Maui Hawaii Updates

You can see the Kai Kanani coming into shore from the morning snorkeling trip to Molokini.  The Kai Kanani is one of our favorite vessels in Maui waters because it's a stable, roomy catamaran and is the only boat allowed to make beach entries in Makena.  The great location combined with the easy access to Molokini makes the Kai Kanani the best choice for snorkeling Molokini.

This was a perfect day to be on the beach (not that it's a rare thing on Maui!)  We hope you like the photo.  By the way, this was taken with an iPhone.  Pretty amazing, huh?

Kids were free under 12 last night (and will be again on Sunday), which made for a fun, lively atmosphere on the golf course.  Many people came to see Megan Fox receive the Iris Award.  She's a very good looking, young actress, but she was a little shy about staying on stage.  She showed up a bit late, and looked as though she'd had a few mai tais (though this should be expected since our visiting stars are on vacation here.  Forgiven.)  None the less, it was a pleasure to see her in person (and even better watching festival organizer Barry Rivers nervously cozy up for a photo with her.) UPDATE: Turns out she hadn't had any drinks at dinner at Gannons.  Her waiter said she drank a lot of tea and that was it.  Maybe it was stage jitters.

THE REAL STAR of last night was Jack McCoy, director of A Deeper Shade of Blue.  This was his 25th surf movie, and a great one at that.  Being an avid surfer, I've seen almost every surf flick out there.  They've made dozens of surf history films, and this one was unique in that it was entertaining while remaining comprehensive.  It felt as though even non-surfers remained engaged throughout.  He did a great job at moving back and forth through the timeline so us shortboarders wouldn't lose interest.  The contrast of seeing guys like Jordy Smith chucking rodeo flips against old-school longboarding shenanigans made for a really fun film.  Jack is a legend and his speeches when receiving the Beacon Award were touching.  He said it was an honor to premiere his movie in Hawaii (his original home.)  He also bellowed, "Maui no ka oi!"  So true!

The second feature was Na Nai'a: Legend of the Dolphins, which is what Megan Fox was there to promote.  The most impressive part of this movie was the fact that they managed to get so many big stars lending their voices to narration.  James Franco, Megan Fox, Whoopi Goldberg, Kate Winslet, Darryl Hannah, Cheech Marin, and many more made the movie more interesting.  It followed the 8 different "Tribes" of dolphins around the world and was narrated in a trippy 1st person.  The film was not totally finished (not uncommon for film festival movies looking for a final push of financing for polishing.)  Some of the shots were incredible, and others were forgettable.  The film was a little too long with forced poetry.  I think I counted the word "magical" being used at least 3 times in the first half.  The 15 minute dolphin orgy made up for it though.

For future reference, the best deal for watching the movies at Celestial Cinema is to go to Gannon's and make an early reservation.  They Call it Dinner & a Movie, where you get parking and Vip seating if you spend more than $29. (YOU STILL HAVE TO BUY A TICKET!)

The Gannon's VIP seating is centered, but it's at the back (we prefer to be a little closer to the screen.)  It is nice to get this seating because people show up pretty early and stake their claim to the best grass plots.

You can follow more of the Maui Film Festival through our Maui Twitter account as we go to every event we can.

Sitting on the boat off Makena Beach at 6:30 AM, I couldn’t help but wonder what I’d been thinking when I booked this trip with Kai Kanani Sailing.  Be at the beach at 6:15?  No problem.  But after an excellent dinner at Sansei and a little too much sake the night before, I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to be squinting into the early morning light on a rocking boat.

My hesitation completely subsided once we'd arrived at the beautiful and luxurious Makena Beach & Golf Resort, and as soon as we were underway I knew I’d made a good decision.  The steady forward motion of the boat eased the rumblings of my stomach, and getting up early meant I’d beat the trade winds that start to blow almost every day at 10 AM.  The ocean was calm and crystal clear.  The only breeze was the one we made as we cruised south toward Molokini.  Behind us Maui glowed red as the sun made its way up and over Haleakala.

Our boat was the first to the Molokini Crater.  Within a few minutes the captain found the mooring closest to land.  The crew went over a few safety instructions, and then the ocean was ours.  I saw Yellow tang, snappers, and butterfly fish.  The corals were vivid white, pink, and tan, and parrot fish picked away at them, eating algae and grinding the coral into sand.  Sea cucumbers, slate pencil urchins, shrimp, and snowflake eels hugged the cracks and crevices.  Life was everywhere.  

The crew called us up and we were off to Turtle Town, a spot near Makena Landing where the lava rocks meet the ocean and provide ample safe resting places for turtles.  In our time there I counted 12 turtles, some resting along the bottom, some cruising along just below the surface.  The wind had not yet picked up and the calm surface allowed me to just float, watching the turtles without worrying about drifting toward the rocks.

Two hours later, my feet were back on land and all signs of sushi and sake were gone.  I’d seen several days’ worth of undersea life in a mere two hours, and I felt accomplished.  I headed to breakfast with the rest of the day stretching out before me, more than happy I was standing on a boat at 6:30 in the morning. 

This is our favorite Maui panoramic to date!  

The problem with getting married at Makena Cove is that you're likely not going to have it to yourself.  This morning, there was only 1 wedding and 1 family photo shoot in the 2 hours we were there.  This is rare.  On top of the weddings, many people come to suntan here as well.  This wouldn't be a problem on most other beaches, but this one is so small, it's difficult to ignore people.  At times, we've seen 5-6 weddings going on AT THE SAME TIME!!

We suggest using a different beach when getting married, or at least do it off season at Makena Cove.

This was shot a few months ago at Makena Cove in south Maui. It's also called Secret Beach and sometimes the Wedding Factory.

You access this tiny beach through a stone wall between homes in Makena. The lava rock, color of the water, sunset view, light sands, and palm trees make it a favorite wedding location for Maui brides.

The only problem with getting married at Makena Cove is that others might also be thinking the same thing. It's a public beach, so you can't reserve the beach, and you may have beach goers hanging out too.

It's a beautiful beach to hang out on or get married. It's very small, and if no one knew about it, it would be the perfect little hideaway.

There are plenty of other great beaches in Maui. You can find hidden gems that are not crowded if you take the time.

These photos show just exactly how great a wedding can be in South Maui.  The water is turquoise, the sky clear and blue, and the backgrounds dramatic with black lava rock and tall palms.  Makena Cove is a great spot for photos, but it can get crowded for such a small beach.  It's other name is Secret Beach, but it's no secret.  On any given day, you're likely to see at least 2-3 weddings on this tiny beach.

Congats Kristin and Jeremy!  You make a beautiful couple!

This island is ridiculously beautiful. Here's Big Beach (Makena Beach) in all of it's glory.