Remembering Maui...

The past week has been a tragic time for Maui. In remembrance, look again at some of what has been lost, and hope for the people of this lovely island and their ultimate recovery. Along with the world we are so shocked and sad on their behalf.

Although our visit was several years ago (below) the memories remain strong and beautiful.

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 Test yourself: which of these two pictures is of Maui, Hawaii's second-largest island?

This one.....?

....or this?

Interestingly, they both are, and the common factor is the wind. They call Maui the Valley Isle, but it is so much more. At 1883 square kilometres, 17th-largest island in the US, and about the size of Mauritius, it packs in jungle and arid volcanoes, the highest rainfall, the lowest rainfall, a coastline beloved by migrating whales, and a hamper full of wonderful foodstuffs.

This multifaceted island owes a lot to wind. Relentless trade winds from the northeast force heavy swags of rain bearing clouds to collide with Maui's high mountains (1764m for one volcano and 3000m for the other) along the island's coast and dump their endless torrents there. The land on the far side is in rain shadow and misses most of it, and the countryside looks like it too. So you can imagine Maui this way – a faintly tortoise-shaped island with a lush green head and back, and dry underbelly.

Watch this video to see why it is easy to fall in love with Maui

Or maybe it's more the shape of a cacao bean! We visited an infant cocoa grove on a food tour with Maui Country Farm Tours and tasted some of the most sensational chocolate treats you could hope for, made with Hawaiian-grown and processed chocolate.

Owner-chocolatier Melanie sells her chocolates at a shopping centre in Wailea to the south of the island, sensibly positioned near to the Grand Wailea resort.

The Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, was built in 1991 by wealthy Japanese art collector and visionary Mr Sakaguchi. At the time it was the most expensive resort to have been built in the islands. It stands on 40 acres of meticulously landscaped and tended grounds that include one acre of water features, and is also home to the largest corporate art collection in the US.

This church purchased from the east coast of the USA was transported to Maui and re-erected at the Grand Wailea making an ideal place for couples to exchange vows. In addition to being wealthy Mr Sakaguchi was also a perfectionist. The plans included the creation of stained glass windows that would tell the story of Captain Cook and the Hawaiian Islands. When they were completed, he was not happy with the result, and ordered them to be removed and redone.

By way of contrast you would possibly never expect to see a dairy, producing fine chevre, in such a tropical location, yet here it is, and what's more there is an 'only in America' twist to it. It seems the nimble-footed goats like a spot of surfing - well it's not quite like it sounds. See more....

There are tours of the farm and you can buy a bag of 'nibbles' to feed the goats....

.... or you can enjoy your own nibbles of a chevre flight, the ideal way to decide what cheeses you want to order in the shop.

While there are an impressive number of kids born at the dairy every year, please note: there are limits on the two-legged ones!

With the number and standard of Maui's dozens of hotels and resorts, you could simply check into one and never move away from the beach and the buffet. This is the Sheraton Maui where each day closes with a symbolic and impressive ceremony. Read about it and watch the video on this page to see it.

When we visited Hawaii we were often confronted by that fact that these tropical islands were indeed so American too. This fish house near Paia, on the north coast, could have easily slid across from the Deep South, but here it serves the freshest deep-sea local fish, bought daily.

In the village of Paia itself, this excellent cafe serving typically US-hearty breakfasts, also thinks of your next meal with packed lunches for the long and winding road to Hana on the northeastern tip of Maui.

This is just as well, as there is not much food available along the way, apart from this place. 

There is plenty to see though - steeply jungled hillsides hung with creepers and vines and splashed with bright flowers, waves crashing onto volcanic rocks, and arched stone bridges crossing innumerable streams. 

Drivers need to stay alert though. It is said there are 600 curves on the three-hour journey but, I'm sorry, we were too entranced by the scenery to keep count!

At Keanae, a hamlet of just a few houses and a church, we stopped for lunch. Shave ice is a local specialty of neon-bright syrups drizzled over finely ground ice....

.... but we enjoyed this Kalua pig burger instead. 

Ocean vodka is also made here, in a family-owned business.... 

.....using deep ocean waters and sugar cane grown just metres from the distillery.

But of course, it wouldn't be Hawaii without the surfing. All ages, all levels find somewhere to enjoy the mighty Pacific's waves. The island's north side is considered the best place to surf the finest waves.

It would be easy to forget that Maui is not all about bars and resorts and waves. Much of the island is agricultural, especially the wide and fertile central valley. This line-up of rural mailboxes would look at home in continental USA or even Australia.

Lahaina, in the southwest, was once the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Now it is the port and inevitably the most-visited place on the island. Yet somehow even this tourist-town manages to be that little bit more laid-back, a little friendlier, perhaps more 'real' than equivalent ports in some other countries.

In the shade of the huge banyan tree, planted in 1873 and now with 16 trunks - its endless web of boughs which cover almost half a kilometre – we browsed the shady markets. Rather than trashy trinkets the level of fine art and artisan craft was exceptional.

And yes we kept an eye on our ship, Celebrity Solstice, as we dawdled along the long, long waterfront-shopping street!

And that cute little hand-sign is seen all throughout these islands. It's the shaka the sign for 'hang loose' or 'let's go surfing' - or just a friendly Hi there!

At Kimo's, a Lahaina icon open for decades, we snacked on coconut-crusted prawns....

....then slowly made our way back to the ship, choosing to leave the hammocks and toe rings, the tattoos and sarongs for another day. Another customer.

There are so many of these beauties, that it was no surprise to learn that the hibiscus, all colors and varieties, was chosen as the official Territorial Flower of Hawaii in the early 1920s, and is now the state flower. You'll see them tucked behind ears, clipped in hair, and growing lavishly in gardens and on roadsides in Maui.

In Hawaiian mythology, Maui was a demigod, but for today's visitors, the word translates as relaxed, friendly and colourful - served up with a side order of fabulous food and drink.

And here's another Hawaiian word we learned in these islands: mahalo, meaning thanks, admiration, or praise.

 Maui - Mahalo!

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More information on Maui from Hawaiian Tourism.