Tag Archives: Charley Young Beach

Dale Zarrella and Helper Carve a Vision in Sand

Posted on by Chris Murray

Dale Zarrella and Helper

Sometimes artists play at their work. From our other posts (and maybe other sources) you know that Dale Zarrella is an accomplished sculptor on Maui. (See Maui Artist Dale Zarrella at Work and Frank Lloyd Wright and the King Kamehameha Golf Club.) We can’t call it a timeless work of art, but in this photo Zarrella and his granddaughter have created something wonderful out of the shifting sands of Charley Young Beach.

This female turtle has laid a clutch of eggs. Like her more sentient sisters she will soon disappear beneath the waves – never to know her young.

You can never tell what you’ll find when you cross the road from Maui Vista and explore Charley Young Beach. We do it every day we’re here.

Paddle Board Dog at Charley Young Beach

Posted on by Chris Murray

Paddle boarding – it’s so easy your dog could do it.

Maybe you didn’t bring your dog, or your paddle board to Maui. You can rent a board at places all over the island. (Sorry, no surfing dogs for rent – at least that we know of.)

The closest place to Maui Vista for paddle board rental is Maui Wave Riders at the south end of Kalama Park. They give lessons too. Some people surf with paddle boards. You can watch them off the park – particularly in the morning. Others just paddle around – with or without their dog.

The best time to go is in the morning when there’s not much surf and the winds are calm. It’s not hard. But unless you really know what you’re doing, please don’t try to do what you see those little specks way out in the ocean do. That would be a bad place to be caught in a big wind. Use common sense and you’ll have lots of fun. If you’re lucky, you might even paddle with a turtle or two!

Castles in the Sand on Charley Young Beach

Posted on by Chris Murray

There’s a lot of construction down on Charley Young Beach. But don’t worry, the builders and their tools aren’t likely to disturb you. Most of the “projects” range from modest to completely random. But then, what can you expect from a six year old?

Occassionally, however, the inspiration and perspiration combine to make something memorable – albeit temporary. Here the whole family has gotten into the act. Pretty ambitious if you ask me!

While the construction noise probably won’t ruin your day, watch out for what creeps out of the deep!

Maui artist Dale Zarrella at work

Posted on by Chris Murray

Those of us who live or stay at Maui Vista are fortunate to have the wonderful sculptor and painter Dale Zarrella as a nearby neighbor. You can often see him at work perched above the rocks at the north end of Charley Young Beach. In this photo he is working on the nearly completed koa wood sculpture of Saint Damien of Molokai.

This life size statue is destined for the Damien Museum in Honolulu. A bronze made from Zarrella’s quarter size study for the piece (the smaller white statue to the left of Zarrella) was dedicated at the Vatican Museum in April 2012.

Father Damien – now Saint Damien – was cannonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 9, 2009 for his work in the 19th century caring for the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of those quarantined in the leper colony on the peninsula of Kaluapapa on the Island of Moloka’i. Called “the Apostle of the Lepers” by the Catholic Encyclopedia, Father Damien eventually contracted leprosy (now a treatable condition called Hansen’s disease) and, after 16 years ministering to the sick and dying, he too succumbed to its ravages.

You can admire other works by Dale Zarrella at his website dalezarrella.com. We also have a nice picture of a lifesize bronze by Zarrella in our post Frank Lloyd Wright and the King Kamehameha Golf Club. For an update on the Damien sculpture, click here. One sculpture by Zarrella you won’t find anywhere else can be seen by clicking here.

Fish are plentiful at Charley Young Beach

Posted on by Chris Murray

Local families (even some tourists) fish almost every day by the rocks at the north end of Charley Young Beach across the street from our condo at Maui Vista 2418.

When people fish from the beach, as brother and sister Shelly and Rodney are getting ready to do in the picture to the right, the hook is baited, weighted, and cast far out in the surf. The fishing rod is then posted in the sand with a bell on the rod. Everybody sits back, relaxes, chats with friends, reads a book, catches some rays – whatever they want to do. When the bell rings, everybody jumps up to see what’s on the line. If it’s a big fish, a crowd will gather.

Want to try it? In Hawaii you don’t even need a license to fish!

Check out this beauty Shelly caught!