Pete Jalbert R(S)

My apologies to Gene Autry, but I couldn't resist. My brother Billy and I have always enjoyed heading out for a stand up paddle after work. Maui's North Shore is an ideal location for coast runs on paddle boards. Coast runs entail paddling down the coast with the prevailing trade winds. With the wind at your back, you can often catch and ride unbreaking open ocean swells. If there are breaking waves along the way, we will usually stop and go for a surf. Unfortunately, our down wind paddles have ben pretty limited for the last year and a half. Billy blew a disc in his back. It has been a long and painful rehab process. He is just now getting healthy and this holiday weekend we were able to go on our first two paddles in quite some time.

It has been wonderful to have my brother out in the water again. Our paddles are not only great exercise, but it provides a fantastic vantage point for both the onshore and offshore beauty of Maui. It is pretty spectacular to be able to look back towards shore at towering Haleakala and its cloak of clouds. The elevated vantage point is also ideal for seeing sea life. I have seen all kinds of turtles, fish, rays, small sharks and even whales in the winter. Here's to the continued health of Billy's back and lots of great paddles the rest of the year.

When people think about Maui, they tend to think of white sand beaches, beautiful ocean waters, rainbows and tropical waterfalls. Somehow, cowboys don't make the list. However, cowboys or as they are known locally Paniolos are a big part of the culture and identity of Maui's Upcountry. The slopes of Haleakala have been ranching country since the 1880s. Communities like Makawao formed to help support the needs of ranchers. While there aren't any more feed stores in Makawao town, it still has a cowboy feel and it actively celebrates its Paniolo culture. Fourth of July weekend is the town's biggest celebration of Paniolo culture with the fourth of July parade and the Makawao Rodeo.

This holiday weekend is the 53rd annual rodeo. The rodeo starts at 9:00 AM on Thursday with the qualifying events. Qualifying events are free to the public. Friday morning the annual Fourth of July parade runs through Makawao. The stick horse race starts at 8:45 and the parade starts at 9:00. The Bull Bash is one of the most popular rodeo events. It runs at 7:00 on Friday. Tickets for the Bull Bash are $15. Saturday and Sunday, the rodeo will host all kinds of events including roping, barrels and bull riding. Gates open Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 with the rodeo itself starting at 1:00 PM. Tickets for Saturday and Sunday are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for kids 6-12 and free for children 5 and under. All events are held at the Oskie Rice Arena just up Olinda Road from Makawao town. It should be a fun weekend in the Upcountry.

If you are interested in horse and ranch properties, Maui has options from acreage, to properties with equestrian facilities to huge parcels of ranch land. Contact me for all of the latest horse properties on Maui.

Maui's ideal growing climate has led to the introduction of flora from throughout the world. You will see plants, fruit, flowers and vegetables growing with origins ranging from North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia. I imagine the only continent without representation is Antarctica. Every once in a while, that means you will encounter some sort of flora that is a bit mysterious. I recently was out taking pictures of one of our office's vacant land listings with fellow AR member Georgie Hunter. We were out in the jungle area of eastern Haiku. Right as we were about to leave the property, I noticed a large piece of fruit near laying on the ground near the edge of the parcel.

It wasn't quite like anything I had seen. It was big as evidenced by its size compared to the composition book in the photo above. It was pear shaped, but its rind was that of a citrus. Scratching the rind with my thumb, I got a distinct citrus odor almost like a citronella candle.

I was determined to figure out the identity of this mystery fruit so I brought it home with me. I enlisted the help of Google, every modern sleuth's trusted companion. Judging by its size, I guessed it was a grapefruit variety so that was my first search time I entered. The first few results were mostly domestic varieties. Being that I had never seen something like this on the shelves of an American grocery store, I looked a little down the results for a page with more international flavor. My fourth search result was a promising page as it had links to a number of grapefruit varieties I had never heard of before in my life.

I tried to narrow my search some more by guessing the fruit might be a variety of pummelo. Pummelo's are the largest citrus in the world and an ancestor of the modern grapeguit. Some of the largest grapefruit I have seen on island were actually varieties of pummelo. The fourth click of the pummelo results appears to have revealed the mystery fruit's identity. If I am right, it is non other than the Mato Buntan Pummelo. This is a variety of cone shaped citrus from Taiwan. If anyone else on AR has a good knowledge of citrus varieties, I am always open to other suggestions. In the meantime, I am looking forward to the citrus ripening a little more so I can give it taste test!

There has been a good run of surf on the South Shores of Maui over the last couple of weeks, so I was inspired to to write a blog on the surf scene in Maui. I am writing this with a little bit of trepidation. I am like most surfers in that I like to surf uncrowded waves. I am a wary of adding to the crowds, but if someone has a keen interest in learning to surf who am I to deny them of their opportunity. I am going to keep things pretty general while giving a few tips for beginners who are looking to cut their teeth on Maui's waves.

Surf Seasons on Maui

There are two distinct surf seasons in Maui. Right now, we are in the summer surf season where the vast majority of the waves will be hitting the island's south and west shores. The waves that grace these shores are originating from Fall and Winter storms south of the equator. They come from storm systems from as close as Tahiti to as far away as the waters off the shores of Antarctica. This season tends to start in April and will usually run until September or maybe October.

The last month of south swells typically overlaps with the start of the other Maui surf season. During September, storms begin to track across the Northern Pacific. These storms create swells that strike our North and Western Shores. This season tends to run from late September through April with a peak season of December through March.

Clean winter surf along the North Shore of Maui

Time frame is not the only difference between the two Maui surf seasons. Typically, south swell season brings waves with moderate intensity. The south swell waves are typically less than head high in height and tend to break more gently. The longer travel distance helps moderate the power of the swell. Greater distance also means that waves come in lesser frequency so it is easier to paddle out to the surf break. If you are learning to surf, this is the more friendly of the two surf seasons. The waves are a little less treacherous and your initial water experiences are more likely to be enjoyable. That being said, inexperienced surfers should not just venture out at any spot on the South Shore. There are a number of experts only breaks where lack of skill and experience will be detrimental to your own health and the health of those around you. Only venture out at beginner spots (more about that below).

While South Shores tend to be gentle, the winter swells that grace the island's north shores are renowned world wide for their power. It is common to have swells where wave heights exceed 15 feet on the face and we are usually good for a half dozen or more swells where waves can exceed heights of 25 feet. Maui is home to the largest breaking wave in the world. Along the cliffs of Haiku, there is a spot known as Peahi or Jaws. It draws big wave riders from around the world to test their mettle on waves that have reached heights of 80 feet on the face. These waves move too quickly to be caught by traditional methods . Typically riders will be pulled behind jet skis and whipped into the waves (see more below). The consequences of these waves are intense.

Medium sized wave at Jaws

The North and Northwest facing shores tend to have more power even when the waves aren't 50 feet tall. Plain and simple, this side of the island is a tough area to learn. I would be hard pressed to recommend for beginners to venture out on the North Shore unless conditions are small and they are accompanied by a more experienced friend.

Types of Wave Riding

Maui has always been a place where people have used a variety of vehicles to ride waves. The most traditional method is the surf board. Surfboards come in a variety of sizes for adults ranging from 5' to 11'. These boards are diferentiated into the categories of long boards and short boards. A traditional lonboard is 9' or longer and tends to be wider. The best traditional long boarders will gracefully move up and down the length of the board by cross stepping. The pinnacle of this style is to hang ten. Riders seemingly defying physics by sticking all ten toes over the front nose of a board. It is easier said than done. Long boards typically are used in gentler and smaller waves. That being said, there is a Hawaiian tradition to ride long boards in waves of all sizes.

Author bottom turning on a longboard

During the 1960s, surfing had its own sort of revolution as surfers started chopping their boards down in size. The result was the dawn of short boarding. The shorter boards were more manuverable and allowed surfers to ride in more critical spots of the waves. The manuverability of surfboards and the resulting extreme manuvers have been on a steady trajectory upward ever since. The smaller boards, diminished bouyancy and less stability make short boarding a more challenging element of the sport.

As mentioned previously, big waves often move too quickly to catch by paddling. During the 1990s a group of Maui guys started experimenting with inflatable zodiacs. They towed themselves behind the zodiacs so they had enough speed to catch bigger waves. It did not take long for them to move to more nimble jet skis. After enhancing their equipment to catch waves, they made enhancements on the equipement used to ride waves. Traditionally big wave riding was carried out on bigger boards. Bigger boards made for more paddling power, but they meant less maneuverability. The next stage of the big wave riding evolution was to shorten the tow boards. Nowadays, tow surfers ride short heavier boards that give them tremendous maneuverability. They are riding waves bigger than comprehension in a manner that few would have imagined just a couple of decades ago.

Yikes! This is a monster at Jaws

While the general tendency has been to go to shorter and thinner with surf boards, there has been a recent resurgence in an older stle of surfing that has bucked this trend. Stand up paddle surfing is a sport where surfers stand on jumbo sized longboards. They then use an elongated canoe paddle to propel themselves through the water. This can be done to catch waves or in flat water. Either way it is fun and a great work out. It is the fastest growing part of the surfing tribe.

Author catching a wave stand up paddle surfing

Maui's trade winds have made this one of the best places in the world to combine wind sports and wave riding. The North Shore of Maui is acknowledged as the wind surfing capital of the world and one of the best locales on the planet for wave sailing. Maui is great not just for waves, but for general wind surf cruising.

A big turn windsurfing

A more recent wind innovation is kiteboarding or kitesurfing. This entails riding a smaller board and being propelled by a kite. The sport is fun in both waves and flat water. It is distinguished for the ability of kiters to catch tremendous amounts of air. Talented kiters can launch themselves up to 60 feet in the air with jaw dropping hangtimes. Talented kiters can also ride pretty big waves. This sport has really caught on in the last 5 years or so surpassing wind surfing as the hot wind sport.

Last but not least, the sport of body boarding is very popular in Hawaii. While this sport has arguably the easiest learning curve, it takes a lot of skill to perform at a high level. Talented body boarders can get in extremely critical parts of waves where few surfers would dare to venture.

Learning to Surf

Surfing is by far and away, the most difficult sport or activity that I have tried. The learning curve can be steep and headway can be slow. It is best to be patient, enjoy the scenery that comes with learning and take your time.

Enjoying the surf

There are a couple online articles that may be worth reading before you venture out. Here is a pretty good how to for learning:

Learning to surf

Learning surf ettiquette is of equal or greater importance than surf technique. These are the rules of thumb that helps keep you and other surfers safe in the lineup. These are important lessons to remember whether you are a beginner or an experienced surfer.

Surfing Etiquette 101

Once you have digested some of the information above, you are ready to venture out and catch your first waves. I would recommend either going out with a patient and experienced friend or to take a lesson. If you are looking for lessons on Maui, here are some of the surf schools available:

Nancy Emerson Surf School

Royal Hawaiian Surf Academy

Rivers to the Sea

After your first lesson, you will need to practice, practice and practice some more. Take solace in the fact that you are learning the sport in a beautiful location and that every surfer has their growing pains. Be safe and have fun!

For having a year round growing season and some of the best soil in the world, it is surprising how much of our produce comes from outside of Hawaii. With rising fuel costs, the importance of locally grown food is becoming even more apparent. There are a handful of natural foods and small grocery stores around Maui that feature local and organic produce. These stores are augmented by a few farmer's markets throughout the island. That being said, when you go in many of the island grocery stores, you will find produce from throughout Central and South America. West Maui in particular was an area that lacked good options for local and organic food. Many residents would drive an hour and a half or more round trip just to shop at Mana Foods, the great little natural food store in my town of Paia.

The Maui News reported today that help has arrived for those in West Maui that are looking for local and organic produce. Lahaina Farms is a new grocer that caters towards upscale, local and organic foods. The store which is located in the Lahaina Gateway lifestyle center is a new type of grocery store for the Sullivan Family Co. which also owns Sack 'N Save and Foodland. The management is working with the Hawaii Organic Farmers Association to source local produce for the store. The store is also taking input from residents on other items they would like to see stocked on the shelves. If the store is a success, Sullivan and Co. will likely roll out similar stores in other parts of Hawaii although likely under another name. Here's to their success and the growth and renewal of local agriculture.