6 PADDLE FOR LIFE
Every October, the Pacific Cancer Foundation holds Paddle for Life, a two-day event in which cancer survivors and supporters paddle outrigger canoes to raise funds for Maui’s cancer community. To quote the foundation’s website, “It’s not a race . . . it’s a voyage.” It’s also a dip into Hawaiian culture through paddling, ceremony and chants. Plans changed in 2020, with Paddle for Life extended throughout October, and instead of one big gathering, teams of six chose when and where to take to the water— perhaps at sunrise, or under a full moon; along the south coastline, or around Molokini.
7 ARCHIE KALEPA
This real-life Maui superman was among the first tow-in surfers to brave seventyfoot-
tall waves at Pe‘ahi and the first to stand-up paddle solo across the Moloka‘i
Channel. The former lifeguard captain developed innovative ocean-rescue techniques
and saved lives (including one dog) during 1992’s Hurricane Iniki. Kalepa sailed
aboard the voyaging canoes Hōkūle‘a and Hawai‘iloa on multiple ocean crossings.
Still, this lifelong waterman says that one of his most rewarding accomplishments
was the restoration of his family’s lo‘i kalo (taro patch). After more than 130 years,
the mountain stream flows through the lo‘i again, feeding the taro, the community,
and the culture.
8 TANYA KAINA DOYLE
In 2019, this UH Maui College culinary graduate launched her namesake food truck, All Kaina Grindz, creating a following with island favorite like five-spice pork-belly kimchee-fried rice. Tanya also cofounded the nonprofit Future Grindz, whose apprentice program trains high-school students in food preparation and safety. Future Grindz’s Kupuna Meals also teaches students community outreach, having them cook meals for kūpuna (elders).
9 PU‘U KUKUI
Atop Pu‘u Kukui, the “hill of enlightenment,” grows an enchanted forest—jewellike ‘ōhi‘a trees and silverswords, fully mature, but just six inches tall. Among Earth’s rainiest locales, it’s the mountain home of Kihawahine, a powerful mo‘o, or lizard goddess. It’s also our water factory. Few of us will ever visit the inaccessible summit of the West Maui Mountains, but we all benefit from the fresh water captured by its pristine ecosystem. View photos of the rare inhabitants of this realm in Remains of a Rainbow by Susan Middleton and David Liittschwager.
