More than Just Maui | Teen Ink

More than Just Maui

January 13, 2011
By Anonymous

Let me take you on a journey to an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Most people think it’s just one giant beach with a lot of palm trees. Well, most people are wrong.


I had the opportunity to travel to Maui and experience the nature of the island and the culture of the people there. On Maui, there are not just beautiful beaches but also lush forests, exotic flora and fauna, and amazing views.

During my time on Maui, I walked through many forests; one in particular was a bamboo forest. Although it may look thin, the bamboo was very tough and thick. Walking through this tall field of bamboo sticks felt like you were taking a journey to Wonderland. It is like nothing you’ve ever experienced before.

As you may know, the weather on Maui is almost always perfect. At around seventy-five degrees everyday with just a little bit of ocean breeze, Maui is a great place for plants to grow. Flowers are of every color. The leaves have funky shapes. Tropical gardens full of these plants are a treat, even if that’s not one of your interest, they are still amazing to look at.

Many unique birds and amphibians live only in Hawaii. That is one thing that makes Hawaii so special: The plants and animals that are only on the islands. You cannot find them anywhere else in the world they are so exquisite. The animals in the water are fascinating. I could’ve gone snorkeling for hours more just looking at fish. Yellow, red, purple, blue, green, orange, black. Stripes and dots. They really are a sight to see. And not only can you see fish but a plethora of other sea animals as well. Seals, manta rays, whales and turtles are often common just of the coasts of Hawaii.

Waking up at four in the morning is never a pleasant thing except when it’s to see the view of a lifetime. We traveled two hours up the mountain just to be at the top for about fifteen minutes. We had to get there before the sun rose or we would miss the whole thing. Imagine floating up in the sky, just before the sunrise. The top of the sky is still dark blue, but under light, puffy clouds, spots of pink appear. Then orange. Then yellow. This is exactly what the view looked like from the top of the mountain. At the top of one of the highest points in Hawaii, it makes you feel like you’re in heaven.


Because there is so much beautiful nature on Maui, the people who live there love it want to preserve it as much as they can. Natural and organic items are very well liked here. There are lots of farms and fields of crops around the island because they like to grow food on their own. They are efficient people and encourage recycling and reducing water usage to help protect their home’s natural environment.

There’s much more to Maui than palm trees and beaches. If you explore it just a little bit, you will find things you’ve never seen before. Some things you may not even believe are real. This experience has taught me to better appreciate nature and the beauties of the world. There are so many things we can learn from just being outside for a few minutes.


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