Archive for the ‘News’ Category

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Maui Ocean Center Welcomes New Turtles

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

Turtle CrossingI just received a note from subscribing to the Maui Ocean Center newsletter that they will be having a traditional Hawaiian blessing tomorrow, August 27th at 1pm to welcome a batch of 6 new hatchlings on loan from Sea Life Park on Oahu.

We’ve been huge fans of these guys since we first saw them popping up their heads from the water outside of our ocean front room at the Sheraton. And since we’re not avid snorkelers, we get our up-close turtle fix by visiting the Maui Ocean Center instead. Based on this update from the MOC, I think there’s a very good chance we’ll be paying them a visit next month as part of our mini Trip 5. They look too cute to pass up.

More from the newsletter:

Turtles at Maui Ocean Center
Maui Ocean Center cares for a total of 12 green sea turtles; the six new hatchlings and six which are juvenile. While at Maui Ocean Center, the turtles are fed a primarily vegetarian diet, including algae brought from the ocean, to prepare them for their eventual release to the open sea. The turtles were captive-bred at Sea Life Park on Oahu. Sea Life Park is home to a colony of adult Hawaiian green sea turtles which produces 200 to 300 hatchlings each year, most of which are released into the wild. A few of these, including the turtles at Maui Ocean Center, become part of the Hawaii Green Sea Turtle Educational Loan Program and are released at a later age to provide an educational opportunity for those that visit these institutions.

If you happen to be nearby in the next month or so, and hadn’t thought of visiting the ocean center, maybe this might change your mind.

In fact, I remember shooting video from the Turtle Lagoon exhibit at the MOC a few years ago that I posted on YouTube. Grant it, I spend way more time working with Photoshop than editing movies, so the quality has a lot to be desired, but it’s still fun. Someday I’ll get around to tweaking the quality.

In any case, here you go.

More Honu Love

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Posted in News, Trip 5 Plans, Videos | 1 Comment »

The State of Hawaii Turns 50

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Hula Pie - BeforeIt was 50 years ago today, on August 21st, 1959, that the Hawaiian islands officially became the 50th state in the union. In honor of reaching the big 5-0, how about a little slice of celebratory Hula Pie?

Some Suggested Reading
In case you weren’t aware, statehood in Hawaii to some Native Hawaiians and their supporters is a very controversial subject. It was certainly not something I was aware of when we started visiting the islands with frequency, and a subject I have been following for about a year now.

This statehood milestone has given rise to more media coverage of these issues of Hawaiian sovereignty and, combined with the power of the Internet, information and history surrounding this movement has never been more accessible. I wanted to share a few news articles and links for those who are interested in learning more.

My Opinion
One of my primary rules here for this blog is not to engage in politics or enter into these types of debates. There are many other forums and places that are better suited for such. I realize that is a cop out for not sharing my own views here, and I apologize.

I will say that ever since I fell in love with the Hawaiian islands (particularly Maui) as a visitor a few years ago, I have done everything I can to support the land, her people, and their culture. I do my best to live Aloha and share that spirit with as many people as I can, and through as many channels as I have access to here on the mainland. I have connected with, and met in person, some of the greatest people I know through talking story and sharing experiences with Hawaii, more so than any other place I’ve visited. That is one of the many things that continues to draw us back to the islands year after year.

I have done my best to understand the debate over statehood and the views on both sides. Of course, in the end I am truly just an outsider looking in on the entire matter, and therefore I only play the role of an observer with goals to stay as informed and educated on the subject as possible. I’m not one to try an influence others one way or another on most topics, and this is one of them. At best, my hope is to share the information that I come across that I feel is helpful to others.

Talk Story
Again, my intent here is not to start a debate or argue for or against statehood. I would still love to hear your thoughts, though, and if you have a link or two that you’d like to share, please feel free to do so.

Also, if you are planning to celebrate this anniversary, I’d love to hear about those stories, too.

Mahalo,
– Kris

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Aloha Friday – June 26th, 2009

Friday, June 26th, 2009

0626 - June 26th

Aloha Friday
An old version of the sign out front of Whalers Village.

Back today with another Aloha Friday photo after missing the last few weeks.  I like this photo, even though this sign has since replaced with a new one.  It’s a reminder that even though all of our past trips have essentially centered out of the same spot in Ka’anapali, there is something always new and different to discover at Whalers Village.  The second year we were there, they updated the sign and a few shops.  This past February, there were even bigger changes with the Rusty Harpoon moving out and the edition of Cindy’s favorite, Swarovski, near where Tiffany’s used to be.

Our Aloha Friday photo each week is from our Maui Photo Day Calendar. Visit www.mauiphotocal.com for more details on how to add a new Maui photo on your iGoogle page or your blog everyday, as well as how to subscribe via RSS.

In the News – Sheraton Working Giving Back
In addition to the Aloha Friday photo, I ran across this article in the Lahaina News this morning that I wanted to pass along:

School receives fresh coat of paint from Sheraton workers

You probably know by now that we’re fans of the Sheraton, so that’s one reason why it popped up on my radar (thanks to a Google News Search).  It’s just one of many touching examples of how people from all over the islands regularly show off their Aloha Spirit and give back to the communities around them. I posted a link to another story back in December about members of the Ka’anapali Beach Resort Association joined to participate in a holiday drive that raised 30,000 pounds of food for families in need. You may only hear about these stories every now and then, but you can rest assured that this type of community sharing and commitment can be found somewhere on the islands just about every week, however large or small.

Follow Friday
Profile So, I’ve been sort of absent from the Twitter seen for the last two weeks now, only jumping back in earlier this week. I don’t have a full Follow Friday list like before, and I actually wanted to take a moment for a shameless plug of the new Maui site I’m working on. :)

So, I’m inviting you to follow @MauiByPhoto on Twitter and help me spread the word.  I’m targeting Monday for the initial launch of the new site, so be sure to look for an announcement soon.

As for the new site?  It’s going to be mainly a blog format, but with a few slight twists. Relatively small in the grand scheme of things, it’s primary goal is to highlight the beauty and magic of Maui through some of my best photos, and be a place where fellow Maui fans and residents can talk story about some of the best places, and their favorite memories, on the island.  It’s not a replacement for the site here or any other of the great Hawaii blogs out there, just a little place to stop along the way. :)

I’m pretty excited (and slightly nervous) about the concept, and here’s to hoping it’s well received.  Hoping to see you there.

Mahalo,
- Kris

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Posted in Aloha Friday, Follow Friday, News | 1 Comment »

News: County Department Proposing New Beach Rules

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Westin 023Came across this article from the Maui News this weekend and thought it would be something worth sharing.

Maui News Article: County ‘drawing a line’ in sand with park rules
Posted on: June 21st, 09

The short recap of the story and the issues at hand are new rules being proposed by the county’s Parks and Recreation department. The aim of the new rules is to limit the number of tour and activity operators that can function on certain beaches, as well as only during specified periods. The effort is being made to help reduce some of the crowding these tour operators are said to have on beaches around the island, both popular and small.

Please read the article for all the details, as well as good points on both side of the argument. Since our site here has a good mix of both Maui residents and frequent visitors to the Valley Isle, I thought there’d be a good range of opinions to talk story about. Cindy and I, personally, like to refrain from planning our beach trips on the weekends, mainly because we assume that’s when the island residents make their way to the beach to enjoy the paradise around them.

Talk Story
Tell us what you think. There are good arguments to be made on each side, particularly the point of “why now?”  Also, if you’re a resident of Maui, have you seen some of these crowding scenarios first-hand?  We’ve seen the usual surf schools and even a catamaran every now and then docking right on the sands of Ka’anapali Beach. For us, it’s not a major inconvenience, but that’s because we’re only visiting.

What do you think?

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News: Maui Sub Spies Whales from Below

Saturday, April 25th, 2009

I wanted to pass on the following news story from the Maui News website that was posted on April 23rd, 2009.

The Depth of Pursuit

When most people think of whale watching in Maui, they usually envision boats out on the water leaving from Lahaina or Maalaea Harbors. Well, how about a close encounter with the giant mammals from a different angle, under the water!

That’s exactly the unexpected scenario that the crew and passengers of a Atlantis Submarines excursion witnessed earlier this month. Now, we haven’t taken a submarine tour ourselves on our trips, but we can only imagine how amazing this 45-minute standoff with not just one whale, but an entire competition pod was.

Be sure to check out the article for all the incredible details and notes on just how rare of an occurrence this is for a submarine tour. There are also a few photos and a link to an absolutely remarkable video of the encounter that was posted to YouTube.

Enjoy.

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