The Shaka Demonstration by a Maui Guide

The Shaka Demonstration by a Valley Isle Excursions Maui Guide

Valley Isle Excursion's Maui guides are very entertaining. Their stories are full of history, mystery, fun and adventure. They love a good joke and while they are out showing visitors the incredible island we live on, are out to have some fun too. This Maui tour guide demonstrates the types of Shaka greetings as seen from different walks of life and backgrounds. Some of the greetings between the Hawaiian's range from rude and funny to just plain bad. The greeting styles between friends and family include the Hawaiian, Italian, the crab, the fisherman and just the plain old flash that you see in pictures and on the street. This is definitely not an all inclusive list but it gives you an idea of the fun we have with it and with life here on the Hawaiian Islands.

The Shaka Story

There are many stories out there about how the shaka (thumb and pinky finger up while the rest of the fingers are down) wave or greeting came to be.

The one that I am most familiar with is this one. A man, because of an accident, was missing three of his fingers still would wave to friends, family and others in the usual way. His wave would be just the thumb and the pinky extended because he had no other fingers to extend. I am not quite sure of how that came to be. It could have been from a shark bite while surfing, working in the sugar cane fields or some other accident. That's a question to ask a Maui Guide while you are visiting Hawaii.

This man was seen often walking on the local beaches and was well liked by the surf kids. The kids in the surf would wave to him and he would wave back in his distinctive style. After a while, they began to copy his wave and as sort of an underground, in the know joke, greet each other and him with what we know as the shaka greeting today.

The shaka then quickly spread throughout the Hawaiian islands and became the unofficial greeting to friends and between locals. So when you see the wave, you know it's just our way of saying hello, thank you or Aloha!

Starting Upcountry Tour in addition to a Road to Hana Tour

One of Maui's best activities is taking a day trip with Valley Isle Excursions down the Road to Hana. This tour is a delightful day that includes so much that it's hard to pack it all in. You will definitely be tired after a full day of touring but you will be quite satisfied with all the things you see and do.

Other tours on Maui's Hana Highway don't start with a Hawaiian continental breakfast, or serve cold drinks all day long. They don't serve you a wonderful lunch either. They expect you to fend for yourself all day long. Valley Isle Excursions knows how to treat everyone that comes to Maui and share the aloha with them. It's who they are and they love what they do.

Now, Valley Isle Excursions is a different tour company. They are family run and local. They care about the Hawaiian people and everyone is actively involved in island life. From the owner to the lowly web guy, they all have a connection to the island, the culture and it's people.

So they started planning an Upcountry Tour and everyone in the company got excited. Where would they go and what would they do. The good thing is that because they are a small company and the vans are quite small, seating only 12 people. It allows them to do things that other tour companies can only dream of.

So what would be on a list of stops on upcountry tour? First you will have to define what is Upcountry on the island of Maui. Upcountry we consider to be towns and villages like...

Makawao - This is a Piioholo (cowboy) town with many of the orginal buildings. This town has many wonderful shops and art galleries to explore.

Kula - This is where most people on Maui want to live. The beautiful sunset views, the gorgeous farms and small ranches, wonderful people, cafes and restaurants. Overall a very friendly place to be.

Keokea - Well this area too is where many people really want to live. Oprah and many celebrities have land up here. It's home to a lifestyle that is far removed from the hustle of the tourist part of the islands and yet not that far away. The views, the forests, Grandma's cafe and more are places you definitely want to check out.

Ulapalakula - Is home to Maui's only winery, Tedeschi winery. It has a great little deli and other scenic spots. Even a leader of China made his home up in this area.

Beyond these towns there is so much more to the island of Maui's Upcountry. A land of mystery and legend. A land spewing volcanos, terrible disease, over-population and tough choices. These areas should be experienced and visited.

So if you have some ideas of what you would like to experience put in your two cents in the comments below. Let us know what you would like to see in your Upcountry Tour.