All Contents of this Page Copyright(2009) of Randolph Kashino

Maui Xmas 2009
"another trip to escape the Great Canadian winter"





December 21, 2009 Arrived late from Vancouver. Heavy mauka showers. gecko and sipping on a rum.

My fellow houseguest

December 22, 2009
Got up late. Breakfast at Charleys in Paia. Did the rounds of Winsurf shops. Picked up a cheque at Second Wind as well as some roof racks. At Hawaiian Island picked up some rack covers and a surf video. Then went back to Pu'u Koa to load the gear and headed to Ukumehama. A small south swell was happening. Just enough to get me warmed up on the paddle board. Needed to get some groceries so I headed to the Star Market in Kihei. On the way I saw some windsurfers out on big stuff at pavillions. The Star market has changed its name to Times. On the way back to Pu'u Koa I stopped at Pinatas for a Burrito and cerveza.


Lone surfer out at Hookipa


Dec 23, 2009
Clear skies this morning and no sign of Trade winds. Made my some bacon and eggs with hash browns for breakfast. Looks like waves are coming from everywhere. Giant surf on the North shore and some mortal size surf on the south shore. Hookipa looked closed out this morning, and only one guy was out working the middle break. I headed for Ukumehame. A nice 2 to 3 foot swell was coming in with an 18 second period. No one there except for one other local Paddle surfer. Well, Ed and I took turns catching the waves for the rest of the day. Saw some humpback whales blowing offshore and just a little way out a manta ray jumped out of the water. On my last session I mounted my new HD Hero cam on the board to give it a test. Finished about 4 or 5 o'clock. Back at Puu Koa I panfried some Spearfish coated in Panko crumbs and had that with rice and a little pineapple.


Happy to be Stand Up Paddling at Ukumehame


Got a couple of waves



Dec 24, 2009
Still no sign of the trade winds and more big surf on the north shore and it looked like there was going to be more south swell. This morning I cooked up a Shitake mushroom with Maui Onions omlette and had that with some Paia blend Anthony's Coffe. I wanted to test some smaller boards so I first headed to see if I could test out a Elua Makani 10 footer, but they were all out on rental. Next I checked at the Naish shop to see if I could rent a 9'6" Nalu, however it turned out the only one they had available had a bashed in thruster box. So, I headed to Hitech and found the 9'6" long x 29-3/8" wide x 4-5/8" thick, Pacific Surf Hawaii (PSH) wide allrounder was available for rental. At Ukumehame, the regular surfing crowd was out. The surf was a little bigger today with 2 to 3 footers with the occassional 4 foot face. I gingerly jumped up on the PSH board and found it was surprisingly stable and it floated my 210 lbs with no problem. I paddled out to the empty left break away from the crowds and caught my first wave of the day. The board worked pretty well and was a lot losser in the tail than my 10'8" that I usually use. After a few more rides I found it was also a little more manueverable. After a bit more practice I found I could also stay standing even when I got caught on the inside with the breaking white water. Came in for a beer and some pineapple then headed back out for another session. Stayed until 5 o'clock then headed back to Puu Koa and panfried some Mahi Mahi and had that with rice and some Kim Chee.


Catching one at Hookipa



Dec 25, 2009
Mele Kalikimaka
Clear skies and giant surf this morning. For breakfast I had bacon and eggs with pan fried Maui onions in rice. After breakfase I assembled the bed for my buddy Pedro who was flying in from Portugal this evening. There was still some south swell so I head for Ukumehame. I stopped at Hookipa which was totally closed out by giant surf. The park was closed and the parking lot was full of tourista in awe of the surf. At Ukumehame the parking lot was also full of locals taking advantage of their Christmas gift of south swell. It was going off about 2 to 4 feet with an 15 second swell. Really sweet for longboard and SUP. I took the 9'6" PSH out again and used the left break. The middle break was pretty crowded. Later in the day I had a session on the middle break when the crowd dwindled to 2 surfers and 2 SUP's. I surfed until 5 o'clock then headed back to catch a quick shower before heading to the airport to pick up Pedro. Back at Pu'u Koa I cooked up a pot roasted Turkey wings and served it with Yams and a Salad. Merry Christmas.


Big Surf at Hookipa


Tourists taking in the big surf


Dec 26, 2009
Another windless,but brilliant morning. Made a Chantrelle and Shitaki mushroom omelet with bacon for breakfast. After breakfast and a little checking on the internet. I took Pedro for a tour of the surf and windsurf shops in Kahului. Then it was to Wal Mart so Pedro could get some Mask, Snorkel and fins. We then headed over to the south shore to Ukmehame. There was a bit of swell, but it was windy and getting blown out. Not enough wind to windsurf. We then headed up to Launinopoko park. I gave Pedro the use of my 10'8" Hawaiian Island SUP and a short lesson. I used the PSH 9'6" and we paddled out to catch some waves. It was pretty small, maybe 1 to 2 feet and there was quite a holiday crowd out today. The waves I caught were surfing through a crowd and fortunately no collisions. I tried the break that was furthest to the left and not being used by anyone, however it was not quite big enough to get a decent ride. After the paddle surf session we headed up to Kaanapali and stopped in at the Times Market to get some beer and a sandwich. We head further up the coast to Kahana and checked out S-turns for a bit then head further up to Kapalua Bay to do some snorkelling. After this we head back to Puukoa and for dinner we barbequed a couple of steaks, served it with some rice and an Avocado salad and an Australian Shiraz.


Pedro snorkelling at Kapalua Bay


Upside down Moorish Idols


Puffer Fish


Dec 27, 2009
A little bit of cloud this morning but still windless. After a simple breakfast of Oats and Yogurt we headed towards Kahului. A few people were out at Hookipa. We drove down Stable road to check out Sprecks and the waves there looked a bit messy, so the decision was to go to Kanaha. First thing was to head to Hitech where Pedro bought some surf shorts. Then it was to Second Wind for Pedro to rent a short board. He rented a 6'2 Elua Makini twin fin fish. We then headed down to Kanaha. I used the 9'6" PSH SUP. The surf was breaking at about 2 to 2-1/2 meters with long breaks between sets. Lots of Paddle surfers out on the reef along with Longboards. The sea was a bit choppy due to a light easterly wind, which made it a bit challenging to stay standing on the SUP. The waves I caught were pretty nice 6 footers steep and long rides. Got caught on the inside a couple of times and had to ride the white water to the inner lagoon. After about 3 hours of surfing we were exhausted and paddled back in. We went back to Hitech and dropped off the PSH board. Then it was shopping time for Pedro. He bought an Underwater Housing for his camera and then a 6 foot KG quad thruster Fish at Second Wind. I rented the 10' Elua Makani SUP board to test out for the next couple of days. We then headed to Pinatas for Cervezas, Burritos and Nachos. On the way home I did the tour up country to Pukalani where we got some groceries and a Capucino at Starbucks then head back to Puu Koa via Makawao. For dinner I made up a small plate of Ahi Tuna Sushi. Some rum later to smooth things out after a good day of surfing.

December 28, 2009
A little more cloud this morning but still no sign of wind. Made an mega omelet for breakfast before heading out. We decided to do some snorkelling this morning over on the South shore. That took us to Oneuli beach. There was a small swell coming into the beach which stirred up the sand and made visibility pretty poor near the beach. Offshore about 50 meters visibility was much better. Found a couple of turtles and took some pictures and video of them. We could hear the Humpback whales singing when diving down to the bottom. After an hour or so, we head back to the beach. Dried off and had a beer, then drove to the shops at Wailea and I bought a pair of surf shorts and a couple of t-shirts and an Aloha shirt. We were getting hungry so we headed into Kihei and got a couple of sandwiches at the Times market and then went down the Maui Sunset beach and relaxed on the grass in the shade of a Coconut tree. Then it was time to go surfing so we headed back over to the north shore to Kanaha Beach Park. I jumped on the 10' Elua Makani and it seemed to be fairly stable and paddle OK. Out on the reef the swell was about half the as yesterday. Maybe 2-2.5 meters. The Makani board felt a bit sluggish when paddling onto the wave, but it handled pretty well on the wave. The rails felt a lot softer than the PSH board, so the bottom turns didn't feel as solid. Paddling out through the waves it worked excellent and punched through the white water with ease. I caught enough waves in the 2 hours of surfing to be happy and paddled in a little after 5 o'clock. Pedro came in about 20 minutes later. Then it was back to Pu'u Koa where I cooked up some Mahi Mahi on the grill served with rice and a greeen salad with a "Guenoc Petite Sirah 2007" California Wine. After dinner it was a couple of rums before crashing.


December 29, 2009
Clear skies and No wind again this morning. A simple breakfast of Oats and yogurt with coffe, then we loaded up the car and headed over to Ukumehame to do some snorkelling. The visibility didn't look to good so we headed to Kihei then down past Wailea to the cove at Ahihi Bay. We donned our mask snorkel and fins and jumped in the water. The visibility in the cove was pretty low but as we swam out and to the left it got better. Lots of lava rock outcrops that give the feel of the coral bombies I've seen on the Australia GBR. The bombies here were covered with pencil urchins and lots of fish were hanging around. Just offshore it was turtle town. I saw four just in one small area. Most of them were resting on the bottom, probably after a morning feed. After an hour or so we headed back to the cove to dry off. We had a beer and sandwich while amusing ourselves watching novice tourists getting in and out of the surf breaking into the cove. Next it was off to the north shore. I dropped Pedro off at Hookipa so he could give his new shortboard a real test. I headed down to Sprecklesville and went out for about an hour on the 10' Elua Makani. Waves were pretty small maybe 2 feet with the occassional 3 footer. I then headed into Kahului to Second Wind to drop of the board. It was getting close to 5:30 when I got back to Hookipa to pick up Pedro. He had just gotten out of the water when I arrived. We headed back to Puu Koa and had a quick shower and then drove back to Paia to get some dinner. We decided on Milagro's which was pretty busy and had to have a beer at the bar while waiting for a table. Pedro decided on a New York Sirloin steak while I had the Chicken with Feta Burrito. We had Nachos as an appetizer and Beer was our choice beverage. After dinner we ended up at Cafe Mambo's for an espresso then went back to Puu Koa. Had a rum and watch some TV then crashed.


Pencil Urchin


Ahi Bay Turtle



December 30, 2009
Brilliant sky this morning and no wind. For breakfast I made bacon and eggs with Maui onion hash browns. On our drive past Hookipa a big crowd was out but waves looked small. The West Maui mountains only had a few high clouds hanging around them so I decided to take Pedro up into the Iao valley to see the Iao Needle. I had forgotten how steep the valley walls and was again impressed on how nature had carved it out. The parking lot was pretty much full but none of the tourist buses had arrived yet, so the walk around the park was pretty quiet which made for a better appreciation of the view. After Iao we headed over to Ukumehame and decided to do the snorkel out. Unfortunately the visibility was nearly none existent and we came back in after about a half hour. We then headed up the west side to Kapalua and stopped for lunch to have a couple of Maui Tacos. We then drove further onward to Honolua. Almost no waves and the water looked nice and clear for snorkelling. We decided on continuing and headed around to the north side and drove the winding road along the spectacular deep ravines and cliffs of north coast of the west Maui mountains. We stopped at Waiehu Beach park to see if any waves were happening and only a couple of longboarders and SUP's were out trying to catch 2 foot waves. We decided it was a rest day and headed back to Puu Koa and cracked a couple of beers. I cooked up some pasta and made a sauce from last nights dinner left overs. Served with a bottle of 2006 "Rioja Gran Familia" wine.


The Iao Needle


North West Maui coast looking towards Molokai



December 31, 2009
Last day of 2009 and another beautiful clear morning on Maui. There is the hint of a Kona wind blowing. Did some catching up on the blog and hopefully will be able to post it later this evening. Had Oats with banana and yogurt for breakfast then we headed down the road to Hookipa. The swell was coming in pretty big and it was almost closed out inshore. A few surfers were out trying to cathc the big ones rolling in at Middles. The swell looked pretty north so I thought it might be good out at my secret spot out east. From Puu Koa we started toward Hana and about 45 minutes later we were at Honomanu. There were waves along the east side of the bay and only about to other surfers out. Pedro swam directly out through the shore break. I paddled out through the shallow river channel on the right. I kept inside to where the short boarders were stopping. About the fourth wave that came in was peaking just right and I paddle hard and got it. Looking back I could see it was well overhead has I surfed down and then to the right. Well,.. I lucked out on that one because nothing as good came along for the rest of my session. Pedro was right in against the cliff trying to catch a wave but not onto the rocks. After an hour or so we paddled back in and had a beer. Then we drove out to Keanae and had lunch before making the drive back to Puu Koa. Pedro found a coconut and I drilled it open to get the milk. Mixed it with some ice and rum. Then hacked away at the husk of the coconut until it could be split open, then feasted on the coconut. Hey! Can't get more tropical than this.


Kona winds at Hookipa


Honomanu


Pedro ready to go out at Honomanu


RK at Honomanu


Wild surf at Keanae



Happy New Year 2010!



Early morning Maui Moonset



January 1, 2010
Woke up early this morning and outside low in the west sky was the full moon still shining sharp and brilliant. The Kona wind that was blowing last night had disappeared and it was calm again. For breakfast I made us some scrambled eggs with bacon and toast served with French Roast Hawaiian Lion Brand Coffee. Caught up some emails and edited some photos for the blog. After awhile we got on the road and headed into Kahului to Hawaiian Island Surf and Sport shop where Pedro bought an HD Hero Cam. I bought an SUP coiled leash to try out. It was a bit windy on the north shore for surfing so we decided to head over to the south shore to do some snorkelling. The wind was southeasterly and even Wailea looked like the visibility wasn't that great. We headed further to the end of the road at La Perouse Bay. Jumped in the water and inshore the visibility was pretty poor. It got better as we swam further out along the lava flow. We were in the water for quite awhile because it about was half past three when finished. We got a couple of sandwiches in Kihei and then went down to Mai Poena Park. A couple of windsurfers were out on really big stuff like an 8.8, which did nothing to inspire me. They only lasted about an hour before the wind died. After this we drove back to Puu Koa got a shower and had a beer. Nothing in the fridge so we went into Paia and to Flatbreads for Pizza and Beer. Flatbreads as a real italian pizza oven and our Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza was just like the ones I remember having in Rome. After dinner, back at Puu Koa we watched "the Matrix" on TV while sipping on a rum.



Lau wiliwili nukunuko 'oi'oi


Manini, schooling Convict Tangs




January 2, 2010
Woke up really early this morning to catch some early waves. Made some coffee and drove to Hookipa and dropped Pedro off. He was going for a shortboard session. I then drove to Kanaha and paddled out to Lowers. Nice and calme and only a few paddlers out. Waves were a reasonable 2 to 4 feet and since I was back on the 10'8" Hawaiian Island board conditions were perfect. I caught about 6 or 7 real nice waves and got a few bottom turns in before the wave completely dumped. I surfed until about 10 o'clock then paddled back in. After loading the car I drove back up to Hookipa to pick up Pedro. I was just out of the water when I got there. Unfortunately, he had some board carnage and had bust one of his thrusters. Looks like we'll be doing some repairs tonight. It was time for brunch, so we went into Paia and to Charley's. I had Eggs Benedict and Pedro had a giant Macadamia nut Pancake. After eating we cruised around the Paia shops then headed back to Puu Koa to do some preliminary preparations for repairs to Pedro's board. We then loaded the cooler with beer and drove over to the south shore to do some snorkelling. We decided on the Five Caves site at Makena Landing. In the entry bay a turtle was sitting right where we jumped in the water. We swam further out to the caves point and there were more turtles around. I shot some video with my new wide angle lens on the camera. We were in the water for about an hour. After snorkelling we headed into Kihei to get some groceries then headed back to the north shore. Before dinner we did the reinstallation of the fcs fin plug into Pedro's board. Then I made a Pasta with a mushroom, meat and tomato sauce. We served it with an Italian 2007 "Montepulcian D'Abruzzo" wine. After dinner we watched Mike Myers' "Austin Powers in Goldmember" on TV.



Pedro heading out for an early morning Hookipa surf session


Puffer fish at Five Caves


January 3, 2010
A definite wind this morning, but not a trade wind. It is a Kona southwesterly. Before breakfast we worked on the repairs to Pedro's board. For breakfast I made some eggs and bacon with my maui onion rice and red potato panfry. After breakfast we were slow to get going. There was the possibility of some wind on the south shore. At Hookipa we saw some sailors, both kiters and windsurfers out down at Lanes. Kona winds were still light as they all looked like they were slogging. After hanging around at Hookipa for awhile we headed to Kihei and parked at Mai Poena. A few sailors were out but not going very fast. It looked like a marginal 15 knots. There was a big dark cloud that was blocking the sun and it was also probably killing the wind. After awhile it seemed to get a bit windier, so I rigged the 5.5 Sailworks and attempted to get off the beach with my 96 litre Quatro. I gave up after awhile and rigged a beer and had some lunch. I then pulled the 10'8" Hawaiian Island SUP out of the bag and rigged the sail on it. That was better and nearly got planing. Got a couple of small waves on one reach. After sailing for about half an hour I came in and gave Pedro a windsurf lesson and then put him on the water for a try. He got sailing on port tack right away, but had some difficulties on starboard tack. Not the best conditions for first time because it was quite choppy with a swell coming in. I rigged the HD Hero cam on the windsurf boom and went for a final sail. First sailing session of 2010 was celebrated with a beer. After packing up we drove back over to Kahului and did some shopping at WalMart for some additional materials to complete repairs to Pedros board. Then we went to Mana Foods in Paia to pick up some groceries for dinner. Back at Puu Koa I barbequed a couple of steaks and had it with a serving of Yams and spinach. Served with an Argentinian Malbec wine. Watched a bit of TV then crashed exhausted but satisfied with the days activities.



Windsurfing the Kona winds at Lanes


RK hoping for some more wind at Kihei


First sail of 2010 on the SUP board with 5.5 Sailworks



January 4, 2009
Strong Kona winds were blowing at Pu'u Koa this morning. It was promising to be a good windsurfing day. For breakfast I made a cheese and mushroom omelet served with pan fried yams. Pedro made some finishing touches to his board repair then we headed down to Hookipa. A lot more windsurfers were planing down at Lanes and getting some good waves. The only problem was the launch required a swim out from the beach to get into sailable wind. We opted to head over to Kihei. When we got there the wind looked the same as yesterday, which wasn't very inspiring, so I decided to check out Maalea. At Heywood Park the Neil Pryde Team was there derigging the big Formula stuff. The wind looked less than at Kihei, so we headed further up the coast to Ukumehame and it was flat and windless there. Pedro hadn't seen Lahaina yet so we decided to head up and do the tourist thing. We did the visit to the big Banyan tree and walked up Front Street and wandered into a couple of art galleries. Pedro bought a T-shirt at the Harley Davidson bike shop. We ended up at the Hard Rock Cafe where Pedro bought a couple more souvenirs and we then had a couple of beers with Nachos. Heading back down the street we stopped in at the Quicksilver store and bought a couple of T-shirts. Then we headed back to the north shore to Kanaha Beach Park. A few windsurfers were out at lowers slogging onto waves. Again a swim was required to get out to the wind which was blowing straight offshore. On the way back home we drove up to Pukulani to get some groceries and then headed back down through Makawao and Haiku. A hard day of driving around required a couple of beers, then I grilled some fresh Ahi Tuna, served with rice and Kim Chee and an Australian Yellow Tail Shiraz



Really Windsurfing the Kona winds at Lanes


Lahaina's Banyan tree


Relaxing at Maui's Hard Rock Cafe



January 5, 2010
Kona winds still blowing this morning and sunny and clear skies. Made bacon and eggs with pan fried red potatoes. Did some updating to the blog. Surf was forecast to be much bigger today. First stop was at Hookipa, where Pedro was going to surf today. it looked pretty big with waves of 10 to 12 feet. I headed down the road to check out Secrets while Pedro made attempt to get outside. Offshore I could see that Spartans reef was breaking at 20 feet plus. At Secrets it was a bit messed up and only small surf was getting inside. I headed over to Kihei where the Kona wind was again light maybe 10 knots. I rigged the Sailworks 5.5 and put it on the 10'8" SUP board. A short period swell was coming in and breaking about 2 feet on the low tide reef and I was able to catch a few of these. After my windsurf SUP session I packed up and headed back over to Hookipa to pick up Pedro about 4 o'clock. The swell had picked up quite a bit and it looked almost closed out. Some windsurfers were still out down at Lanes. We had a couple of beers and a loaf of banana bread while watching the action still happening. Then it was back to Puu Koa to wash the salt off. For dinner we went up to the Haiku center and to the "Hana Hou" restaurant. Pedro had the Opakapaka fish special, while I had the Kalua Pork with Poi both served with some Kona Beer. After dinner we headed back to Puu Koa and finished the day off with a rum.



Surfing Middles at Hookipa


Surfing the Point at Hookipa


Pedro paddling hard to get out at Hookipa


Spartans Reef was breaking 20 feet plus



January 6, 2009
Another sunny morning with lighter Kona winds blowing. Made bacon and eggs with pan fried potatoes to stoke us up for the days activities. First thing was to go up to Pauwela so that Pedro could buy a board bag from the Da Kine factory outlet there. We also did a visit to Pascal at the Quatro shop. Next was a stop at Hookipa. Wind was light offshore and the waves seemed to be breaking with 3 to 4 meter faces. Next we drove directly to Kanaha. The wind was fairly strong Kona and I was skeptical that I could catch any waves with the SUP, however, I did pulled the SUP board out. Pedro rigged his HD Hero Cam on the board and then we paddled out to the reef. Out on the reef the wind was way stronger and as hard as I could paddle the waves still went under me. I gave up after awhile and paddled inshore to get out of the wind. I tried to get a couple of left over surf breaking on the small bombies inshore then paddle back to shore then cracked a beer and waited for Pedro to finish his session. After Pedro came in we lunched on some Pineapple pieces then went on a drive to the upper west shore to see how waves were coming in there. At Flemming Beach it was a pretty small, maybe 2 foot shore break. At Honolua, the waves were a bit bigger and a bit messed up by the Kona wind. The crowds were at the normally deserted Punalau beach. We then opted to continue along the north side. At Honokohau there were a couple of surfers out. The rest of the drive was easy because late in the day no other tourists were on the road. A short stop at Mana Foods in Paia and then it was back to Pu'u Koa for a couple of beers. I cooked up some Linguini Pasta with a meat sauce and we had Australian "Jacobs Creek" Shiraz wine. A couple of rums after dinner...



Waves at Hookipa still breaking at 3 to 4 metres


RK and Pedro paddling out at Kanaha





January 7, 2010
Aloha Thursday. It is our last day on Maui for this trip. This morning was the first Mauka shower which was a sign of a chance of trade winds today. Made a giant mushroom and cheese omelet with red potatoes for breakfast. It looked like it was going to be good day at Kanaha. On the way we stopped at Hookipa. It was going off big time. We saw only one surfer that made it out and he had opted for upper Lanes. Waves were breaking 3 to 4 metres and the point was closed out. Jet skis were making their way up to Jaws. When we got to Kanaha it looked good. A few surfers were already out. Pedro put his HD cam on his board and paddled out ahead of me. It must have been pretty good out there because Dave Kalama was paddiling in when I paddled out. I opted to push out through the channel between Lowers and Weird Wave. It was pretty messy and I had to push through a couple of sets of white water. The first wave I caught was about 5 feet and I got a couple of bottom turns in before being buried. Another paddle out through the channel and the second wave wasn't very pretty and pretty much a repeat of the first. My last wave was a Narly one. I paddled hard to get on it, and at first thought I had missed it but it got steeper and I dropped about 2 feet as fell onto the face. I think my jumping windsurfing boards helped because I landed the board easily, and then was making a bottom turn as I cut back I could see the wave was breaking to my right and had to turn hard to keep me from being buried in the white water. I paddle out of that wave and decided to call it a successful day of surfing at Kanaha. Pedro came in not long after I had made it to shore. A celebratory beer was mandatory. Then it was off to make a final round of the Windsurf shops to pick up last purchases before packing up for our departure to colder climates.



Waves Going Off Big Time at Hookipa



R. Kashino © 2009