Before you rent a car in the islands you may want to take a peek at the problems one couple had on the Big Island. Sheila, who writes govisithawaii.com, and her husband Andy recently got more than they bargained for in a Dollar Rent a Car. You can take a look at her open letter to Dollar here. Be sure and read the comments. Yuk!
Credits: The Roach - SWAT pest control; Dollar Logo - Dollar Rent a Car
Aloha Airlines announced today that it will be shutting down its inter-island and transpacific passenger flight operations. Aloha’s last day of operations will be Monday, March 31, 2008. On that day, Aloha will operate its schedule with the exception of flights from Hawaii to the West Coast and flights from Orange County to Reno and Sacramento, and Oakland to Las Vegas. Code-share partner United Airlines and other airlines are prepared to assist and accommodate Aloha’s passengers who have been inconvenienced.The airline, which had just emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2006, filed again for bankruptcy protection last week. On March 21 Aloha announced the bankruptcy court permitted them to continue operations. However no new investors were found for the passenger business and the Airline was forced to cease operation.
Seattle based Saltchuk Resources on Thursday offered to buy Aloha’s cargo operations for an undisclosed amount, but said it wasn’t interested in taking over Aloha’s passenger business.
Aloha has suffered since Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group Inc. launched a new interisland carrier called go! airlines in 2006, triggering a local airfare war.
Gov. Linda Lingle said she will ask a bankruptcy judge not to allow the airline to shut down until she is satisfied the airline “exhausted all possible avenues for continuing its operations.”
Link to Aloha Airlines shutdown FAQ
Hawaiian Airlines Assistance for Aloha Airlines Ticket Holders
Ka’eleku Caverns records a moment, frozen in time, from Maui’s distant past. A walk along it’s passages brings one face to face with Maui as it was long ago. A place where lava flowed from inside the earth and built the island we know today.
About 30,000 years ago molten lava flowed down Haleakala near what is now Hana. Along the way it formed the lava tube system known today as Ka’eleku Caverns. Lava tubes are made when flowing lava cools from the outside forming a crust or protective shell around the still red hot lava flowing on the inside. Over time these flows occurred again and again. Each flow left it’s mark, recording it’s passage as amazing formations that can still be seen today.
Ka’eleku Caverns is now a peaceful place where those traveling along the road to Hana can enjoy a tour of the lava tube, catching a glimpse of Maui’s long lost past. After a brief orientation guests are free to tour the ¼ mile of the cavern open to the public at their own pace. Printed guides help visitors identify the many interesting features of the cavern. Guided tours are no longer offered. After the tour, for those so inclined, there’s a picnic area and a one of a kind Red Ti Botanical Garden Maze.
Ka’eleku Caverns is operated by Maui Cave Adventures. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 10:30am to 3:30pm. They’re also open some Sundays, but call ahead. Cost is $11.95 per person, kids 5 and under are free. From Kahului, drive the Hana Highway to just past mile marker #31. Turn left on Ulaino Road. Drive 4/10 mile to the Caverns. Allow about 2 ½ hours for the drive from Kahului and about an hour for the tour.
Ka’eleku Caverns is truly a one of a kind Maui activity and well worth the stop on the road to Hana. Where else can you go 50 feet underground and 30,000 years back in time?
Federal law prohibits whale watching boats from approaching closer than 100 yards to this protected species. Of course no one has informed the whales of this and often they will approach closer. We personally have been on boats where we have been mugged by the whales. This is a good thing. Mugged means being surrounded by whales. The captain has no choice but to turn off the engines and float until there is a parting of the ways.
Although the whales don’t eat while in Hawaiian waters, they come from Alaska where they have been eating krill to their fill for months and they seem to have an abundance of energy. On a good day you’ll see breaches, fin slapping, and much more. Last January we were privileged to watch a calf learning how to breach. Again and again the calf would leap from the water, but just couldn’t seem to get the hang of it. So mom says, “just watch me son” (we’re sure that’s what she said) and demonstrated a breach. Not to be outdone her escort (read male humpback in waiting) said, “no, no, not like that, you do it this way” and demonstrated another breach. The show went on for nearly an hour. It was so good the captain literally backed the boat to Maalaea Harbor so everyone could continue to enjoy the show.
We’ve used Pacific Whale Foundation recently for our tours. And whether we’re visiting for one week or for three, we’ll go every day the weather is good. The trip is about 2 hours long, not nearly long enough for us. If you become a member of the Pacific Whale Foundation, at $40 for individuals and $35 for students and seniors, you’ll receive a 20% discount on all your trips for a year, priority seating and a tee shirt. A naturalist is onboard to explain whale behavior and answer questions. On a quiet day they’ll drop a hydrophone overboard and you can listen to the whale songs.
Pacific Whale Foundation bills itself as “A non-Profit Center for Research, Education and Conservation.” Their naturalist’s presentations will help you come to appreciate these gentle giants of the sea. Frequent “eco-tours” leave from Lahaina and Maalaea. Their main store is in Maalaea, near the Aquarium.
“It was unbelievable” one visitor said. “It was unbelievably cold” said another. “We never even saw the sun” said yet another. Watching the sunrise from atop Maui’s 10,000 foot Haleakala has taken on mythic proportions. And, on a good day the mountain can live up to the hype. On a less than good day it can be, well to say the least, disappointing.
Haleakala is a dormant volcano that rises more than 28,000 feet from the seafloor, the last 2 miles of which are above the level of the sea. It last erupted around 1790. This eruption was not from the caldera at the top of the mountain, but from a cinder cone along the southern flank forming the finger of lava jutting into the ocean at La Perouse Bay.
Legend says that Haleakala was named from a clever trick the demigod Maui played on the sun. Maui’s mother complained that the sun sped by so quickly each day that her tapa cloth would not dry. Maui went to the top of the mountain and waited for the sun to rise then lassoed it, stopping it’s journey across the sky. The sun pleaded with Maui to let it go. Maui agree to let the sun go if it would slow it’s journey across the sky and make the days longer. The sun relented. In honor of this Hawaiians call the mountain Haleakala, or “house of the sun.”
If you decide to go you’re going to have to get up early to make it to the top of the mountain before sunrise. On August 1, 2007 the sun rises at 5:52 am, on the 15 th it rises at 5:57 am, and on September 1 at 6:02 am. To get a parking spot in one of the lots you’ll need to get there much earlier. Dress warmly, bring a flashlight, and hope for good weather.
The National Park Services Haleakala Sunrise and Sunset page is here. Be sure to check out the FAQ.
On to Slaughterhouse Beach. Just begin a leisurely drive along Maui’s Highway 30, through Lahaina, Kaanapali, Kahana and Kapalua. You’ll find Slaughterhouse Beach just north of the 32 mile marker. There’s a parking area on the ocean side of the road. Slaughterhouse’s official name is Mokuleia Bay.
Be ready to walk down more than a 100 feet of staircase, (seems like at least 2000 steps down and then huff and puff your way up probably 3000 on the way back up, to us). What you’ll find at the bottom is a beautiful beach of white sand bordered to the front by the ocean, the back by the cliff and about the length of a football field. Because of it’s location the beach is usually shaded till mid morning and is not too crowded early in the day. During winter months heavy surf is common here so as always use caution. On calm days boogie boarding and snorkeling are favorite activities here. The cliff also shelters the wind and blocks the traffic noise. There are no facilities here.
So, you may ask, how did such a beautiful place get such a gory name. Well just imagine blood thirsty pirates rowing ashore with their treasure chests overflowing, kegs of rum and wenches for company. Their captives know the end is near. The entertainment is about to begin! Not a pretty picture is it. Yo ho ho.
The real story is a little more tame, unless you’re a cow that is. Maui had quite a beef industry in the past. The slaughterhouse where the beef was processed was located, you guessed it, near the beach. As time passed the slaughterhouse was no longer needed and was torn down. I don’t know, we sort of liked the pirate and treasure story better, don’t you?
The 60 day ban on commercial bike tours in Haleakala National Park has been extended until at least February, according to The Maui News.
Park Superintendent Marilyn H. Parris said the extension is necessary to allow the park to analyze all of the information it has received pertaining to bike tours within the park.
The original ban was put in place October 10, 2007 in response to the third bike fatality within a year in the park. The purpose of this “safety stand-down” is to determine whether commercial bike tours from the top of Haleakala can operate safely.
The affected bike companies have put alternate routes in place, usually starting from just outside the park entrance at about the 6500′ level.