may sound like a ridiculously unsafe thing to do. Still, hundreds of people do this every single day on the Big Island in Hawaii.  They are actually made of 5 active volcanoes altogether and the one currently erupting is Kilauea Volcano.  I just had to add this to my list of thrill activities to do before I die.

I decided to take the helicopter tour, which was another first for me.  This is my first time to ride a helicopter, add in with doors off and over a live active volcano!  What else can one ask for, for a once-in-a-lifetime experience?  Although excited, I have always been a bit wary of my height phobia but surprisingly, I was not at all worried during the whole ride.  It probably helped that I had shoulder straps too in addition to the waste belts since I was sitting on the right front side of the helicopter.  There was probably only one tiny second when I first looked directly below me through the open door when the chopper was turning right that I had a slight phobia attack, probably because of the strong winds too, but succeeding looks were not a problem.  I even wanted to sit facing the side if I could instead to get a better glimpse of things but the type of chopper we had, had seats all facing front.

During the orientation, we were surprised to see a lot of people at the airport, and even more surprised to see that they didn't have anything else aside from their shorts, sleeveless shirts, and slippers.  And here we were, looking like idiots with our long-sleeved shirts, closed shoes, and even a jacket in warm tropical Hawaii.  But it turned out we were the smart ones.  The couple that rode with us was not prepared since they didn't know about the doors-off option.  Apparently, they booked at the last minute, so they weren't given a choice, so they had to put doors on their seats.  Even if they wanted to pay extra, the staff wouldn't allow them up cause they said they would freeze without the proper clothing.  So our chopper was half doors off, hahaha!  Luckily they have those easily removable and reattachable doors. But it didn't matter to us cause we were in front anyway and still had the full experience of doors off.

Doors off Helicopter with the doors left behind