This weekend is shaping up to be chock full of events and celebrations on all corners of the island. Here is a rundown of what Maui visitors and residents will be able to find around the island.

• If you are on the North Shore, the annual Haiku Ho’olaulea and Flower Festival kicks off on Saturday. After struggling with showery conditions when the event was scheduled earlier in the year, the festival has been bumped back to an April date. This community event is located at the Haiku Community Center just off of Hana Highway. Proceeds from the event benefit the Haiku Community Association, Boys and Girls Club of Maui and Haiku School. The event has been spread over two days this year instead of the usual one. Day one starts at 9:00 AM on Saturday and includes local restaurant booths, a keiki zone, floral displays and live music. The Sunday event is more Hawaiian themed with a traditional luau, Hawaiian Music, Historical discussions and talk story sessions. You can find additional details at the Haiku Ho’olaulea website.
• The East Maui Taro Festival is also set to happen this weekend. Saturday’s festivities occur at the Hana Ball Park with food booths, arts and crafts, hula, music and more. The fun also starts at 9:00 AM and runs until 4:00 PM. The festivities continue on Sunday with the traditional Taro pancake breakfast running from 7:30-10:30 AM at Hana Bay. That is followed by Farm and Garden tours throughout East Maui. For more details, check out the East Maui Taro Festival website.
• Over in West Maui, the Maui Steel Guitar Festival is being held at the Ka’anapali Beach Hotel. This event runs through Sunday and features musical performances by some of Hawaii’s most talented musicians. There are opportunities for the public to play with the masters as well. Check out the Maui Steel Guitar Festival website for a full program and ticket information.
• Last but not least, the town of Lahaina is celebrating the 140th birthday of its famous Banyan Tree. This is another two day festival off of Front Street with food, music and more all around the base of this island landmark.

There is fun to be had on all over Maui. The hardest choices will be which of these great events you want to attend. We hope everyone has a fun filled Maui weekend!

The beaches of South Maui are world renowned for their beauty. These beaches offer golden sand, blue waters and great areas for swimming and snorkeling. A couple of weekends ago, I went snorkeling at Palauaea Beach (also known as White Rock Beach in Makena. There is particularly good snorkeling starting just about ten yards off the north end of the beach. Here is a quick video I shot of the snorkeling excursion using a Contour Roam camera.

Makena and Wailea are resort communities that are synonymous with luxury. As the video shows, they are also areas of tremendous natural beauty. If you are looking for a luxury property with access to beautiful beaches and great snorkeling, Wailea and Makena might be a good option. You can find the current inventory of Makena and Wailea Condos for Sale and Makena and Wailea Homes for Sale on MauiRealEstate.com.

A Grove of Redwoods Upcountry Makes for a Fun Outing

The Jalbert family headed to Upcountry Maui on Sunday afternoon for an overnight stay at the Polipoli Cabin in Polipoli State Park. This park is located above Kula at an elevation of 6,200 feet. The native forest was cut down during the 1800s and the area remained deforested into the early 20th century. During the 1920s, this area of Maui was reforested with non-native trees. Eucalyptus, Ash, Pine, Cedar and Coastal Redwood were planted to replace the native forest.

The redwoods have flourished in the area. Clouds that drape along the Western side of Haleakala replicate the foggy conditions that commonly occur in Coastal California. The biggest trees are over 150 feet tall and the widest have a diameter in excess of seven feet. It makes for a pretty cool experience to see these towering trees just seventy minutes from the beaches and palm trees of Paia.

The Polipoli cabin is rustic and has no electricity. It does have hot water, a gas stove and a wood burning stove. We put the wood stove to good use with temperatures dropping into the low 40s at night. When you ventured outside at night, the forest was about as silent as could be. The peace and quiet we experienced is hard to replicate in the hustle and bustle of the modern world. Elevation and lesser light pollution made for some amazing stars.

As a Realtor, I am frequently asked if I ever get bored living on an island in the middle Pacific. I can safely say no and the reason why is the diversity offered on Maui. I live within an hour and a half of rainforests, lava fields, desert environments, alpine environments and even a Redwood Forest.

I had a great overnight camping trip up in Haleakala National Park on Friday night. After pitching a tent in Hosmer’s Grove just inside the park’s entrance, we headed up to the summit to take in the crater views and the sunset. It had been quite a while since I had been up to the summit. I immediately regretted my extended absence. The vistas of the crater, the surrounding islands and of Maui itself make this one of the more stunning locales on the planet. The skies also managed to put on quite a show. We were treated to a fiery sunset. As the last of the sunset colors faded, the night skies began to shimmer with stars.

After a great night of sleep in the crisp mountain air, we awoke early in the morning for a quick hike on the Halema’u’u trailhead. This took us to an overlook of the crater and the Koolau Gap on the North side of the dormant volcano. Out timing was good as the crater and gap views were shrouded in clouds not long after we arrived. A little more than an hour after finishing our hike, we were back down at sea level in Paia. The air felt warmer than usual compared to the crisp, cool summit air. It is hard to imagine such a diversity of climates in close proximity. It is truly a testament to the diversity of environments in Maui.

I was out in Hana yesterday for a real estate appointment. While headed through town, I needed a lunch break. My girlfriend and I stopped at the Hana Fresh Market in front of Hana Health Center. Hana Fresh has an organic farm that is located on seven acres behind the Health Center. The Hana Fresh Farm is directly tied into the Health Center as part of their overall preventive heath care strategy. They are trying to bring healthier diets to the local community with fresh organic produce. The Hana Fresh Market sells produce from the farm, salads, paninis, smoothies, coffee, assorted drinks and other lunch items.

I had a nice piece of salmon covered in Hana Fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. It came with a side of roasted potatoes. The food was delicious and well priced at $8. The salmon was well cooked as were the potatoes. You could tell the cucumbers and tomatoes had been picked in the last 48 hours. My girlfriend had the Cobb Salad. It was a huge salad with generous thick cuts of bacon, lots of hard boiled egg, good chicken and plenty of blue cheese. The greens were as fresh as could be and truly tasty. I am not exactly an experienced food blogger so I forgot to take photos before eating our meal. Better late than never.

In addition to our lunches. We also picked up a big bag of green beans for last night’s dinner. As with all of the other Hana Fresh produce, the quality was outstanding.

The Road To Hana offers limited dining options. For those that are looking for a healthy alternative, I would highly recommend Hana Fresh. You can eat in the shade at the market or take your food to go for a picnic elsewhere. Maybe you could even head out to Koki Beach. Here is a picture we took above Koki after lunch. Needless to say, it makes for a stunning backdrop for a picnic.

Hana Fresh Market is open Monday-Friday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. They are open from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Saturday. Even if you aren’t in Hana, you can look for Hana Fresh Produce at Maui grocery stores like Mana Foods in Paia and Whole Foods Market in Kahului. Hana Fresh produce is also used at fine restaurants around the island.

The North Shore of Maui’s funky surf town is bringing a taste of Mardi Gras to Maui for their monthly Fourth Friday party. Paia shops will be staying open late, offering specials, refreshments and entertainment. The February entertainment looks particularly good with a marching brass band performing through town, live music, dance performances, and more. Come on out to Paia town and “Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouller!”

Paia Art Galleries

• Maui Crafts Guild – 69 Hana Hwy (579-9697) DOUBLE artist opening! Tracy Lamon (ceramic masks and tiles) and Diane LaFontaine (multimedia/fresco art pieces) will be featured artists. LIVE MUSIC in front of the store for your enjoyment and FREE refreshments from 6:30 to 9:00.
• Maui Hands – 84 Hana Hwy (579-9245) Maui Hands is having King’s Cake (the food of Mardi Gras). Karla Skarlatti is the jeweler in residence offering 10% off her handmade jewelry. ALSO, 10% off cards are being passed out with purchase to use on your next visit.
• Paia Contemporary Gallery – 83 Hana Hwy (579-8444) View a distinct collection of contemporary abstract artwork & meet the artist Brad Huck while he demonstrates his unique process live in the gallery from 6-8pm.
• Turnbull Fine Art – 137 Hana Hwy (579-9385) Turnbull Fine Art is featuring artist, Semyon Bilmes. Originally from the Soviet Union, he migrated to the US where he brought his traditional talent and had a very successful career as an illustrator. His classical, yet dreamy magically invoked images make you wonder what could be around the corner. There could be a magician there as a surprise…

Paia Beauty Services

• Dr Bennetts Med Spa – 62 Baldwin Ave (579-8979) For February 4th Friday we will be doing buddy botox (bring a buddy to the Med Spa and receive botox for only $10/unit).
• Grace Beauty – 62 Baldwin Ave (579-9779) Harp player and sangria!
• Thee Salon -109 Baldwin Ave (579-6333) 8pm – Thee Salon is hosting “Heart of Africa”, a fashion show celebrating and benefitting The Masaai Womens Art Project of Tanzania. Dance to the sounds of DJ Sweetbeats and DJ Kidd while viewing fashions by Everything Rozy and jewelry by the Tanzanian women. African Dance performances throughout the evening.

Paia Boutiques

• Biasa Rose -104 Hana Hwy (579-8602) hosting a Jasmine Honey Designs trunkshow featuring beautiful locally made jewelry
• Indigo – 149 Hana Hwy (579-9199) Mardi Gras Ball in the parking lot! Karen B w/Helmet Conspiracy on the stage at 7 followed by Northshore favorites, The Freeradicals Projekt hitting the stage at 8.
• Oceania Maui – 120 Hana Hwy (579-6063) From 5-8pm, get 15% off all sterling silver and Tahitian pearl jewelry. Plus a special sarong tying demonstration: Get tied up by Corinne!
• Tamara Catz Boutique – 83 Hana Hwy (579-9184) Live drumming and dance performance in the courtyard.
• Wings Hawaii – 71 Baldwin Ave (579-3110) Wings Hawaii will be hosting their grand reopening! The Wings Girls have been working hard renovating their store over the last week. They plan to open their doors to the public just in time for Fourth Friday! The will also be hosting artist, Maile Iwanaga. She has been in residence for the past few weeks. She holds an MFA from Long Beach State. Iwanaga is a ceramicist that has made some amazing sculptures as well as a series of decaled plates that we will be presenting on final friday! Live Music and Refreshments!

Paia Coffee Shops

• Pa’ia Bay Café – 137 Hana Hwy (579-9130) Poni Brendan and her band performing in front courtyard all night.

Paia Grocery/Wine Stores

• Mana Foods – 49 Baldwin Ave (579-8078) Kona Red will sample their delicious KonaRed™ Coffee Fruit beverages. The fruit is sourced exclusively from Kona, Hawaii farms (USA), and can be followed from the field to your bottle, every step of the way. Real time ”farm-to-table.”

Paia Restaurants

• Charley’s – 142 Hana Hwy (579-9453) Celebrate Fourth Friday in Paia at Charley’s! Marty Dread w/ the Marty Dread Band and DJ Boomshot. 9:30 pm
• Flatbread Pizza – 89 Hana Hwy (579-8989) Special benefit for Maui’s teen robotics champions. Check out a robot that can carry a pizza!
• Moana Café – 71 Baldwin Ave (579-9999) Heart Tribe presents “Do It For the Kitty”, a fundraiser for the Boo Boo Zoo featuring The Human Experience (journey-dub), Maesyn (lyrical, violinist), Alyra Rose (gypsy folk) and Freedom Stylew/the ManaFantasticks. Starts at 9. Music during dinner service as well.

Here is a map of Paia parking locations for Fourth Friday. Arrive early as parking can get a little tight in town.