Maui...finally!

My wife said to me that there's more to life than windsurfing. I laughed at her unrealistic view of the world as I examined the noticeable lack of wind around me. The rational side of my brain told me that she could be correct but I still had my doubts. The palm trees stood motionless on the lawn. Hookipa, in the distance, looked alive with crashing waves but there were no whitecaps or any telltale signs of wind. I was in Maui....finally, after years of fantasizing about the spiritual birthplace of windsurfing. I was standing on the expansive deck of our Haiku rental home, overlooking the north shore and Hookipa in the distance. I had it all...except wind. I was even staying on the same street that windsurfing legend and acrobat Robert Teriitehau called home. Surely the wind gods must have noticed me. I spent two weeks in Maui over the Christmas holidays and I only saw one day that was windy enough to windsurf...but what a day. Mast high at Hookipa. My dream had come true.

If there's one vital piece of information that I learned during my trip to Maui, it was that I should never even think about windsurfing at Hookipa. I'd read  that Hookipa was for experts only. I'd seen the videos of tourists collecting their half digested gear off of the rocks. If professionals break gear and get toasted in the waves occasionally, then it was no place for an intermediate windsurfer such as myself. There are many places on Maui that cater to windsurfers of my caliber. Kanaha Beach Park is the first to come to mind. I went there on one of the more or less windless days that plagued me. It never really was windless but it just wasn't windy enough for any sustained planing. I noticed a commercial windsurfing van in the upwind parking lot and it looked like some hapless tourists were about to have their first windsurfing lesson. The best day of their lives I suspect.  There are many businesses on Maui that make it easy for you to get windsurfing. They offer sales, lessons and rentals. Many of them are located in Kahului, the central commercial district on Maui and only minutes from Kanaha. Kanaha offers plenty of flat water on the inside of the reef and waves further out for those who need a bigger thrill.

Much of the north shore looks like a windsurfing paradise from Kanaha to Sprecklesville to Paia to Hookipa. Most of the time that I was there the swell ranged from 3 meters to 4.5 meters. Big stuff. I wouldn't claim to have much knowledge of the windsurfing since I didn't even get out on the water but it looks to me like you could have the time of your life with enough wind. The water is a perfect temperature at almost 80 degrees, no shock getting in. The air was so warm and inviting that you could walk down the beach with no clothes on but, sadly in some specific cases, nobody did so. Conditions could only be described as the most pleasant imaginable. I live on a Canadian lake which was frozen so how could I be anything but in love with Maui?

So what do you do on Maui when it isn't windy? Well, you can surf. I saw surfers at Hookipa every single day except for a couple when most of the north shore was closed out from the swell. I'm no surfing expert but it looked pretty sweet to me. Six to twelve foot waves that were very rideable. Again, Hookipa was a spot for expert men and women surfers. Paddling out through the surf would be too much for the average Joe. Tiffany Ward, windsurfing wave sailor and Chinook boom tugger, was surfing but that's no surprise as she's built like a brick shithouse (strong that is). I saw legendary waterman Laird Hamilton one day at Hookipa. Yes, he's got a neck like an oak tree. I'd love to see a celebrity deathmatch between Tiff and Laird, tough for the oddsmakers to call that one. Laird was standing on a very large surfboard and making his way out through the waves by using a long paddle. It looked unconventional but it worked for him as he paddled and surfed his way back in style and in control. He looked like the god Neptune out on the water. It's hard to explain but he really stands out in a crowd of surfers. I can't imagine what it must be like to surf or windsurf at Jaws. In a step toward my 'never gonna happen' goal of surfing Jaws, I took a surfing lesson at LaHaina on the south side of Maui. The two hour lesson was exactly what this surfing newbie needed. Three days later I went back and rented a board and surfed the very forgiving LaHaina Harbor break on my own.

My rental home in Haiku was only minutes from Peahi which is the area of Maui that is home to the monster, yet sorta/kinda rideable wave known as Jaws. I knew roughly where Jaws was located but not exactly. One surf shop clerk gave me explicit written instructions on how to get there. He was wrong. I came to a blocked road that held a sign stating "This is not Jaws". Surely this sign was there to mislead me and keep me away from my destination....it wasn't. I backtracked and checked another road but decided that if I wanted to return my rental car with four tires and an exhaust pipe, I'd better not go any further. So Jaws eluded me but not for lack of trying.  I had one surfer tell me that Jaws was 45 feet one day during my stay on Maui. He was reluctant to tell me exactly how to find Jaws even though he clearly knew how. Another person told me that Jaws had been as big as 25 feet during my vacation. For the moment,  Jaws remains elusive and just outside of my grasp.

Touring around the island by car is an adventure in every direction. The famed road to Hana did not disappoint with its many switchbacks, one lane bridges and killer scenery. The road beyond Hana, where you're not supposed to take rental cars, was even better. This was the rugged Hawaii that you imagine. Volcanic rock cliffs, deep blue water and foliage ranging from verdant green to sun-baked ochre. The driving was at times white-knuckle and not for the faint of heart but I'd do it again without hesitation. Eventually the 'beyond Hana' loop, which follows the coastline, will take you back to up-country Maui and the Tedeschi winery. Drop in, join a tour and sample the locally made pineapple and grape wines. You can purchase wine in the gift shop and toast your successful circumnavigation of eastern Maui. The interior of eastern Maui is comprised solely of the dormant (not extinct) volcano known as Haleakala. Haleakala is 10023 feet high and you can, and should, drive to the top. You'll want to make this trek when there are few clouds around the volcano. It's a popular activity to get up at 4:30am and drive to the top of the crater in order to watch the sunrise which can be spectacular. Also very popular is the organized bike tour which has you biking from the top of Haleakala downhill to sea-level. I didn't do this myself but I saw reams of people who did.

One last scenic drive is from LaHaina to Kahului along the northwestern shore. Part of this road is not recommended for rental cars as it is narrow and winding but it definitely offers the 'WOW' factor.  It's stunning and every bit as beautiful as the Hana drive but not quite as lush or jungle-like. Stop along the way at a roadside stand and purchase locally made banana bread, candied coconut (delish!) or dried mango. If the swell is pumping you might catch them surfing the pipeline at Honolua Bay. The view from the cliffs is the next best thing to having a helicopter dangle you over the surf.

Windsurfing... one word...Hookipa. The one windy day that I experienced on Maui will remain in my mind for the rest of my life or, at least, until it is replaced by more Hookipa memories. On the first day of January the swell was huge and the wind came in from the east to create nice sideshore conditions. There were only a half dozen or so windsurfers out but two of them were wave champions Kevin Pritchard and Francisco Goya. I arrived on the beach just in time to see Kevin Pritchard rip and slash his last wave of the day. It was incredible to watch. I spoke to a windsurfer on the beach who may have been veteran wavesailor Alex Aguera. I asked him to rate the conditions as I wouldn't know the difference between a perfect Hookipa day and an average day. He gave it a seven out of ten for various reasons. Not a perfect day but pretty darned good with mast high waves.  Francisco Goya was a study of contrasts on the water and on land. On the water he seemed completely comfortable with the chaos going on around him. He seemed to know the waves personally and it appeared there were no surprises for him. He looked like a kid playing in his own back yard. On the beach he was tweaking and adjusting prototypes for his 2007 Goya line of boards. His face showed an intensity that you don't often see on anyone other than professional athletes who are in 'the zone'. At the same time he seemed to exude a sense of satisfaction at being at Hookipa on this day. Not exactly a smile on his face but more the look of someone who knows who they are and why they are here. Goya was the last windsurfer to leave the water on that day.

On many occasions while driving past Paia and towards Kahului, I would see a man who, for reasons unknown, would be standing on the side of the highway throwing imaginary jabs and punches at passing cars. It was baffling yet strangley memorable. On the drive to the airport on my final day on Maui, I made the obligatory drive through the Hookipa parking lot filling my senses with one last fix. I passed through Paia and fondly remembered the many great meals enjoyed there, fish burgers in particular.  I drove the highway to Kahului and looked for my shadow boxing friend but he was nowhere to be seen. I left Maui immensely satisfied yet craving so much more of what I had just experienced. I discovered on-line that it got windy the day after I left Maui and has been windy ever since. I can't imagine that any windsurfer ever goes to Maui just once.