Show Road to Hana The Salt Lake Tribune Sunday December T5 13 1987 Hawaiian highway to heaven treacherous but rewarding by Steve Silk The Hartford Courant HANA road this It’s got of snakes loop-the-loo- pool to pool struggling downhill to reach the sea The lower pools (closest to the ocean) are easy to reach and hence often crowded Hawaii — It’s an infernal highway to heaven more curves than a bagful more turns than a carnival waiian farmlands and on through an eerie forest of bamboo so dense it nearly blots out the light of day When the wind blows through these To avoid the crowds follow an uphill trail through grassy pasture-land- s across a stream shaded by huge mango trees past ancient Ha towering stalks they set off an unearthly clatter a haunting sound in this twilight realm Finally the trail ends in a natural amphitheater of black lava 400 feet high split by a hissing misty plume of falling water tumbling into a deep pool Rocks sometimes crash down with the falls so swimmers should head for one of the smaller pools further downstream Many who visit Maui make a daylong pilgrimage to the Hana coast and the Seven Sacred Pools Despite the rigors of the road few are disappointed Most begin their journey from the tourist enclaves of Maui's south shore but wherever they start the road to Hana really begins at Paia ' Once the island’s largest town Paia is a tumbledown collection of buildings that wouldn't look out of place in a John Ford western A new ’ coat of paint has spruced up some of the old structures and many now house some of the island's best boutiques and craft shops But despite fine things to buy the lifestyle of Paia’s people gives the lie to any pretense of crass commercialism The attitude of many who have migrated here is summed up neatly on the door of a shop named simply Good Stuff — “Lunch 2 oclock to 3 oclock or all day what the hell” the sign says windPaia is the surfing capital of the world and judging from the multitude of languages and accents one hears in the local cafes and restaurants it might be Certainly there are more shops Narrow bridges? p More than 50 apoplexy-inducin- g line the way Then there’s the road itself — a one-lane- gulch-rimmin- g rib- g bon of asphalt burrowing through an ever-densthicket of rain forest Ah but there are rewards for those who travel this winding way Waterfalls swell and surge cascading through every cleft in the flowery crags above The sweet heady scent of billions of blossoms perfumes the air African tulip trees d like bouquets of red blossoms reach skyward from a thick green carpet Each of those treacherous bridges spans a stream that depending on the weather could be anything from a bubbling freshet to a pulsing torrent Below the surf tattoos a staccato beat against rugged lava headlands inky black sculptures created by crashing waves Here and there tiny beaches await the day’s first footprints Such is the road to heaven Or Hana Or as it’s known to most heavenly Hana Time passes slowly in this old plantation town more slowly than the hundreds of cars that struggle along the road each day to reach this piece of old Hawaii hidden away on the island of Maui Hana has a glorious history Because of its proximity to the island of Hawaii Hana was the home of royalty and a strategic town in the days prior to the Hawaiian kingdom d cone Nauiki Hill a rising out of Hana Bay was an important lookout in times of peace and war In peace fishermen kept a vigil for schools of mullet swarming into the bay in war they watched for flotillas of canoes bearing invading armies Many a battle was won from atop this natural stronghold a citadel once topped by a fierce-visage- d wooden effigy erected to frighten foreign armies From here islanders spotted Captain Cook’s ships as he sailed through the Hawaiian archipelago King Kamehameha unifier of the island kingdom boarded Cook’s vessel outside Hana Bay and directed the explorer to his gruesome fate on the island of Hawaii But now all is quiet Those who come to Hana hoping for throbbing nightlife (or for that matter any days and nightlife at all) tour-fille- d a selection of gourmet restaurants will be in for a disappointment The commercial glitz of resort areas such as Kaanapali Wailea and Kapalua is reduced to the faintest perceptible glimmer here The only bright lights of Hana are the sun the moon and the stars This sleepy place is more suited to those who delight in quiet walks in places such as Waianapanapa State Park with its stony caves black sand d beach and surrealistic ramparts of black lava Other beaches beckon: the gentle sandy crescent at Hamoa the strand at rugged Red Sand Cave and Hana Bay’s dark sands where locals some of pure Hawaiian ancestry (now a rarity on Maui) come to swim Horseback riding is a popular pas- time in this town where almost everything seems owned by the sprawling Hana Ranch and where paniolos (Hawaiian cowboys) walk the streets Anyone who reaches Hana should continue on to Seven Sacred Pools 10 miles past the town on a road that steadily becomes both more scenic and more decrepit The pools number more than seven and none were ever sacred But perhaps Seven Sa- cred Pools sounds more dreamy more exotic than Oheo Gulch the real name for this fantasy valley from where waterfalls stair-ste- p god-size- selling or renting equipment than in almost any other board-sailin- wind-surfin- The roaring surf pounds the rocky shoreline of the Maui coast near Lindberg’s grave Bethlehem Singapore World’s first floating luxury hotel by Ruth Youngblood through 2000 working drawings in constructing the premiere of a new generation of resorts with the sea at their doorstep “It’s like a passenger ship except there’s no propulsion no steerage and no navigational abilities" said Milton Leubecker president and general manager of Bethlehem Singapore as the facility with disco swimming pool gym tennis courts conference rooms a marina underwater observatory and two restaurants neared completion at the shipyard Environmentalists are skeptical “It’s another node of people pressure on the Barrier Reef” said Adrian Jeffries spokesman for the Queensland Conservation Council “There are still quite a few unknowns and we will be watching arch-riddle- ‘ engineers have gone cyclones 200-roo- closely” Noting the site is right inside a cyclone area Jeffries said “We are afraid such a huge structure could not be made cyclone proof” The owners Great Barrier Hold San Diego California where birds of a feather flock together tcOAU off Near Major Attractions Pool Spa Free Continental Breakfast INN FABULOUS Mission Valley nfi tfm tOMpon Supcrfamt tank tuiuJtd barge acting as a basement containing generators trash incinerators a delsalinization plant for drinking water refrigeration systems and a wine cellar An unusual mooring system tank-teste- d in the United States enables the structure to conform with changing wind patterns and even swing free from one end in the event of a cyclone Anchors are equipped with cushioning devices to keep rocking to a minimum g There are no lifeboats The pontoons housing the pool sun decks and tennis courts double as emergency barges capable of withstanding a storm equivalent to the worst the area could except in a 500-yeperiod officials said “It’s taken a lot to put this concept together” Leubecker added stressing no sewage will be released into the underwater wonderland at the “John Brewer Reef” selected as the site because of its easy accessibility to the mainland minimal rainfall diversity of coral and abundance of fish But environmentalists doubt effluent can be controlled strictly enough to prevent any of it from seeping into the lagoon water and contend coral beneath the rectangular barge nearly 330 feet long and 91 feet wide will be destroyed “Corals depend upon light for survival” said zoologist Robert Endean “Any coral under the hotel will die ings of Australia spent two years developing precautions before the Great Barrier Reefs Marine Park Authority responsible for management of the officially designated World Heritage site granted permission for the venture “The environmental controls will serve as a pilot for other floating” resorts said Leubecker When finished in late October the 12000-tohotel will be carried aboard a special heavy lift vessel 2200 miles to its mooring 40 miles off the northeast coast of Australia Tugs will tow the establishment the final distance through the precarious outcrops Then it will be anchored in an atoll amidst the world’s largest coral reef system a paradise for fishermen scuba divers and nature lovers For Bethlehem Singapore the project has ignited interest in similar enterprises off the east and west coasts of the United States South America the Carribean and New Zealand “Floating hotels are suitable by cities where land is expensive and hotels are scarce or off picturesque islands without the infrastructure to sustain large buildings” Leubecker said “They can also be towed from for events like yacht races special celebrations or festivals The $21 million Four Seasons Barrier Reef hotel is constructed atop a n free-floatin- place-to-plac- and cannot regenerate” Endean an associate professor at the University of Queensland said the destruction was particularly worrisome with the 1200-mil- e profusion of reefs already endangered by the Crown of rampages of coral-killinThorns starfish “If any sewage is discharged it will present an additional threat by smothering the coral” Graeme Kelleher chairman of the acknowlmarine park authority edged cutting off the light will harm the coral but contended the shaded area is insignificant in the context of 1200 miles of reefs in the chain Ornithologists fear the helicopter service back and forth to the coastal community of Townsville will have a negative effect on bird life And local sailors who used the atoll as a shelter in bad weather are concerned access will be denied them with a single entrepreneur gaining control of the area Construction has not been without its problems Delays have postponed the opening of the hotel from October to December The deluge of building proposals at the reef sparked by the floating hotel concerns Jeffries “It’s not so much this project that worries us as the others that are in the pipeline with 14 or 15 similar propositions waiting in the wings including a floating island moored to the seabed” g (TO (MAH? 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SPECIAUZINS m TRAVEL FOR THJ ACTIVE A SPORTS-8IIKOS- Book of Mormon Lands 8 leaves and soaring timber A few miles up the road Kauma- hina State Wayside offers dramatic views of Hana’s rockbound coast with the Keanae peninsula and vil- lage in the distance On that distant thumb of land a smattering of taro farmers eke out a modest living tending the leafy fronds and bulbous roots of the precious plant source of that gloopy pastelike Hawaiian staple poi As the roads unwinds towards Keanae it drops into the deep cleft of Honomanu Valley where a rough road leaves the Hana highway and leads to an undeveloped boulder beach Just past the valley Keanae Arboretum is a showcase for Hawaii’s rich and varied plant life Tropical plants introduced to the islands by man cultivated plants and rain forest species each grow in different areas of the park the separate plots are connected by a hiking trail paralleling a walk rushing stream A passes stands of peculiar trees — flaming red stalks of torch ginger — and crosses a carpet of scattered plumeria blossoms to see the rain forest hike of three requires a round-tri- p hours or so Continuing toward Hana the road winds along Wailua Valley with majestic vistas up toward Haleakala a dormant volcano rising thousands of feet overhead Soon tinkling waterfalls and inviting pools announce Puaa Kaa State Wayside a popular picnicking and swimming spot awash in Hawaiian flowers C3®Se POFCald© Mexico Yucatan g Si $299 mmJWil&Q FROE1 sight-seein- g 328-060(Toll San Fr) 737 I 700 Salt LakCHy UT 4103 AIRFARE! ROUND-TRI- P PACKAGES FRO U COHPLtSTg FEATURING NORRIS AIR 5ERY1CEJS 9 USA World Tours S ’ -- “ - beneath gargantuan UPI Writer SINGAPORE — Builders of the world’s first floating luxury hotel are installing the toughest environmental safeguards before the seven-stor- y structure descends over a lagoon at Australia's Great Barrier Reef With ecologists fretting about sewage disposal damage to the fragile coral underneath and the perils of g town of comparable size anywhere The town's claim to fame lies just up the road at Hoo-kip- a State Park where roaring trade winds and booming breakers have created a playground unique in the world of this young sport Bronzed wave warriors guide their multicol- ored craft back and forth slicing and dicing through the surf then cata- pulting off towering waves while Hana-boun- d tourists watch jaws agape from the beach Past Hookipa the road plunges into a gulch climbs to a stand of ironwood trees and passes fields of pineapple reaching a grove of tow- ering eucalyptus A turnout in the road makes it easy to stop for a hike in this enchanted forest filled with ferns flowers and dangling vines “Quiet: trees at work” a sign informs those who meander tree-covere- ' ' Houston Orlando Maxatten An-j5- s Jamaica Denver Dallas KanxanIB® Us FranclsceSay Ares GARTlBROSg'MORRTS'ASlCMR'lEOSTERJR L — -- "'' n " -- $399 11111 it niTn "T- -r tt"ihti m ra -- rt -- n m ! 1 ’ |