I went to Maui in September to celebrate the union of my friend Ken and his husband Brian. Ken & Brian recently had become registered domestic partners in their home state of Washington, and decided to get "Mauied" in the beautiful Aloha State. The ceremony took place at the amazingly picturesque Keali'i Nui Botannical Gardens, on Maui's North Shore, near the town of Haiku, at the beginning of the road to Hana. Their son, Brandon, was in attendance as was Ken's brother Steve and sister-in-law Kim.
After the ceremony we had an awesome lunch at Mama's Fish House, also on the North Shore. It was a "taste of old Polynesia" and the food and atmosphere were superb. Brian treated us, which made it even more delicious. I had their Maui Onion Soup and a Grilled Wild Ahi and smoked bacon sandwich on cheddar cheese focaccia, served with Molokai sweet potato fries. The others (except Brandon, who's allergic to nuts and had a steak) had Mahimahi (caught along the north shore of Maui) stuffed with Lobster, Crab, Maui onion, and baked in a macadamia nut crust. It got rave reviews!
That night, we did the traditional Hawaiian Luau at the Waikapu Village Luau, nestled below the West Maui mountains. (It was Brian's treat again- how generous!)
It was my 2nd luau, and although there is a pretty specific pattern that these festivities follow, I thought this one was very enjoyable. They take you on a short tram ride through some gardens of traditional Hawaiian crops, show you how to open a coconut the old-school way, and present to you traditional games similar to checkers, lawn bowling and ball-in-a-cup. Then they unearth the beast, which is done during a narration of the fabled creation of Maui. There's a quick audience-participation hula lesson, and then it's off to the auditorium for the eat-til-you're-satisfied buffet and folklore show, complete with authentic oli (chant), na mele (songs), and hula (dance.)
