Entering the Mouth of the Dragon
The Dragon’s Teeth, The Ritz Carlton & Great Poke
ON day 2 our hosts decided that it was time for a nature hike at Makaluapuna . We woke up early, made some vegan, gluten free tofu scramble for Dr. Lewis (Cliff) and got ready to head out. We were definitely in for a treat.
After jumping into the car with the crew (Josh, Lori, Coach and I), we headed northeast on the Hanoapiilani Hwy. and turned left on Office Road past mile marker 30. At the end of office Road we took a right. According to Coach, our personal Beaches, Burgers and Bathrooms guide, there’s a little parking lot which we can then leave and walk around the edge of the golf course to get to the Dragon’s Teeth.
As we walked the path we noticed that there was a sign saying to respect the land, for it is an ancient burial ground.
You will see some hedges and if you walk alongside them you will get an easy access to the Dragon’s Teeth from the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua. This path also marks the boundary for the ancient Honokahua burial site. Keep walking past the golf course until you see large, sharp, pointy rocks.
This rock formation was created when the lava from the west Maui volcano poured into the ocean and fierce winds and waves forced it back and formed it into the teeth-like structures we see today. Look carefully you’ll see just how high the water splashes up.
After spending some time at the Dragons Teeth (filming my feet running around and Josh almost losing his hat, the first time), we then headed to the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua to watch the sunset and see the animals. It was truly a beautiful hotel with lots to see.
All that walking made us hungry, so we headed over to Foodland where they apparently have the best poke on the island. It was amazing and SO fresh. Josh made sure he got two types of poke; one in soy sauce and one in spicy mayo.
Hey Google! What is Poke?
“Poke is diced raw fish served either as an appetizer or a main course and is one of the main dishes of Native Hawaiian cuisine. Traditional forms are aku and heʻe. Heʻe poke is usually called by its Japanese name tako poké/poki, except in places like the island of Niʻihau where the Hawaiian language is spoken.”
This particular poke carried amazing flavor and it did not have any kind of fishy smell. In NYC, we are used to having poke bowls that are served over a bed of warm rice with an assortment of toppings such as sliced garlic, pickled octopus, edamame, corn, crispy garlic and shallots, fish roe, seaweed salad, etc, but in Hawaii it was more of a purist approach: just poke, some rice and maybe a salad on the side. At Foodland, we just got straight poke, brought it home back to Kahoma Village and ate it on Baby Beach while watching the sunset.
Overall it was an amazing day that started on the beach and ended on the beach. At the end of the night, every night during our 17 day trip, we would then go for a walk on the beach in the afternoon to watch the sunset and we would also take another walk on the beach at night to watch the stars. We were even able to see a part of the Milky Way Galaxy our first night there because the sky was so clear.
