Before we entered the ancient burial ground on Kapaula, Clifford Naeole offered a chant introducing me to the 400-plus Hawaiian ancestors who lay 40 feet under in the lush gardens overlooking the Hawaiian islands. He touched my arm gently midway through the chant – a signal for me to make my introduction. “Melanie Nayer, from Boston,” I said, as instructed. The introduction by Naeole and my acknowledgement to his ancestors is a customary way to enter the burial ground, and let them know you’re family.
Reminder at Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua
Naeole, the cultural director for The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, and Maui’s resident historian, took me on a tour of the Kapalua grounds. My history lesson was more of an emotional and spiritual journey, something neither Naeole or I expected.
I arrived in Maui for one night before making my way to L’anai, where I would spend the holidays. The purpose of the trip: reflection and relaxation. It had been a busy year and one not without its complications. It was the first year I’d spend away from my family at Christmas, but also the first Christmas I’d spend focusing on me. I was exhausted, and while this trip wasn’t without its work, there was also time carved out for exploration on the beautiful island of Hawaii. At first concerned by my solo travel to Hawaii, my friends slowly warmed up to the idea of it. The island of honeymooners and newlyweds could be distracting and depressing, or it could be the opportunity for a “Melanie-Moon” — a 10-day island excursion where the focus was on me.
I left the Maui airport mid-afternoon on Dec. 15, located the car service I had pre-arranged and settled in for the 45-minute drive to Kapalua. First thing the next morning I was on my way with Naeole, which would be a morning I’d never forget.
There’s an undeniable beauty about Hawaii. It’s hard to explain and photographs don’t always do it justice, but imagine the first time you saw the perfect sunset, or the way the streets look after the first snowfall of the season. The Hawaiian landscape is to writers what a great wave is to surfers – you can’t explain it, you just marvel in it.
Naeole and I made our way to the edge of the ancient burial ground, looked past Maui toward the other islands and brushed away the mist of the water that crashed against the rocks. The wind was whipping through the air on this particular day, and according to Naeole, it’s something to pay attention to. According to Hawaiin legend, the wind is the voice of your ancestors; the mist is the touch of your ancestors; and the rainbow (a common scene on Hawaii, although I hadn’t seen one yet) is the journey of your ancestors — where they came from and where you are going.
We walked the grounds and chatted about prosperity, spirituality and mystery. We shared our stories of success and heartaches, We discussed the history of Hawaii, the state of affairs today and loves lost and found on the grounds of Kapalua. I had come to Hawaii to be alone and pull the year to a close. While most people looked at me with pity when they heard this, Naeole just smiled – some things, he understood, just have been to done alone. When the time is right, there will be someone who will see the world the same way you do.
Naeole walked toward the flowering bushes that lined the burial grounds and separated the hotel from the historical site. He picked off a flower – which was only half a flower – and told me the legend of Naupaka.
It is said that two lovers, greatly devoted to each other, came to the attention of the Goddess Pele. Pele found the young man desirable and appeared before him as a beautiful stranger. But no matter what Pele did the lovers remained devoted to each other.
Angered, Pele chased the young man into the mountains, throwing molten lava at him. Pele’s sisters witnessed this and to save the young man from a certain death they changed him into the mountain Naupaka. Pele immediately went after the young woman and chased her towards the sea – but again Pele’s sisters stepped in and changed the young lover into beach Naupaka. The two forms of the flower Naupaka can never reside together as they are separated by distance and climate. Both flowers are half blossoms, never to be fulfilled as a whole, but it is said that if the mountain Naupaka and beach Naupaka flowers are reunited, the two young lovers will be together again.
I wasn’t in Hawaii to mourn a love lost or find a new romance. I was here to channel my energies, pay homage to my year and plan the year ahead. My life as a travel writer holds distinct differences from my reality, but there’s a spiritual connection I have with my work and my career. It fulfills me on levels many can’t understand, but I still look to the Gods every now and again for a sign of good fortune and guidance. My professional life and my personal life might never unite, but their separate worlds work in harmony. Somehow I connected with the story of Naupaka, and I suspect all along Naeole knew I would.
