Tag: getting married in Maui

The best campsite in the world is in Kipahulu, Maui

May. 10 Camping, Haleakala Crater, National Parks, Other adventures 1 comment

Few people come to the Hawaiian Islands to camp or hike, but we do both. Beyond the excellent outdoor opportunities, we were married at Secret Cove in Maui and come back each year to get married again by our friend, Pastor Dennis De Rego. What started as a romantic ‘mission’ has become one of friendship and adventure as we’ve found Maui to be an excellent island for both.

After our recent hike from Haleakala Crater to Paliku Campsite in April 2012, we were back to complete the peak-to-ocean journey by completing the lower section from Paliku Campsite to Kaupo Trailhead near the beaches of Southwest Maui. We did our research and found the Kipahulu Campground in the Haleakala National Park, just 12 km (8 mi) from the Kaupo Trailhead and adjacent to the very popular Ohe’o Gulch and its ‘Seven Sacred Pools (locals will tell you they’re not at all sacred), 16 km (10 mi) beyond Hana.

When we first arrived we were almost ready to set up our campsite in the open field that makes up most of the campground. Each site has a picnic table and BBQ grill, and there is a centrally located pit toilet (but no water). We would have been perfectly happy. By chance, we happened to walk the perimeter and discovered sites that were set apart from each other and the rest of the campground and right along the cliffs over the ocean. We were fortunate to find the best campsite we’ve ever had.

The site doesn’t have easy access to the sea, but that’s not the point along this rugged coast. Watching the waves crash on the cliffs is one of the most peaceful activities we know. The steady breeze that blows past this part of Maui brings occasional showers (especially after sunset) but the breezes are steady and cool. Even in the warmest part of the day, the temperature was ideal. As we went to bed, the waves were a soothing way to fall asleep and to wake up in the morning.


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Getting married (again) in Maui

Mar. 24 Beaches 4 comments

It would be against our style to do things the way others do, so while many people get married in Maui (Maui’d, as the Maui wedding people say), we get married annually in Maui.

We showed up at the Kihei Boat Ramp just before 5pm and had a few minutes to enjoy the breeze and gorgeous evening before meeting Dennis DeRego, the minister who we found by chance the first time but have returned to by choice .

Our last time in Maui, Dennis offered to take us out in his boat the next time we tie the knot, and this was our chance to take him up on it. While the winds were strong, the skies were amazingly clear and the waves not so bad.  We decided to get remarried on the boat as a nice touch. It was an excellent choice, as it turned out. The pleasure of knowing Dennis and being able to do something most visitors never do makes us feel less like tourists and more connected to the island.

Molokini

Dennis expertly launched the boat and we were on the water within fifteen minutes of his arrival, catching up on life since we last spoke. In a seemingly short time, we were motoring around the offshore island of Molokini, a favorite local dive spot. We circled the island and then headed toward Black Sand Beach where we could have calmer waters for the ceremony.

Even though we offered to keep it simple to save Dennis the trouble of getting dressed, he insisted that we have the full experience, even on the boat. He put on his wedding shirt and robe, and even topped things off with his leafy headdress and brought out the famous Dennis DeRego conch.

Black Sand Beach

As the boat rocked from side to side, we had our ceremony. Of course, he chanted in Hawaiian before blowing the conch several times. His Hawaiian wedding chant is an excellent local part of being married by Dennis. He gave us each a moment to share our feelings about being married, but that part will need to stay between the three of us, as we love our private wedding ceremonies. We completed our mission to marry again and had an excellent cruise back to Kehei Harbor as it grew darker .

We can’t say enough about what being married each year means for us. We don’t need it as a reminder or even a refresh, but it gives us the same thrill each time as we know each other better. We agreed after that each year it has new meaning because of new experiences, challenges, and more life behind us.

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Hiking Maui in March 2012

Mar. 22 Camping, Hawaii, Hiking adventures, Maui, Other adventures no comments

You can have no doubt by now that we love the Hawaiian Islands. While they are just one of fifty states, they are in every other way almost nothing like the Mainland. The palm trees, warm breezes and gorgeous tropical flowers can be found elsewhere, but in no other American state can you find the combination of backcountry hiking, deep blue waters, ocean adventures and Polynesian laid-back culture.

We were married in Maui a few years back and decided to return as often as we could, annually if possible, to get married in paradise.

Day 1 – Arrive and stay at the Sheraton Maui in Ka’anapali. This hotel sits on a point of land known as Black Rock and has some of the best protected snorkeling and beaches on the same stretch of Maui’s West Coast. Being in a hotel the first night lets us rest up from the flight and be ready to hike.

Day 2 – Stay at beautiful Camp Olowalu near Lahaina and see a Switchfoot concert in Kahului on the East Coast of the island. Camp Olowalu has both cabins and tent sites and we’ll try each as we enjoy sleeping at the edge of the surf.

Day 3 – Get married (again) by Dennis DeRego in a small, sunset ceremony on the Molokini Atoll just offshore from where we were originally married at Makena (AKA ‘Secret’) Cove. We’ll take Dennis’ boat out to the island.

Day 4 and 5  – Hike from the top of the Haleakala Crater at 2435 m (7,990 ft) down to the remote campsite of Paliku at 1,944 m (6380 ft). The campsite is at the base of cliffs that form the boundary of the rainforest that dominates the Southeast Coast of Maui. Few people associate backpacking and Hawaii, and we’re about to change that.

There’s no limit to what you can do in a tropical paradise like Maui and the other Hawaiian Islands. That’s why we keep coming back here and know we’re only getting started. Watch our blog over the next week as we tell the story of another amazing adventure.

Aloha.

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