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Blog written in Victoria , BC - July 1, 2008
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Haleakala - Maui 's Top Site - Part 2

Haleakala is described as a massive shield volcano that forms 75 per cent of the island of Maui .

The Hawaiian Islands , after all, are the most isolated major island group on Earth formed by the movement northwestward of the Pacific Plate over a stationary plume of magma rising from a "hot spot" within the Earth's mantel. The fluid rock makes its way through the ocean floor and countless eruptions over the millions of years eventually created and are still creating the Hawaiian Islands . (Source: National Park publication)

The volcano that formed East Maui emerged from the sea more than 900,000 years ago. The most recent eruption is thought to have occurred in 1790 . Unlike most volcanoes, the sides of the crater are smooth and shallow, which are the characteristics of a "shield" volcano.

Favourite activities other than general sightseeing at Haleakala include: watching a sun rise or sun set, participating in the popular 36 mile downhill bike tour and hiking.

During our stay at the visitor's center which overlooks the crater, we were treated to a Hawaiian
chant sung by a park ranger.

Hawaii has a long tradition of chants. The combination of the spectacular beauty of Haleakala and a Hawaiian chant induced a degree of spirituality which could only be described as "goose bump"
inducing. Awesome surroundings definitely are conducive to a feeling of spirituality which is a concept the builders of the magnificent cathedrals in Europe understood a long time ago.

It is with reluctance that we left the beauty of the crater to move higher along the road . This led
us to an area known as " Science City ". That is the name given to a collection of observatories located at Haleakala summit. The exceptional atmospheric conditions at this location make
for great viewing of the night skies. Included among the views are the Milky
Way, Saturn's rings and the four moons of Jupiter.

A special thrill for us was to catch a brief view of Mauna Kea on the horizon. This had been our 13,000 foot mountain adventure on Big Island (see Blog 99: Mauna Kea - Life at 13,000 feet)

On our way back to far-off Lahaina firstly took us to Pukalani. At that point we could not resist
to head north across the island along the Kokomo Road to have another look at Haiku located on the
northern coast. Besides it was time for the proverbial afternoon coffee and scenic Haiku would be the perfect place to do that.

We recognized from the start of our trip that the churches of Hawaii were something special and therefore a worthwhile stop along the way . The Holy Rosary Church in the district of Paia proved to be no exception to the rule with its ornate decorations. Particularly fascinating was the Father Damien Memorial, built in 1989, which is located on the grounds of the church.

The story of this Belgian missionary (1840-1889) who devoted his life to the care of lepers on
the island of Molokai , is a moving and gripping story which is well
documented at:

 www.territorioscuola.com/wikipedia/en.wikipedia.php?title=Father_Damien

Update: February 21, 2009
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090221/ap_on_re_eu/eu_vatican_saint

We had previously encountered Father Damien in the form of a statue in front of the Hawaiian
state capitol in Honolulu.

 www.hawaiicatholicherald.com/Home/tabid/256/newsid884/669/Default.aspx.

Over coffee in Haiku, we finally came to the realization what an extraordinary New Year's Day 2008
had been . The phrase "life time" memory was certainly on our lips. It was more spectacular than words can describe.

Coming Soon:

Maui and the Southern Beaches