Tag Archives: Paia

Windsurfing and Kiteboarding

Being on the north side of the island of Maui, we were also able to see a bit of the watersport activity that people can get up to.  The north shore is famous for surfing of course with Jaws being the most well known of the surfing locations.  That is a little inaccessible and the surf is not huge at the time of year we were there.  However, there are plenty of other ways to have fun.

With the steady, strong breeze, this is a great spot for windsurfing or kiteboarding.  As we wandered along the shore near our lunch location, we could see plenty of people out having some fun.  They were making great progress as a result of the strong winds and were great to watch.  It is always fun to see someone who is good at something doing it well.  I grabbed a few shots before we went on our (far more leisurely) way.

Paia

Up near the near side of Maui is the little town of Paia.  We checked Paia out on our way to get lunch.  There isn’t a huge amount to see in the town – a selection of shops and places to eat as you might expect – but its claim to fame is that it is populated by some of the more out there members of society.

Going there is as much about seeing unusual people as it is about seeing the town itself.  How long this reputation has been in place and whether it is still valid I couldn’t say.  Certainly there were a few people wandering around who looked like they fitted the bill.  There were far more people visiting, though, and maybe they were all there looking for the strange folk.  By coming in such numbers, maybe we are driving away what we came to see.  Despite all of this, we did see a few cool looking places and some signs that the community is not totally conformist!

Mama’s Fish House

Upon our arrival on Maui, our first mission was to get lunch.  Nancy had planned ahead and chosen a location not too far from the airport and with a beachfront location that was supposed to be very picturesque.  It was called Mama’s Fish House.  We got there a little ahead of the time of our reservation so parked the car and took a look around.  This place is about as gorgeous as you could imagine a Hawaiian beach to be.  There is a small cove with the waves washing by and making the whole thing look like it was created by a movie set designer.

We sat and enjoyed the place for a while until it was time to eat.  When we did go inside, the welcome was warm and the table was by the windows so we couldn’t have been better off.  One look at the menu tells you that this place is not cheap.  My first instinct was to assume that we were paying for the location.  However, when the food arrived, it was absolutely excellent.  The combination of great food and and outstanding view meant the meal was worth every penny.