Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [301]
TRAILS
After you cross the bridge you’ll come to two short trails that start opposite each other. Both take just 10 minutes to walk and shouldn’t be missed. The upper path leads skyward up a series of steps, ending at a sheltered lookout with a closeup view of ′Iao Needle.
The lower path leads down along ′Iao Stream, skirting the rock-strewn streambed past native hau trees with hibiscus-like flowers. The path returns to the bridge via a garden of taro and a variety of other native Hawaiian plants.
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BLOODY WATERS
Filled now as it is with happy tourists and picnickers, it’s hard to imagine ′Iao Valley was once the site of Maui’s bloodiest battle. In 1790 Kamehameha the Great invaded Kahului by sea and routed the defending Maui warriors up into precipitous ′Iao Valley. Those unable to escape over the mountains were slaughtered along the stream. The waters of ′Iao Stream were so choked with bodies that the area was called Kepaniwai, meaning ‘Dammed Waters’.
′Iao Valley Rd follows that same streamside route, but today it’s a delightful drive up to ′Iao Valley State Park and Maui’s most famous landmark, ′Iao Needle.
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PU′UNENE
Sugar’s the lifeblood of Pu′unene. Endless fields of sugarcane expand out from the Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar (C&S) Company’s mill that sits smack in the center of the village. If you happen to swing by when the mill is boiling down the sugarcane, the air hangs heavy with the sweet smell of molasses.
Pu′unene’s main attraction is the Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum ( 871-8058; cnr Pu′unene Ave & Hansen Rd; adult/child 6-12 $7/2; 9:30am-4:30pm Mon-Sat), an evocative collection in the former home of the mill’s superintendent. Exhibits, including a working scale model of a cane-crushing plant, give the skinny on the sugarcane biz. But most interesting are the images of people. The museum traces how the privileged sons of missionaries wrested control over Maui’s fertile valleys and dug the amazing irrigation system that made large-scale plantations viable. Representing the other end of the scale is an early-20th-century labor contract from the Japanese Emigration Company committing laborers to work the canefields 10 hours a day, 26 days a month for a mere $15.
KEALIA POND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
A magnet for both birds and bird-watchers, this national wildlife refuge ( 875-1582; Mokulele Hwy; 7:30am-4pm Mon-Fri) harbors native waterbirds year-round and migratory birds from October to April. In the rainy winter months Kealia Pond swells to 400 acres, making it one of the largest natural ponds in Hawaii. In summer it shrinks to half that size, creating the skirt of crystalline salt that gives Kealia (meaning ‘salt-encrusted place’) its name.
Birding is excellent from the boardwalk (see boxed text, opposite) on N Kihei Rd, as well as from the refuge’s visitor center off Mokulele Hwy (Hwy 311) at the 6-mile marker. In both places, you’re almost certain to spot wading Hawaiian black-necked stilts and Hawaiian coots, two endangered species that thrive in this sanctuary.
MA′ALAEA
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Ma′alaea literally means ‘beginning of red dirt,’ but once you’re there you’ll swear it means ‘windy.’ Prevailing trade winds funneling between Maui’s two great rises, Haleakalā and the West Maui Mountains, whip down upon Ma′alaea. By midday you’ll need to hold on to your hat. It’s no coincidence that Maui’s first windmill farm marches up the slopes above Ma′alaea.
Sights
Come eye to eye with all sorts of cool creatures at Maui Ocean Center ( 270-7000; www.mauioceancenter.com; 192 Ma′alaea Rd; adult/child 3-12 $24/17; 9am-6pm Jul & Aug, to 5pm Sep-Jun). The largest tropical aquarium in the USA showcases Hawaii’s dazzling marine life with award-winning style. The exhibits are laid out to take you on an ocean journey, beginning