USA: Maui, Hawaii

Everyone on the ship looked forward to Maui because our visit to Kona was canceled due to heavy seas and issues of transferring passengers ashore via tenders.

We pulled into Kahului Bay just after some showers passed. The weather forecast was for sunny skies in the morning turning into rain in the afternoon. Unfortunately, the rains moved in shortly after arrival and the only truly blue sky I saw was as the ship docked.

Kahului Harbor

The tour that day was to a "tropical plantation" and Iao Valley State Monument. I was more interested in the latter and felt I needed to endure the first.

We arrived earlier than our tour tickets at the plantation (tours were timed) and given time to walk around the little tourist complex. I had to admit, the place was very beautifully done. I checked out the shop where they sold their own coffee (we saw the plants later), but at $43 for 12 oz, I gave it a hard pass. I did, however, enjoy the landscaping and the occasional whir of someone passing overhead on a zip line (or series of lines), another moneymaker for them.

We boarded a little tram which stopped every few feet in front of a group of bushes or trees which our guide explained in detail. My takeaway? Nothing we saw was native to Hawaii. 30% of the plants were brought by the ancient Hawaiians from other South Pacific islands, and the rest by Europeans. Our guide was a mainland transplant who waxed lyrical about the apple bananas in Hawaii and how much better they tasted than the usual Cavendish variety. I was in full agreement - too bad he never went to a market in Chittagong with about 10 different banana varieties.

The highlight of the tour was a 30 minute exegesis on the coconut (spoiler alert: not native). He explained opening it in detail and the uses of the nut (actually a fruit). He labored to open the coconut and I glazed over thinking of the guy I bought fresh coconut from in Bangladesh who hacked off the end in one blow and pierced it with another. Maybe it took 30 seconds. This man took 30 minutes...

It rained on and off (but we were covered in the tram). The zipline whirred overhead and I wondered how much fun that was in the rain.

February 2026

Finally, we got back on the bus and headed into the mountains. Our guide explained that Maui is actually two islands which grew together after many eruptions. Interestingly, it is also the dividing line between active and extinct volcanoes in the state. The mountains we were headed into were part of a long extinct volcano while the crater on the other side was still considered active (it last erupted in 1790 - not long ago in geologic time).

We turned into a deep cleft in the hills rising steeply on either side of the road. It was absolutely green and the mists from the recent rain swirled around. The effect was magical. The Iao Valley is actually the site of the main battle between King Kamehameha of Hawaii and the King of Maui. Kamehameha prevailed - and for a short period, Hawaii was a unified kingdom.

The park was filled with pathways both up to a scenic viewpoint and down to the rushing stream below. Iao Valley looked exactly like I imagined Hawaii would. I loved it - although I remained puzzled as to why such an important battle was fought in such an unlikely location. Luckily, the rains stopped, and the newly wet forest and wispy clouds looked even better than sun.

We returned to the ship via Wailuku, the local town center. The guide explained that Kahului town (at the port) had become infested with rats (and plague), so it was burnt down deliberately in the past. The residents moved to Wailuku on the hill nearby. Apparently, it worked. Wailuku is not as cute as Waimea on Kauai, but it has the same vibe of being a "real" local town. I think it would be nice to stay there a couple of days.

The driver/guide spent much time bemoaning the loss of Lahaina and even more complaining about its stalled reconstruction. Property rights in Hawaii are the number one topic - too little land, too much demand, and a local population that feels squeezed out. The rebuilding of Lahaina was deliberately stalled by the state government in collusion with insurance companies and developers. The losers are the families who lived there for generations.

We came back to the ship and I noted there was a Whole Foods near the port. Yes, I was still in America.

Maui is definitely more developed than Kauai, but not as developed as Oahu. I think I would return to explore the other part of the island which is reportedly just as beautiful.

Soon we departed (in the rain) and headed back to North America. The visit to Hawaii was over.