 HANA MAUI -- THE DREAM OF OLD HAWAIIThe people of Hana, Maui carry a torch. They love the old Hawaiian ways, the spirit of aloha, and they love passionately the land on which they live. Green and voluptuously beautiful, Hana has changed little with the passing of time. It is the place the Hawaiians say is closest to heaven, a place the visitor enters at great peril, for usually the heart is ensnared. Hana has been saved from progress by a road optimistically called the Hana Highway which in 52 serpentine miles winds around 600 curves and crosses 54 one-lane bridges. The scenery is spectacular -- straight out of a Technicolor travelogue -- with waterfalls splashing beside the road, and plunge pools lipped in ferns inviting the swimmer. Fruit trees dangle their offerings overhead -- mango, guava and banana. Banks of wild ginger perfume the air and dramatic vistas unfold around every bend. In Hana town the pastures roll right up to the main street. The social centers are the baseball field and the two churches, where on Sunday mornings the hymns ring out in the old Hawaiian language and visitors are greeted with fresh flower leis. br> There's one resort hotel quietly tucked among the trees with broad green lawns yawning down to the ocean, gourmet food, European-style spa facilities and a full venue of holiday activities from hula lessons to horseback riding. There are also inexpensive bed and breakfast inns, vacation home rentals and --a small resort condominium whose swimming pool is fed by pure mountain streams tumbling from the forests 6f Haleakala, the dormant volcano that dominates this end of Maui. Just down the road from town is the Kipahulu section of Haleakala National Park, site of the famous Seven Pools where waterfalls spill into tiered pools leading to the sea. Rangers are on hand to conduct nature walks and advise about the many hiking trails through forests of bamboo, past roaring cascades and into the green heart of the island. Famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, who saw most of the world and then fell in love with Hana, is buried near Kipahulu in the yard of a little country church. His epitaph reads in part: "If I take the wings of morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea..." Queen Kaahumanu, the favorite wife of Kamehameha the Great, and the woman who changed Hawaii's way of life forever when she challenged the authority of the high priests, was born in Hana. Piilanihale, the largest temple of the ancient religion, broods over a magnificent stretch of coastline owned and tended by a direct descendant of King Pillani, the Maui monarch who built it. The shores of Hana, splashed by crystal clear waters, were the prize in many an ancient battle. Here the sands come in gold, purest white, or gleaming jet black. There's even one beach the color of crushed garnets and another of sparkling green olivine. One night a week a down-home style luau is held beside the black sands of Hamoa Beach. The great Hawaiian feast is celebrated with traditional food cooked in the imu, earthen oven, and with music and hula. Some guests arrive by horseback. Everyone gets up to dance. Hana is a place where aloha is a way of life. The stranger is welcomed, and hospitality is as natural as sunshine and flowers. Hana is what Hawaii is all about.  Our thanks to artist Hans Eric Olson and an unknown photographer, as well as Patrick Robinson of the HANA COAST GALLERY for the images above. Visit the Gallery for a unique online collection of Native Hawaiian art. Be sure to visit the Hana Cultural Center and Museum Online for a comprehensive selection of Hana history, culture, and community materials. Learn how this 25-year old organization is working to perpetuate Hawaiian culture in Hana. ADDITIONAL RESOURCESHana Cultural Center, Coile Eade, 808/248-8622. Haleakala National Park, 808/572-9306. |
