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THE GREAT MAUI MIX

"Chop suey," is the way Mauians affectionately describe their cherished racial diversity. There is no other state in the nation (and probably no other place in the world) where interracial marriages approach fifty percent. The children of Maui are a golden blend of East and West, happy heirs of many cultures. When asked about background many a Maui beauty will proudly reel off an ancestor list that may include Hawaiian, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Irish, Portuguese and German. Islanders happily celebrate each other's holidays, wearing flowers on Lei Day, donning kimono and honoring ancestors during the Japanese obon season, and flying the Stars and Stripes on the Fourth of July.

Maui lifestyles are equally eclectic. Some people choose resort living year-round, settling into a sort of endless holiday along an emerald golf course. Others are happy in their old homes under the palms, along the ocean. Pockets of Beverly Hills pop up in unexpected places. Many islanders prefer life in a small town such as Haiku or Hana with their rural charm, where families have known each other for generations. There are even old Hawaiian settlements at Kahakuloa and Keanae where people fish, raise taro and let the commotion of the world pass them by.

The old plantation lifestyle has its fans who stay snug in a time warp in tiny homes with tin roofs, front porches and overwhelming gardens, while their offspring might choose the new suburbs of Kahului with bright new kitchens and baths, and a two-car garage.

Upcountry, traditionally a farming and ranching community, has lately become fashionable, drawing artists, writers, families and reclusives to its cool climate, and its green beauty pierced with magnificent mountain light. Because Upcountry farmers once grew fat shipping food to the miners during the gold rush, the area was dubbed Nu Kaliponi, New California. With the new crop of hot tubs, herbal healers, book stores, art galleries and espresso shops, the name still fits.

The cowboys who ride across volcanic meadows, who know each hill by name and can count the kinds of wind, still call out their commands in Hawaiian as they ride herd, rounding up the animals, shouting "Hah pipi (cow)! and "Ai lepo (eat dirt)."

Maui makes room for a fascinating variety of lifestyles, all clearly visible and accessible. Every Saturday and Sunday, the real estate sections of local newspapers advertise "open house," homes for sale that are open to the public for viewing. It's an opportunity for visitors to glimpse Maui's many lifestyles, and -- who knows
-- maybe end up calling Maui home.

Here, people not only accept each other, they embrace. It's not part of Maui's magic. It's the very fiber of the spirit of aloha, of greeting each person with the acknowledgement of their unique sanctity. It only looks like magic.

RESOURCES

Maui News, P.O. Box 550, Wailuku, Maui, Hi 96793; 808/244-3981

Smart Maui Traveler PO Box 791443 Paia, Maui, Hawaii 96779 info@smartmaui.com


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