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A Maui Story: Living and Loving the Spirit of Aloha
A Maui Story: Living and Loving the Spirit of Aloha is a literary journey through time and identity. It unfolds during the summer of 1974, when Maui was quieter, its beauty untouched by modern luxury. The novel introduces Shane, a thirty-three-year-old drifter whose search for meaning carries him to the island’s shores.
Disillusioned with city life, Shane plans to set sail toward the unknown. His boat, Summer Winds, becomes both sanctuary and metaphor. When his plan to make a living taking tourists on cruises falls apart, he must adapt to a life he did not anticipate. What follows is a series of encounters that test his endurance, awaken his curiosity, and ultimately transform his understanding of love and freedom.
A Maui Story
The book’s subtitle reflects its purpose: to evoke Maui’s “magical” past and remind readers of a lifestyle and island spirit now considered lost forever.
Shane, a dreamer and drifter, embarks on an internal quest for meaning. His experiences on Maui reshape his heart, marking a lasting transformation within him.
Shane and friends live freely on West Maui’s beaches, sleeping outdoors, traveling in VW campers, and surviving on simple meals, foraged food, and camaraderie.
Labeled “haole hippies,” Shane and his friends endure local resentment. Resort policies target them, forcing Shane to prove his worth and personal righteousness.
Adventures across Maui’s wild landscapes reveal both wonder and risk. Encounters with psychedelic substances and perilous explorations shape Shane’s understanding of life and mortality.
Shane’s romance with Cindi transforms him. Their shared adventures, from Polipoli Springs to taking “Orange Sunshine,” capture fleeting love and the warmth it inspires.
Violence and loss haunt Shane’s journey. Mason’s pursuit, Dutch’s shooting, and Abby’s tragic drowning expose deep scars of betrayal and the island’s darker undercurrents.
Set in 1974, the story captures a vanished Maui, contrasting freedom and simplicity with today’s commercialized paradise, suggesting progress often erodes the human spirit.