PUBLIC POOL Kihei Aquatic Center Though Kihei’s very cool, very free pool carried the day (with its West side counterpart placing second), plenty of smart-ass readers logged votes for “the ocean.” We get where you’re coming from—that big, beautiful expanse of salt water is plenty inviting. But sometimes all the sand and tides and unpredictable […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2009: Best Uphill Run on Maui: Iao Valley
UPHILL RUN – Edit Pick Iao Valley This run’s appeal goes well beyond the astonishing scenery. It’s six miles roundtrip, and downhill the second half of the course. Plus it’s close to the office. The incline starts out gently and even slopes downward in a few spots, but soon it becomes apparent that you’re rapidly […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2009: Best MMA Fighter on Maui: Kendall Grove
MMA FIGHTER Kendall Grove With the popularity of mixed martial arts exploding not just in Hawaii but worldwide, it’s a good time to be Kendall Grove. A Wailuku boy and former Baldwin High wrestler, Grove (nickname: “Da Spyder”) has carved out an indelible place for himself in the MMA ranks, winning titles and scoring a […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2009: Best Ultimate Frisbee Field on Maui: Keokea Park
ULTIMATE FRISBEE FIELD – Edit Pick Keokea Park It’s not perfectly flat; your team will be fighting an uphill battle toward the end zone more than a few times per match, but such is life, right? So deal with it. You are in one of the coolest spots—both temperature and quality-wise—on-island, the view is groin-grabbingly […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2009: Best Hike on Maui: Bamboo Forest
HIKE Bamboo Forest Choosing just one hike in a place as beautiful and diverse as Maui is tough, but truly, if you could take only one hike, this would be it. As you walk along the wooden footpath, towering bamboo gradually closes in around you. Soon, the light dims and you’re transported to another world, […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2009: Best Local Coach on Maui: Paul Kauhane Luuwai
LOCAL COACH Paul Kauhane Luuwai Though Luuwai was the center of some controversy when he was suspended with pay as a teacher at King Kekaulike (he was later reinstated, and the reasons for the suspension remain unclear), his story has mostly been one of success and accolades. (Many colleagues and students rushed to his defense […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2009: Best Swimming Beach on Maui: Makena (Big Beach)
SWIMMING BEACH Makena (Big Beach) I’m not sure what makes one beach a better spot for swimming than another, but one thing is undeniable about Big Beach: there’s a lot of it. You can swim with the cluster of people that congregate near the entrance or find your own little swimming hole away from the […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2009: Best Scholastic Athlete on Maui: Bailey Massenburg
SCHOLASTIC ATHLETE Bailey Massenburg Having just completed her final year at King Kekaulike High School, Massenburg has amassed an athletic resume that belies her tender age. She starred in both track and tennis, winning titles and setting records along the way. Last month, she was inducted into the Hawaii High School Hall of Honor and […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2009: Best Yoga Teacher on Maui: Nadia Toraman
YOGA TEACHER Nadia Toraman I wonder if those who voted in this category experienced cognitive dissonance, given that namaste, a word commonly exchanged among yogic practitioners, means “the divine in me recognizes the divine in you,” or something along those lines. Basically, we are all merely sparks, miniscule pieces, of Brahma, and thus the same […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2009: Best Local Grom on Maui: Chaz Kinoshita
LOCAL GROM Chaz Kinoshita It has been said that heredity is something you believe in when your child’s report card is all “A”s. When it comes to surfing, this quote fits for Matt Kinoshita, owner and shaper of Kazuma Surfboards, seasoned surfing coach and father of Chaz Kinoshita. In 2008, Chaz won the Hawaii Amateur Surfing […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2009: Best Local Amateur Surfer on Maui: Clay Marzo
LOCAL AMATEUR SURFER Clay Marzo Marzo personifies a new wave of progressive surfing taking over the sport. His cat-like reflexes, elastic maneuverability and maniacal approach to a variety of surfing conditions have earned him recognition in lineups worldwide. Marzo leads a group of prodigies boosting beyond the classic days of cutbacks, off the lips and […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2009: Best Locals’ Beach on Maui: Makena (Big Beach)
LOCALS’ BEACH Makena (Big Beach) I adore Big Beach, with its massive shore break and heaps of sand that always seems to find its way into my bikini, but the category of “locals’ beach” is difficult to define. Big Beach isn’t local exclusive (I meet way more tourists on Big Beach, than I do in, say, […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2009: Best Snorkeling Spot on Maui: Black Rock
SNORKELING SPOT Black Rock I’ve been trying to figure out why you readers picked Black Rock as Maui’s numero uno snorkel spot, over places like Honolua Bay and Fish Bowl. Could it be because of the potential danger of getting crushed by an unobservant cliff jumper or getting whisked off to Lanai on a riptide? […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2009: Best Tourist Activity on Maui: Whale Watching
TOURIST ACTIVITY Whale Watching There is really no way to prepare yourself for just how awesome whale watching is. It’s fun enough from the beach or some strategic lookout point, playing a kind of oceanic Where’s Waldo? as you look for those telltale white puffs. But go out in a boat and get close to […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2009: Best County Park on Maui: Kalama Park
COUNTY PARK Kalama Park When I was young and impressionable, my parents told me that the big whale statue was a present that they got for me, but since it was so massive, we couldn’t bring it home. Now that I’m not so young—but still impressionable—sometimes I wonder why we haven’t brought it home yet. I mean, […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2009: Best Public Pool on Maui: Kihei Aquatic Center
PUBLIC POOL Kihei Aquatic Center Though Kihei’s very cool, very free pool carried the day (with its West side counterpart placing second), plenty of smart-ass readers logged votes for “the ocean.” We get where you’re coming from—that big, beautiful expanse of salt water is plenty inviting. But sometimes all the sand and tides and unpredictable […]