2/4/99: Another wonderful morning walk here in upcountry. Also took another ride into town… We went through all of our stuff, old and newly acquired, and tried to repack it in preparation for mailing it back to the mainland tomorrow… We had laulau for dinner (pork and/or chicken stuffed in a clump of rice, wrapped in ti leaves, then steamed. Yummy. And pumpkin pie for dessert…
2/4/24: *During our 1999 stay with Dad & Mom at the end of our round-the-world trip, we did not take many photos. So, I am posting photos and stories from some of our other trips to Maui over the years.
There is one hike and part of Wai’anapanapa State Park that is, sadly, as of 2022, no longer open to the public. The caves of Wai’anapanapa at the State Park are now closed to the public because of falling rocks which have led to accidental deaths of visitors. The background of the caves is still worth knowing though. The caves are filled with fresh spring water which floats on top of salt water that comes up with the tide. The top layer has crystal clarity. Also interesting, is that the cave system has several chambers that are only accessible by swimming under water through various openings. There is a legend that a woman named Popo’alaea, who was the wife of Chief Ka’akea, hid in these caves when she fled his cruel treatment. The inner caves are only reachable by swimming under water, but are dimly illumined by the sun reflecting off of the sandy cave floor. Ka’akea discovered Popo’alaea when, at low-tide, her image from an inner cave was reflected off the surface of the water, and he murdered her there. In the Spring, krill shrimp sometimes cover the cave floor turning the ambient light reflections blood-red, and it is said to mark the memory of Pop’alaea’s murder.
NOTE: The photo above shows me with Ian and Josiah, at the head of the former shot trail to the now-closed caves of Wai’anapanapa, during our 2010 trip to Maui.
