Lahania, Maui, Hawaii

Lahania hawaii

Nursing a mild hangover on boxing day, the day after Christmas, Erin and I were contemplating the prospect of working the days between Christmas and New Year while most had the time off. The infamous Sydney to Hobart yacht race was just about to commence and we had a decent vantage point from a balcony in Manly on the north shore of Sydney to catch the action.

Our attention however was on the impending work days. Talk turned to working remotely, very remotely and the scan of airline deals and dates began. We soon chose Hawaii and with the final press of the button we had a ticket booked. Taking off in under 4 hours. Nothing like an impromptu getaway!

Two flights and a short car ride later, yet at roughly the same time as when we left, we are in Lahania, Maui in the state of Hawaii, one of the least united states of America. Lahania is the first settlement on Maui and acted as a whaling station way back when and has kept its rustic charm. Weather beaten wood panelled shopfronts line a long main street on the edge of the small harbour.

Being Christmas holidays and the fact we only decided to come to Maui yesterday, accommodation is thin on the ground. Hence the first thing we packed were our trusty camping hammocks. We did however come across a very Hawaiian hotel the Makai Inn which had one room left at a decent rate. The sign coming in said ‘Maui Christmas’. They pretty much had me at hello…

Accommodation sorted we popped into town and discovered Lahania has one of the world’s oldest Banyan Trees. Planted in 1873 by missionary William Owen Smith which no occupies almost all of the town square. This was my first close encounter with a Banyan tree and I was impressed. It would be the perfect place to sling a hammock! The Lahania town trust may have other opinions on the matter however.

Next stop, a beach north of Lahania with a number of families having BBQs and enjoying the perfect temperatures and refreshing sea. We found a decent spot and tied the hammocks for a relaxing afternoon. A Christmas present issued was a set of walkie talkies. While our hammocks were only metres apart it was difficult to be heard over the crashing waves. So we put our radio voices to work and communicated by two-way radio. Which was amazing. A must for any twin hammock trip as you are not always going to find or want to be limited to hammock positions within earshot. A walkie talkie gives you your personal sling space yet not isolated from each other.

As with most sessions in a hammock, sleep comes quickly and we were swinging in the pleasantly cool afternoon breeze with the crash of waves as background noise to a mighty fine afternoon. It would have been perfectly fine to remain here and camp the night should the situation have required it. Yet the Makai Inn was good to arrive back to this time around.

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About The Author

Warren

Ever since venturing out the back gate into the bush as a kid, I've had a curiosity to escape and explore as often as I could. It's fair to say that my curiosity has continued to grow instead of fade as the years go on. It eventually came time to turn a few scribbled notes into some legible stories and travel tips for anyone with a similar curiosity as me.

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