Maika'i Maui - Dispatch 3

Lots of great things to report in this dispatch. First, one of my favorite restaurants on Maui, Aloha Mixed Plate has gone full-on biodegradable with all their disposable plates and utensils. This is a pretty big committment for a quick serve restaurant that is always busy. Another great food discovery, Roselani Ice Cream made just around the Island in Wailuku...I'm totally addicted. These are all part of my efforts to join the Kanu Hawaii Eat Kocal Campaign.

Wednesday was a full day of activities. I started early in the morning with a stop in the Pacific Whale Foundation store where I bought my annual t-shirt. I figure its a win-win when you can buy a t-shirt and/or gifts that are cool AND support a great cause. Next, it was off to Maui Nui Botanical Gardens (MNBG) where I've wanted to go for several years now. The gardens were a bit smaller than I expected but they had a really extensive collection of native plants, from Ape to Wiliwili. One could spend a short time at the gardens or the whole day if you really spend the time to get to know the plants with all their beauty and cultural meanings. Best of all, their website features a video with my favorite song in the background, "Maunaleo" by Kealii Reichel.



Next it was off to the Maui Tropical Plantation, another great stop for anyone into plants. Maui Tropical Plantation is certainly more commercial than MNBG, but beautiful nonetheless. The grounds were extensive and the tram tour is a blast. Feeding the pond fish and local ducks shouldn't be missed either. And yes, there is a GIANT - like five story - windmill on the grounds (pictured above). I could sit and watch it spin and respond to the wind all day...very relaxing.

Finally, I discovered in my many conversations that there is a new effort underway to restore Kahoʻolawe, an island in the Hawaiian chain that was used briefly as a penal colony, for sheep and cattle ranching, and as a bombing range for the US Navy. In 2003, the US Navy tranferred control of the island back to the State of Hawaii and now their is a full cultural and environmental restoration taking place. Having just completed the 2009 Tribal Journey in the Puget Sound where several villages were 're' named back to their original Indian names, I can start to understand the importance and meaning of this restoration effort to honor both the people and place of Kaho'olawe. I look forward to following, supporting, and hopefully volunteering with the project going forward.

Photo: from kahoolawe.hawaii.gov)

Maui mana - A day of flowers and fish

I spent the most of the day updateding my blog and getting my fancy new Seanslist pages up and running. The Seattle and Maui pages are getting there but still need a lot of work. But it's fun and I love, Love, LOVE putting things like Seanslist together. Hope you enjoy and please DO send me any items that you think should be on the lists. I'll get started on other cities soon. After lots of updating, I started out to tour some of the gardens at the hotels and resorts along Ka'anapali beach in preparation for the book and website I'm going to start called Corporate Gardens. Basically, the project entails visiting the gardens of companies and organizations, as well as learning about some of the corporate social responsibility efforts. Today we visited checked out the Whaler (the condos where we're staying), the Westin, the Marriott, and the Hyatt. Although the Whaler and the Mariott gardens were beautiful, I have to say the gardens at the the Westin and especially the Hyatt were really outstanding. Along with the actual gardens, I'll be keeping a close eye on design of pots and other unique elements of their efforts so the pic to the left is a sneak preview. We had lunch at the Westin's 'Tropica' restaurant where I was pleased to find a lavender vinegrette made from lavender from the Kula farm we'll be visiting on Thursday.

All the garden touring lasted most of the day so by the time we got back in it was time to Dinner. I was excited to visit Pacific'O, one of James McDonald's three restaurants in Lahaina that include I'O and Feast at Lele. Chef James' restaurants all feature local fish of course, but also greens from their own organic farm called O'o Farm that we'll be touring on Thursday. I had the KONA WINDS fish preparation: fresh fish (I chose Mahi Mahi) seared with house spices, served over wilted O'o Farm grown arugula and bean sprouts. Topped with warm avocado, Maui onion salsa, goat cheese, macadamia nuts, and soy bacon vinaigrette. Needless to say, the food and service was INCREDIBLE at Pacific'O, I only wish I could try each and everything on the menu.

We were so stuffed after our dinner we had no choice but to go for a walk. Luckily, it was another awesome evening in Lahaina. Even luckier, the Pacific Whale Foundation store was still open. Being a conservation biologist and all, I was psyched to get a little shopping time to support one of my favorite conservation organizations. I got a very cool t-shirt with a PWF whale design and an cap that I may never take off I love it so much.