Pueo: Day 1
“Malu ke kula, ‘a’ohe ke’u pueo”
The plain is quiet; not even the hoot of an owl is heard. (All is at peace.) - ʻŌlelo Noʻeau
I want to be careful and make sure whatever I write is respectful of a culture that is not mine.
Also, I didn’t mean for this to turn into a travel blog, so please give me two-posts’ grace.
On a recent, albeit brief trip to Maui, Hawaiʻi, I went looking for the Hawaiian Short-eared Owl, Pueo. Their status is Endemic on Maui, but on Oʻahu they are Endangered.
The Pueo is deeply rooted in Hawaiian culture and revered as a spirit guide.
There are two owls that inhabit Maui: pueo, which is believed to have come over shortly after the Polynesians arrived, and the barn owl, which was brought over from the mainland.
Unlike the Great Horned Owls I’m used to, pueo commonly nest in tall grasslands and shrubs.
The eBird app was of no use to me and I didn’t do much research on where I might spot one during my short 50-hour stay. My plan was to ask locals as I traveled.
The first morning I arrived, I took the hotel shuttle back to the airport to rent a car. On the shuttle with me was a young, gorgeous couple also heading to the airport car rental, and the shuttle driver, who was born and raised on Maui. He asked what we planned to do on our trip.
The pretty couple said they were going to drive the Road to Hāna to camp and watch the sunset. I had read about that experience as a top destination for visitors. The young woman asked me if I planned to do the same, and I replied no and that I prefer sunrises. She stared at me blankly and blinked apparently not expecting that answer.
The driver asked me what I was up to, and I said I was hoping to see a pueo. His reaction seemed like he was stopped in his mental tracks. His vibe changed from casual to reverent as he explained that Pueo is very special to the Hawaiian people who consider them ʻaumākua (ancestral spirits).
The driver shook his head and added that if I saw a pueo, I would be very lucky.
“Let me put it this way, I have lived here for 51 years, and I’ve only seen one once,” he said, politely setting my expectations.
“Where did you see it?” I asked.
He laughed as he relived the memory. “Funny enough, it was right by the airport. I’ll show you where when we get there,” he promised.
A few moments later, we pulled over at the airport, and he pointed in the direction of the entrance, saying it was over by the main sign. He wished me luck and closed the shuttle door. I thanked him as I handed him a tip.
I switched hotels that day, and decided to drive around to get a lay of the land. This area of Maui was quite developed, and near the ocean, traffic was congested. I found the hotel and drove to a shopping area for some supplies. On the way, I pulled off into a nicer residential area in Kīhei with access to the water.
All the mini-mansions were lined up oceanside and I walked through a little beach alley to get to the water with the Coolpix in hand.
After about 20 minutes or so, I walked back to the rental car with sand-covered feet, and a local man in his 40’s walked toward me to get his bike that was chained up nearby.
He smiled widely and asked, “Are you a photographer? Are you taking photos of the new mansion they are building?”
“I’m a wanna-be photographer,” I responded and chuckled.
We struck up a conversation about the mini mansion being built on the shore. He told me that he was born and raised in the area. I mentioned that he must have watched the area change a lot over the years, to which he laughed and nodded emphatically.
“What’s your name?” he asked, offering, “I’m Mike.”
Mike asked if it was my first time to Maui and what I planned on doing while I was there. I told him I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the Pueo.
“The owl!” he exclaimed and then pointed to an undeveloped lot nearby.
“See this lot? It is protected. It is said a white owl lives here and so this lot and the one across the street can not be developed.”
“I killed an owl once,” he proceeded to tell me. My eyes widened and I tilted my head toward him in dismay.
He went on to say, “Owls are really precious to Hawaiians, and they say if you kill one you get five years bad luck.” He quickly added, “I didn’t mean to! I backed up my car and hit it. Man, I lost my job; my girlfriend broke up with me. I got really sick. It was a terrible time. I was in my twenties.”
We chatted a bit more about the area and where I was from.
“Well, it was nice talking. Good luck finding the owl. Do you have a card?”
I didn’t have a card on me, so I told him the website was cherry moon owl. He repeated it a couple of times to try to remember, then hopped on his bike and rode away.
There were eight hours until hotel check-in, so I decided to head to the Keālia Coastal Boardwalk to walk around, watch for birds, and take some photos.
Along the boardwalk, there were some shorebirds scanning for food. It was very windy, humid, and hot. After walking the entirety of it, I walked to the beach to watch the waves. The sand seeped into my sandals, and I instantly realized it was the hottest sand known to man. But - in the same moment - there was an oddly exhilarating feeling once it cooled slightly.
I found a clump of trees (technical term) with some very noisy birds, so I took as many photos as I could. Later that day, once downloaded to the iPad, I noticed I captured mating mourning doves and a cardinal.
I laughed to myself that I went all the way to Maui and got photos of a cardinal and mourning doves - two birds that are common in my backyard.
Mating mourning doves
Red-crested cardinal
After enjoying the crashing waves and the scorching sun and sand, I decided to check out the local area near Kamaʻole Beach Park across from my hotel. I found it was too congested with traffic, and since I had ample time, I decided to drive upcountry where the internet said my chances of a pueo sighting would increase.
On my way, hunger took over and reminded me I hadn’t eaten in many hours. I stopped by a little fish trailer selling poke bowls and ordered the spicy poke bowl which was the freshest, most delicious poke bowl I could have asked for.
South Maui Fish Company.
The further I drove upcountry, the fewer cars I encountered. It is a scenic route up the slopes of the Haleakalā volcano. Research said that dusk was the best time for a pueo sighting, which meant I had oodles of time to just drive and drive.
I eventually found myself at MauiWine at ʻUlupalakua Vineyards (est 1974) which seemed like a great spot to take a break and enjoy wine as it began to rain.
After I checked in with the hostess, I asked her if she ever saw pueo. She stopped gathering the menus, looked off in the distance as if to recall, smiled and said, “Not really up here, but I do on my way home once in a while!”
I stopped short of asking where she lived and she showed me to my table.
MauiWine is a captivating place with sweeping views of the seascape far below. I tried the pineapple sparkling wine which was not as sweet as anticipated and instead was light and refreshing with the subtle taste of dried pineapple opposed to fresh pineapple. I also sipped on their raspberry wine, which was thick like a liqueur or cordial, and finished with a beautiful glass of rosé.
Once the rain passed, I started the drive down the volcano for the next unknown adventure.
After some time, there was a turnoff sign that said “Crater.” It sounded interesting, so I turned off to follow it. I drove for what seemed like 40 minutes at increasing elevation with zero cellular signal. Not wanting to turn back, I continued the climb and ended up at Haleakalā National Park.
As I pulled into the ranger station to pay the park fee, I asked the park attendant if he ever saw pueo there. He turned his head inquisitively at me and repeated “pueo” back in clarification because of my terrible pronunciation, and I said, “Yeah, the owl!” and handed him my credit card.
“Oh yeah, we see pueo here sometimes. But it is closer to this area here; once you go where it is rocky, you won’t really see them.” He said, handing back my card.
As I rolled up my window, I asked him to wish me luck to spot an owl.
He smiled, waved, and yelled, “Good luck!”
I continued on the road as it got rockier and climbed in elevation. At around 10,000 feet, I stopped for a photo where the sign announces you are walking above the clouds.
Getting antsy about the setting sun and lack of signal, I decided to head back down the volcano. I wanted to make sure to be at a certain spot of reported pueo sightings by dusk and avoid driving the winding roads after dark.
As I drove past the entrance booth to exit, cars were lined up at the entrance for quite a distance, so my tip to you if you head there for sunset: go early, or you may miss it while waiting in line.
The internet informed me that pueos had been spotted on fence posts near Haleakalā Ranch, but by the time I reached it at exactly dusk, the ranch was closed with no pueos in sight.
The combination of jet lag, wine, and setting darkness hit me hard.
It was time to head back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.
