Maui Wine on Ulupalakua Ranch

 

Maui Wine, King’s Cottage

Hula Circle

While visiting paradise on the island of Maui, take a scenic drive up to Ulupalakua Ranch to tour Maui Wine sitting at 2000 feet above sea level, established in 1974. On the drive upcountry, take in spectacular views of the the islands of Lanai and Molokai. There are several overlooks where you can pull aside and take pictures. Each winery is unique in their own way and at Maui Wine they are known for their pineapple wines! 30 minute tours for the whole family are offered daily at 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

The tour begins

We decided to tour in the morning since it was in June and we thought it may be cooler. It was the perfect day trip as we dined for lunch and stopped off at a park afterwards. There is a designated parking area at the winery where you will see the King’s Cottage built in 1870. In the picture above, notice the Hula Circle created by cypress trees for King David Kalakaua as a designated area where he could watch hula dancers. The trees are over 150 years old and have since been cut way down and carved. Look very closely to determine what each carving displays.

Hula O Maui, pineapple wine

The tour began in the historical room in the King’s Cottage with a complimentary pour of sparkling wines. First we had a glass of the LokeLani, Hawaiian Sparkling Rose Wine and a glass of Hula O Maui, Pineapple Sparkling Wine.

Family Friendly

You will be greeted with the fresh pineapple aroma prior to taking your first sip.  Listen as Auntie Em (Emily) describes how the property started out as a plantation, then moved to ranching and most recently, wine making. Take your time looking around at all of the sepia pictures hanging on the wall displaying the ranch families. The historical information is great for all ages. Our kids really enjoyed learning about the ranch as well as the production of wine. The tour is only 30 minutes, short and sweet for all ages.

Make your way from the King’s Cottage to the production area via a pathway along the beautifully manicured property. The 10:30 a.m. tour was nice and cool, a little overcast with ocean views. Ulupalakua is the perfect place to take pictures and spend time walking around. We made our way down to the production area with the first stop at the machine which skins the pineapples for Maui Wine’s pineapple wines. These wines are unique because they use pineapple rather than grapes. It was our first experience in sampling wines and sparkling wines infused with pineapple. The pineapple wines are made with Maui Gold pineapples. Next stop, the production plant where Auntie Em explains the process of wine making. It was fascinating to find out that Maui Wine does not use any wood barrels to process their wine as it is not conducive with the Hawaii climate and wood eating bugs.

Maui Wine has a fantastic wine tasting bar and gift shop. Kids are allowed in the tasting room but not up at the bar. Our kids enjoyed exploring the gift shop while we took in our 3 samples of complementary wine. I loved the white wines while my husband preferred the estate red wine. All of the wines are for sale at the winery. We left with two bottles of wine and a “Maui Wine” etched wine glass to bring home as a souvenir.

Tasting Bar

If you are tasting wines with someone else, share the samples so that you can actually sample 6 varieties. The staff are very knowledgeable about the wines. They even informed us as to which wines are for sale at our local Costco and which wines are sold only at the winery. The information provided by the staff helped us in choosing which wines to purchase and bring home. We signed up for their mailing list to receive information about upcoming events such as parties, holiday festivities and local music.

Ulupalakua Ranch Store

After wine tasting, walk across the street and have a bite to eat at the Ulupalakua Ranch Store. Located in a green, plantation-style house with a lanai to sit and dine at Paniolo style. Choose from Maui Cattle Company’s slow roasted cattle brisket, Upcountry Caesar salad, Elk or the famous Ulupalakua Lamb Burger. If you like sauces, you will love dining at the Ranch Store!

Brisket wrap

Each table has house made BBQ sauces to choose from and some are really spicy! You will smell the BBQ smoke while touring Maui Wine. The best part is that the Ranch Store serves only Maui grown produce! While waiting for your food to grill, shop around the store which features local artisan products.

 

King’s Cottage

Open Monday- Sunday 10 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.

Family Hike up the Sleeping Giant, Kauai

View from top of Sleeping Giant

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”
~ John Muir, The Mountains of California

Beginning of West Trail

Adding to the “Travel Fit” section of our family travel blog ~ hike the Sleeping Gaint! Get out and get moving with the whole family.

Looking for a great family hike to do on Kauai? The Nounou Trail, AKA Sleeping Giant, is a fun, family friendly, scenic hiking trail with  two access points (east & west) leading to the top of the mountain. Hike two miles up and two miles back through the Nounou Mountain Range between the towns of Wailua and Kapaa on the island of Kauai. Hike among the Norfolk and Cook Pines that were planted in the 1930′s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Stop to observe and take pictures of the breathtaking overlooks of Kauai’s lush interior and coastal views. Why is it called Sleeping Giant? According to Hawaiian legend,the giant was tricked by villagers into eating a rocks hidden in fish and poi. After consuming the large meal, the giant took a nap and has never woken.

This blog post and pictures are all from the West Trail of the Sleeping Giant.

How to get there~If you are not familiar with the area, it is important to take note as to which entrance of the trail you park at the East Trail or West Trail. The East Trail is accessible from Hwy. 56, turn west onto Kuamoo and drive 2.4 miles, the trail head marking will be on the right. For the West Trail, follow the same directions but continue on past the East trail head, turn right on Kamalu Road, drive 1.3 miles and the trail head will be on the right in a rural neighborhood in the Wailua Homesteads. All state trails on Kauai will have a metal sign (pictured above) at the trail head that states the name of the trail.

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity…”  ~ John Muir

What to expect on the way up~ we started about 8:30 a.m. which is nice and cool in September. Ideally, we could have started sooner as it heated up drastically by 10 a.m. My first tip~ hike at your own pace. It’s not a race, take in the beauty of it all and enjoy yourself. As you make your way up the mountain, it is pretty well shaded. In the picture above, it felt as though we were walking through a foggy mist of trees. It was quiet, peaceful and smelled of fermented cherries. Warning~ there are a lot of fruit flies! Be sure to plant your feet with each step as the smashed fruit on the ground can be slippery. Our son enjoyed picking up walking sticks along the way. Sleeping Giant is a pet friendly trail. There are a lot of dogs. Be sure to have your pet on a leash and bring bags to pick up poop. Some people run the trail, so expect to step aside and allow others to pass. This happened to us frequently along the trail. One trail runner actually passed us three times. The trail is very safe, people are friendly and most of them will say “Aloha” as they pass. Please respect the trail and trees, pick up your trash and be mindful of others.

Roots, roots & more roots

We took our time on the trail as it was our first attempt and we weren’t in a rush. We completed the entire trail, up and back, in two hours with many stops to take pictures and drink water. If you are an avid hiker, I would imagine you could make it up in 30 minutes time. As you approach the large rock formation towards the top, there is a stretch of the trail with drop offs on either side. Be sure to take your time, not pass others or take pictures in this area. It is a little deceiving as there are bushes on either side of the trail, but when you look closely, it becomes apparent that it is a cliff. I would not recommend that young children hike to the top. There are a couple of spots where we had to climb on large rocks and/or roots. I used my hands while climbing down in a few tricky spots. Wear good shoes, preferably hiking shoes. If you don’t own hiking shoes, wear tennis shoes. Do not wear slippers (flip flops), sandals, brand new shoes or anything with a slight heel. The trail would be an easy place to turn an ankle if not wearing the proper footwear.

This was the first large rock that we came upon and of course, we had to take a picture. What kid doesn’t love to climb on a great big rock? In this area of the trail, it feels as though you are hiking in the Northwest of the United States rather than on a tropical island.

Picnic Area

Lookout area

The east and west trail of Sleeping Giant both end up at a picnic table area toward the top. There is a large open grass area. It is an ideal place to take pictures, rest and to stop and eat lunch.

Picnic table area

There are two covered,  picnic tables. Celebrate your climb by enjoying lunch with a fabulous view. The breezes up high on the mountain felt so refreshing after sweating during the climb. There is also a lookout area with a bench, which is a wonderful spot to take a picture. You can set your camera on the timer, put it on the bench and snap away!! The photo above is from the lookout area. We had our own photographer present that day.

 

Rock Formation towards the top

“Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.”
~ Barry Finlay, Kilimanjaro and Beyond

Tips: Let me preface by saying that I tend to be over-prepared in most situations. There aren’t any restrooms or water stations anywhere on the trail. If you plan to hike alone, tell someone when and where you will be. Be sure to bring water, sunblock, snacks, wash cloth or small towel, hat and cell phone. We hiked in September when it can be very hot and humid, so be sure to bring at least 3 water bottles per person in a small backpack. Some hikers will advise holding the water bottle in your hand as a reminder to drink often. However, I think you should have your hands free on this trail. Due to hiking in the morning, we didn’t pack a lunch; however, always bring snacks! You never know if/when you or someone you are with may need food. It’s great to snack on healthy food items such as dried fruits, trail mix, granola bars etc. for energy as you hike. We bring a small towel or wash cloth which can be multifunctional. Use the wash cloth to wipe off sweat or to clean off scratches or scrapes which may occur during the hike. It is always best to have a small towel in the event someone were to get injured. It’s wonderful to be one with nature and practice technology-free family time!!!! So turn your cell off if you wish, but don’t hike without it. Keep at least one charged phone with you in the event of an emergency. Lastly, we froze our water bottles which turned out to be a huge relief as I was getting really hot and feeling nauseous at one point and the ice, cool water over my head really made me feel better. Bring your inhaler, Motrin or whatever you usually carry with you for emergencies. Hike safe, be smart and have fun.

View from top

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