Hiking Ho’olawa Valley

Today I was in Maui and had set up an excursion to hike the Ho’Olawa Valley with a local guide. We met up at about 8:30am at the dock with about 12 other passengers from the ship. Our guide was young, maybe 30, and had dirt brown hair with freckles. It was obvious that she was not Hawaiian and was of Caucasian decent, but she said she was born and raised in Maui so I felt at ease that she would know her way around. I’ve been to Hawaii about a half-dozen times so I usually know a hack when I see one. We walked a few blocks from the ship and along the way she pointed out points of interest. She pointed out the largest Banyan Tree in “North America” and the King Kamehameha III School until we walked to the van in a large,  empty parking lot.

            We boarded, signed some waivers and then we were off. It turns out Paili knows a TON about Maui. When I mean a ton, I really mean it. She knew all the historical places and knew all the stories and all the dates. She knew the names of the flowers, trees and animals on the island and knew their specie, family and history. She would point out places of industry and told us what was there before that, what year they went out of business and what was originally there when the ancient Hawaiians ruled. I was very impressed and even overwhelmed at all the information she was throwing at us.

We got to the valley about an hour after we left the town of Lahina where we were docked. We all got out and she had brought extra water, handmade sandwiches, fresh fruit, extra ponchos in case it rained and even extra back packs for everyone to use. I mean this chick was prepared; It was impressive. We packed up our backpacks and started out hike.

We walked around the trail and she would stop about every 2 minutes and show us some tree or bush that was of interest. Some of the plants we saw were Taro, Ginger, Pineapple, Coffee, Bamboo, Tea and many others. I feel like I needed a damn notepad to keep track of all of it! She also showed us the original Hibiscus tree that is the state flower. The branches extended, twisted and curled horizontally in a chaotic manner. A single tree could extend outwards 50 feet or longer. It was almost like a maze to get through.

We trekked onwards and she pointed out a few small waterfalls that made a great photo op for the tourists. We would snap a few photos and move on to the next waterfall. We gradually made our way upward in the valley. As we got up the hill, the plants would change a little bit and she would point them out and give us all the info on them. There was one particular plant that was interesting because if you touched the plant, the leaf would curl up long-ways. It was a defense mechanism that the plant has learned to protect its self. Pali said that it usually takes about 20 or 30 minutes before it relaxes and un-shriveled. I could of sat there all day, touching all the leaves and watch them curl and uncurl. Pali said it’s like “Hawaiian bubble-wrap”.

The trail lead to the Maui Canals which was basically waste water from the local town. We followed the canal all the way till we got to a stream. We all looked around for a bridge or even some stepping-stones to get across it. Pali turns around and smiled. She said “alright people, take off your shoes and lets cross!” The passengers were mortified. I was excited. This is what I like in a hike. Give me some adventure and some obstacles to overcome! We take off our shoes and carry them across the stream. The stream was very shallow, maybe only ankle deep, but moved at brisk pace. We slowly stomped our way across to the other side. Once I got there, I dried my feet off and put back on my shoes.

We eventually got to a larger waterfall what had a small natural pool underneath it. We stopped there and ate lunch and even some people got into the pool and swan around. Some other hikers were there and one of them had the balls to try to dive from the top of the waterfall to the pool below. The pool as far as we could tell wasn’t that deep. Someone said that there is a part that drops down 30 feet or so. However from the surface, you cant tell where it is. He got to the top and everyone turned and looked at him. Most of us were mortified and were sure, including Pali, that we was going to break his legs. After 10 minutes of psyching himself up, he leapt from the ledge. Half of us turned our heads away. We couldn’t bear to witness the damage. Others looked on to see if he would survive or not. He hit the water and whitewater jacked up around where he entered the water. He came up after a second or two and everyone exhaled. He claimed he hit the bottom but no damage done.

I wandered around and did a little exploring myself. Looking at the trees and also the dense roots that covered the ground. Banyan trees are known for their condensed and vast root systems and these we prime specimens. After a few minutes I returned to the group and noticed that one of the other female hikers, who wasn’t part of our group, decided to get in the pool topless. I looked around and found that everyone that previously be snapping pictures, had stopped and even went as far as to take their cameras off from around their necks and set them on the ground.

After a few minutes, we gathered our things and headed back. The hike was short yet informative. I honestly would of liked a more challenging hike, but what we lost in challenge, Pali made up for in information and expertise. We stopped at one more waterfall on the way back which we had to again, take off our shoes and walk through a stream to get to. When we got back to the van she had fresh fruit waiting for us. We munched on some pineapple and packed up the van. We drove back and took a different route so she could show us more landmarks. Maui is a beautiful island and it was great to be able to drive and hike around it a little bit. I hope I get to go back there and explore it more.

King Kamehameha III school in Lahaina. 

Largest Banyan tree in North America

2 waterfalls in Ho'olawa Valley.

Crazy Hibiscus branches!

This is the plant that if you touch the leaves, they shrivel up long ways as a defense!

The canals.

The canals.

Walking along the Ho'Olawa Canals.

Shallow roots.