Looking for Native Plants on Maui & Other Things

Maui Sites - October 11-14 2018

My goal was to come to Maui and complete the Maui Marathon. This was the first time my family came along with me on an outer island marathon. We decided to do some site seeing on Maui. These aren't really difficult hikes, but some fun places to check out. The highlight of the trip was the Waihe'e Coastal Dunes. 

Red Sand Beach in Hana - October 11, 2018

Last time I was in Maui, we finished the Hana Relay which finishes near the trailhead at the Red Sand Beach, however nobody really wanted to go, I guess they were tired from all that running. I vowed to go back once I returned, that I did.

We landed in Maui at 9:30am and picked up the rental car. It was a long 2 hour drive on the Hana Highway. At mile 34, yes mile 34 is where the Red Sand Beach trailhead is located. I don't know who found this place, but its quite secluded. The wave current is rough but it is cut off by these huge rocks, so swimming isn't too bad. The hike to the beach is about 10 minutes, maybe less. Reviews online say the trail is steep, but it really isn't especially if you've been hiking on Oahu, kids can do this hike easily. 

The set up was impressive. It was worth the 2 hour drive from the airport. I dressed in red trying to match the sand, but the pictures didn't come out. The sand near the water is soft. 

Not sure why I'm so intrigued by the different colored sand. There is also a green sand beach on the Big Island and a orange sand beach on Molokai. 

Family Pic

The waves were calm on this day

Red Sand Beach - Maui

Makawao Town - October 13, 2018

This is not so much a hike, but a walk through a historical town. We had time to waste before going on our tour to the Surfin' Goat Dairy. What we did was take a pit stop at Makawao. I've always wanted to go visit and was very curious at what the town had to offer in terms of its historical significance. 

As you drive through the main hub of the town, it is apparent that a lot of the original buildings are still standing today. My question is why was Makawao a Paniolo town? More so, why does Hawaii have Paniolo's? It doesn't make much sense to me. I would find out at the Makawao Historical Museum. 

The volunteer provided me with much needed information, and it was only me who listen though. She said that Captain George Vancouver as a gift to Kamehameha I dropped off a bunch off cattle. The cattle died quickly (not sure why). Vancouver encouraged Kamehameha I to placed a 10 year kapu on cattle so it could grow and multiply. The cattle ran free and created problems. They needed someone to chorale these cattle. The Vaqueros of Mexican, Spanish, Indian decent were recruited to train the Hawaiians how to manage large herds of cattle. This all happened on the Big Island, so I need to figure out how the cattle got to Makawao. Anyway, Makawao became a business center to serve the people of cattle industry.

Komoda Bakery They ran out of pastries

In business over 100 years

Saddles from the old Paniolo days

During the plantation days, Makawao was also a hub for the different ethnic workers. The Japanese probably tired from working on the plantations started general stores. The Chinese became merchants and blacksmiths. Filipinos continued picking pineapples and opening markets. The Portuguese who were the mainstays of the community continued ranching and farming. 

During World War II, Makawao helped out by having a hospital and being a place for Marines to settle. 

The walking tour included 20 sites, we probably only seen a handful of them because we didn't have too much time since our Surfin' Goat Tour was going to start. 

Waihe'e Coastal Dunes - October 12, 2018

With the Maui Marathon tomorrow, I came to Maui not to do strenuous hikes, but to find hikes that were easy. I came across the Waihe'e Coastal Dunes. I wasn't sure how long it was, but I was going to go as far as I could to find the rare dwarf naupaka. According to the website, there are 2 coastal naupaka, one is the main one scaevola sericea also known as beach naupaka, the other one is scaevola coriacea which is the dwarf naupaka. The dwarf naupaka once grew on all the main islands except Kaho'olawe, but is now restricted to only Maui. Not only restricted to Maui, but to Waihe'e, 2 islets, and Kaupo. It is federally listed as endangered and numbers are declining. 

Getting to Waihe'e isn't difficult, it is one of the more easier hikes to get to on Maui. The Maui Land Trust owns the land and visitors are welcomed. There are major historical sites too in the area, none have been restored and was overtaken by alien vegetation. 

We parked outside the gate and took a walk. It was obvious that the trail has traffic, but I think they want to keep it as wild as possible. Invasive species have taken over the place, the native stuff is trying to survive. Near the beginning was akia. By the looks of it, it appeared to be the uva-ursi species. 

'Akia

The kids had slippers so I wasn't sure how they would do or how much they would tolerate. But they did fine. We only hiked for about 1.2 miles or so. At about 1 mile were the dunes. I wanted to find the dwarf naupaka. We were on a cemetery, it was kinda weird. I started to get frustrated because the dwarf naupaka wasn't in the area. I felt demoralized. Trying to make the best out of the situation, I saw nehe and this native grass which I'm not sure the name, later to find out it was mauuakiaki.

Nice spot at the Waihe'e Coastal Dunes

It was hot going back, but I stayed in the back looking for more plants. Jared questioned me about the name of a plant on the trail. I told him it is "pohinahina" and there is a lot of them, "look, see there are a lot of them". As I was pointing it out, I seen another plant, "what was that?". It was the dwarf naupaka!, mixed in with the pohinahina and other alien weeds. "Shit, this made my entire trip", I thought to myself or I mentioned it out loud. I can't remember. 

Dwarf Naupaka

Walking back was so sweet. I got greedy and started looking for the akoko which I learned during the research process, but didn't find any. There is more to explore as the dunes extend pass the stream. I definitely would go back again. In the mean time, I have to appreciate the time with my family. Although at times it is hard to hike with them with the nagging complaining from the kids, I do get impatient, but they are a big part of my hiking purpose. 

 Wailea Point - October 15, 2018

After the marathon, I wanted to go to Wailea Point to look for some plants. I've read that 30 years ago, they started a native garden, so I wanted to check it out. 

Wailea Point is a multi-million dollar condominium complex located between two five star hotels, the Four Seasons and the Fairmont. No doubt for the filthy rich. We drove to the gated community and Michelle didn't want to deal with trying to get in. I pulled over the side and talked with the security guard at the guard shack. I ask him I wanted to see the walk way. I did this in a honest non confrontational way. He said just go to Polo Beach and walk to see the garden. I was like shoots. 

I drove 1 minute up the road to Polo Beach and parked. There was a lot of parking. The beach is nice, not world class though as the surf is rough. Immediately I seen some natives, actually almost all natives. Pohinahina and Naupaka, obviously. Some rare plants like the Red 'Ilima and Dwarf Naupaka. I left the kids and walked. I just was so enamored by the area. I could stay for days looking at the plants. It took about 20 minutes to walk around and check the place out. It was great! I really enjoyed myself. Too bad Michelle and the kids had to wait. 

  

Mauu Akiaki

  Ohelo Kai

World class view of Lahiana at Polo Beach