When people think of big waves and Maui, they generally think of the North Shore coastline and places like Jaws. This is the time of year when big storms marching across the Northern Pacific send huge swells crashing into our North and West facing coastlines. That being said, every once in a while Maui’s South Facing Shores will get a really big swell. These waves are typically generated by big storms in the Southern Hemisphere during the Austral Winter. This past summer, the South Shore of Maui experienced a once every 15-20 year type of swell.

Martin Lenny is an agent for the Maui Real Estate Team. His son Kai is gaining notoriety as one of the great young water people in the world. Kai is a two time world champion Stand Up Paddle Surfer, a Pro Windsurfer, an incredibly talented Kite surfer and a great surfer. One of his sponsors recently put together a video of Kai riding the big waves of this summer’s once every twenty year swell. Kai started his day Stand Up Paddling into the waves. He then proceeded to go back out for three more sessions in the water on his surfboard, windsurf and kite boards respectively. The resulting video is titled Kai Lenny 4 in 1.

You can keep up with more of Kai’s adventures on his Facebook page.

I have to admit, I enjoy the decorating part of the holiday season. Our parents put a lot of time and effort in to selecting the family Christmas tree and decking out the house every December. I always enjoy helping Billy and his family find and decorate their tree. Believe it or not, there are a few Christmas Tree farms on Maui. For the last few years, we have headed up to the Mea Makamae Ranch in Haiku to find our tree. If you recognize the name Mea Makamae, that is because the ranch also happens to be one of our listings. This stunning 38 acre estate has a small grove of Cook Pines. These tropical evergreens make for a hardy Christmas tree. The great thing about Cook Pines is that you can “top the tree” and new shoots grow out. Before too long a new “tree” grows in it’s place. Here is a video I shot and edited on my iPhone from our Christmas Tree excursion to Mea Makamae. I even added a cameo by Noodles the long eared reindeer.

The Christmas Tree farm is just one of the great features of Mea Makamae Ranch. Looking for a horse property? Mea Makamae has seven gated paddocks, an outdoor round pen and a tack room. The main house is a luxurious 4,200 square feet with a 2,400 square foot attached garage space. Amenities in the main home include a 1,000 square foot master suite and a gourmet kitchen. In addition to the main house, there is a beautiful 1,000 square foot cottage. The cottage combines classic Hawaiian Plantation Style with modern amenities.

This property sold! Contact The Maui Real Estate Team for assistance searching for other estate properties on Maui.

Yesterday, Billy and I attended the EA Sports Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center. We watched the Duke vs Tennessee game and then sat at a booth outside for the Chaminade vs UCLA game. It was a great game and a beautiful afternoon. I shot and edited a quick video on my iPhone showing some of the days events.

This tournament may well be a college basketball fans paradise. Some of the top teams in the country are squaring off in a gym no larger than a high school auditorium. You are right on top of the action. We will be back in Lahaina this afternoon sitting the booth for the Michigan vs. Duke game. If you are at the tournament, stop by the booth and say hi.

I put together a slide show highlighting some of the beautiful botanicals at our new listing in the Huelo area of Haiku. This beautiful property has been lovingly planted with fruit trees, tropical flowers, construction bamboo, heirloom sugar cane and indigenous Hawaiian plants. It really is a 2.3 acre garden of eden.

This property sold!  Contact The Maui Real Estate Team for assistance with other Huelo Homes for Sale.

Originally published September 10, 2011.

Martin’s sons Kai and Ridge collaborated to put together a video showing the great lifestyle opportunities at the Sugar Cove Condominiums in Spreckelsville along Maui’s North Shore. You can windsurf, surf, sup and as you will see below kitesurf from the beach right behind the condos.

Sugar Cove Condominums rarely come on the market.  Contact the Maui Real Estate Team if you would like to be notified when a listing comes on the market.

We like to post our share of photos and videos on this blog in order to bring you the sights of Maui. Today, I wanted to share a video that may not be as visually compelling. The video is dark and the people are hard to see, but the sounds of the Ukulele music being performed make up for its other short comings.