Flying back to Maui from L.A. last Monday, I sat next to a big haole (white) guy, well into his 60s, who said he has visited Maui at least once a year for many years. But it was strange: almost everything he said came out mildly offensive. The thing is, this guy was so insensitive…
My mainland friends think the weather here in Hawaii is perfect all the time. The truth is, it’s perfect most of the time in most places. Here on Maui, we have micro-climates in different parts of the island. It can be raining hard in Ha’iku where I live, and tourists will be lying on the…
This is a view up the windward coast of Maui taken from my Alaska Airlines flight on Saturday. It’s hazy from the “vog” (Volcanic Smog) we often get from the Kilauea volcano on the Big Island which has been erupting continuously for more than 30 years. The couple sitting next to me–first time visitors…
Sugar is no more. The last sugar plantation in the Hawaiian Islands was here on Maui and, after something like 140 years of 24-hour-a-day operation, the mill has shut down. All the reasons can be summed up by saying it’s just not profitable anymore. Even some of the locals here don’t fully understand the…