2009.4.19

Maui island is made by two volcanos, Halemahina (House of the Sun) and Haleakalā (House of the Moon). Today, we were going to circle the West Maui. Halemahina is the older volcano of the two. The mountain is covered by heavy forest. Although there are many drainage caused by erosion, there is no path to reach the peak, Pu’u Kukui, which receives more than 400 inches of rainfall every year.

Our first stop was Papawai Point. The outlook is popular for whale watching. We did spot one in the far distance. One guy at the parking lot was making and selling the hand-made clay statues of island creatures, such as turtles, fishes and lizards. We almost bought one before we heard the famous Hawaii myth for the first time: you do not suppose to bring Hawaii rocks back home because it will bring you bad lucks. I’d believe the origin of the superstition is to preserve the nature of the island. Anyway, we left with the empty hand.