Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Flying High: Helicopter Rides
Okay, it's expensive, and maybe a little scary to the uninitiated. But you
will kick yourself if you don't take the family on a helicopter ride to really
“see” Maui. Only a helicopter can bring you face-to-face with volcanoes,
waterfalls, and remote places like Maui's little-known Wall of Tears, up
near the summit of Puu Kukui in the West Maui Mountains. A helicopter
trip on Maui isn't a wild ride; it's more like a gentle zip into a seldom-seen
Eden. Today's pilots are part Hawaiian historian, part DJ, part amuse-
ment-ride operator, and part tour guide, telling you about Hawaii's flora
and fauna, history, and culture. Blue Hawaiian Helicopters ( & 800/
745-BLUE or 808/871-8844; www.bluehawaiian.com) is the Cadillac of hel-
icopter-tour companies. They have the latest, high-tech, environmentally
friendly (and quiet) Eco-Star helicopter, specially designed for air-tour
operators. Flights vary from 30 to 100 minutes and range from $125 to
$280. Children under 2 ride free on a parent's lap, but older kids are
required by FAA rules to have their own seat.
Moments
IAO VALLEY
If you are looking to get away from the “urban” Maui and maybe take a “short”
walk with the kids, just a couple of miles north of Wailuku, where the little plan-
tation houses stop and the road climbs ever higher, is where Maui's true nature
begins to reveal itself. The transition from suburban sprawl to raw nature is so
abrupt that most people who drive up into the valley don't realize they're sud-
denly in a rainforest. The moist, cool air and the shade are a welcome comfort
after the hot tropic sun. This is Iao Valley, a 6 1 4 -acre state park whose great
nature, history, and beauty have been enjoyed by millions of people from around
the world for more than a century. Iao (“Supreme Light”) Valley, 10 miles long
and encompassing 4,000 acres, is the eroded volcanic caldera of the West Maui
Mountains. The head of the valley is a broad circular amphitheater where four
major streams converge into Iao Stream. At the back of the amphitheater is rain-
drenched Puu Kukui, the West Maui Mountains' highest point. No other
Hawaiian valley lets you go from seacoast to rainforest so easily. This peaceful
valley, full of tropical plants, rainbows, waterfalls, swimming holes, and hiking
trails, is a place of solitude, reflection, and escape for residents and visitors alike.
To get here from Wailuku, take Main Street to Iao Valley Road to the entrance
to the state park.
Two paved walkways loop into the massive green amphitheater, across the
bridge of Iao Valley Stream, and along the stream itself. This paved, .3-mile loop
is Maui's easiest hike—everyone can handle it. The leisurely walk will allow you
to enjoy lovely views of the Iao Needle and the lush vegetation. Others often
proceed beyond the state park border and take two trails deeper into the valley,
but the trails enter private land, and NO TRESPASSING signs are posted.
Tiny tots and very cool teenagers alike are impressed with the Iao Needle, an
erosional remnant consisting of basalt dikes that juts an impressive 2,250 feet
above sea level. Youngsters play in Iao Stream, a peaceful brook that belies its
bloody history. In 1790, King Kamehameha the Great and his men engaged in
the bloody battle of Iao Valley to gain control of Maui. When the battle ended,
so many bodies blocked Iao Stream that the battle site was named Kepaniwai, or
“damming of the waters.” An architectural heritage park of Hawaiian, Japanese,
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