Weekends on Maui are always full of wonderful things to do - and going to the beach ranks at the top of most lists. While many celebrate sunset on the beach, it is just as entrancing to me in the very early hours of the morning. Arriving just at the crack of dawn, I am often the sole human witness to the newborn day.

At these times  I imagine the way the beach looked to the original ones - stretching prisitne out in front of me without a footprint. No sound is heard but the lapping of the waves - gently whispering at low tide, powerfully splashing when the tide is high. Either way, the ocean pulses its vital cadence of eternal ebb and flow. It’s easy to see how ancient mariners fell under her spell. This window in time is brief - soon the early divers and fishermen begin to appear, and Maui slowly but surely, dawns on the present century.

Due to the workaday world, most of us can only enjoy this wonderful experience on weekends. Come try it sometime - I’m sure early morning Maui will welcome one more set of footprints - offer a soothing balm for one more soul. Mahalo Maui. Your beauty reigns.

- Haole Anna, Paia