Visit to Maui and Kauai, Hawaii

February 2019

I might have mentioned this in my last report on Hawaii, it was really refreshing to find original Hawaiian names for all regions and streets. Most beaches, even if owned by hotels, were accessible to locals and tourists. The weather variations in this group of islands is so common that one part could be drenched in rain for many months of the year and others regions could be parched. The Haleakela volcano region at 10,000 feet is said to have a moonlike feeling with the crater basin and surroundings having an other worldly feel to it.
As for food in Hawaii, most restaurants specialised in seafood. Poi, a taro root was also popular, in fact it is the first solid food given to babies here. Palm trees, plenty of banana plants happily exist close to areas that had woods of pines or similar evergreens, an odd sight indeed.

After bidding goodbye to Maui we caught the short flight to Kauai. We had decided on visiting only two islands and make it enjoyable for ourselves. The flight was very pleasant with views of blue ocean dotted with green islands. Kauai is also known as the Garden Isle and on our drive to our resort from Lihue airport on the eastern part of the island to the north, we could see how unspoilt it was. Very rarely did we see any big stores, malls or shopping plazas and these we were told were limited to the southern end of the island. The population was also very low. We had booked at a resort this time and it did not disappoint. Although it did not have access to the beach being perched on a cliff, they did have a free van service to transport people to another resort with a beach and the kids made good use of it on several occasions. The views more than made up for this deficiency. Got to hand it to my savvy daughter to get our rooms changed from ground floor to a room with a balcony and view! Situated right next to a golf course with the blue ocean in the background, all one needed to do was sit out on the balcony and soak in the scene.

One of the Oldest Inhabited Hawaiian Island   

It is one of the oldest of the inhabited islands. The beaches have lava rocks from volcanoes now dormant . The waves, we were told could go from placid to monstrous making it a good destination for pro surfers. Many parts, including the Napali coast is approachable only by boat or helicopter. Of course Kauai earned its fame after the filming of the realistic Dinosaur movie, Jurassic Park and we were able to view the famous waterfall where the helicopter hovers before landing for all that impossible adventure! As for that coast, it is a miracle of nature, the mountains in folds as if it was a fabric and some of it so deep that helicopters can go right into it!

The famous  Iraivan temple of Kauai 
As the children kept busy relaxing and participating in some of the group activities or swimming in the large pool, we decided to head out the next day to see the famous Iraivan Temple, also known as Kauai’s Hindu monastery. It has been around since 1970 and thriving. Its founder was Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami also known as Gurudeva who, though of American origin, studied spirituality extensively in South India and founded this order. Presently Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, also of American origin, is in charge of running the monastery. Shankar and I set up an appointment by email to meet Satguru and had a pleasant half hour session with him during our visit.

The lush tropical property of the temple and its Om pool

The property owned by the monastery is an extensive 382 acres and a beautiful woodland complete with exotic flora and fauna and a small waterfall and stream at the foot of an extinct volcano. The monks residing here from many parts of the world are all male although the female volunteers come in during the day to guide the visitors who flock to see the pristine property and the two beautiful temples, one yet to be completed. The Kadavul temple, dedicated to Lord Ganesha and other deities, starts its morning puja at 5.30 a.m. A really large 39 inch tall spatika (transparent crystal) lingam is revered with abhisheka and slokas. This was found naturally on American soil and gifted to the temple. It will later be moved to the main temple now under construction. As in other south Indian temples, a large Nandi of black granite keeps vigil for the beautiful Lord Shiva in the form of a massive panchaloka metal Nataraja whose size and beauty takes one’s breath away. The monks also publish a high level spiritual publication incorporating Hindu religion and philosophy known as Hinduism Today. The monks grow food (given Hawaii’s beautiful climate, this is all year around one presumes), host pilgrims, guide seekers and maintain temple areas, maintain websites and publish.

The new temple, the Iraivan temple itself is being built over an extended time according to the shilpa sastras and hand carved inch by inch. Some of the sculptings are done in India. A special feature is many sayings from scriptures like Bhagavad Gita being carved on all its sides for posterity to live with timeless principles. The purpose of its slow completion is explained as building it for future generations, a solid structure which will fulfill its purpose with spiritual messages. But progress is visible in the work as the shilpis from India chip away even as visitors wander around. Gold leaf is already on its traditional domes, lending it a shimmering touch. The pavilion, open to three sides is a hallmark of peace amidst the jungle setting. Of notable mention is the bamboo forest and the Rudraksha trees grove, many plants and trees like bilva, neem, amla and sandalwood cultivated to provide the variety and sacredness to the property and complete the Indian touch.

In its gardens surrounding the temple, there are beautiful statues, notable of which is Dakshinamurthy, the south facing incarnation of Shiva, the original teacher who conveys wisdom through silence. In the gardens also are the original stone formation of lingas which initially inspired the building of the temple.

Morning Walks

Shankar and I found a beautiful path for our daily morning walk. We walked along another golf course, this time with mountains for the backdrop. Of course our walking had to be interrupted by picture taking sessions as the scenery was too good! Along the way we admired the flowering hedges and the plants that just thrived in the Hawaiian soil and weather.

Kauai did lack in Indian restaurants in the area where we were housed, but the ice cream store nearby more than made up for it! Fortunately we discovered it only two days before departure after eating at a delectable Italian restaurant. The freshly made giant waffle cones dipped in dark chocolate housed the creamiest ice cream in mouth watering flavors. We ate and we promptly went back the next day to ingest thousands more calories, but no one was counting.

Thrilling Helicopter Ride
The highlight of the visit for the grown ups was the thrilling helicopter ride. We have been on other rides before but this one was the most comprehensive, covering the entire island and taking us to such remote mountaintops where the heart starts pounding just thinking of “what if?” But the pilots were super experts besides being great commentators. The island is very mountainous and went over forests and mountains and flew past the beautiful waterfalls featured in the Jurassic Park. The Napali coast was the most beautiful with green mountains in folds, touched with red foliage and the sun shining on the blue blue seas where whales were frolicking.
So to conclude, our glimpse of Hawaii was fascinating, still an unspoilt gem that is a part of the developed USA. The journey may be long, but who among us has not flown to India or the Far East? The destination is surely worth the travel. Thanks family for making this happen!