The Sugar Cane Train

My little guy Jayden has typical characteristics of a 3-year-old boy. He has more energy than the entire family combined, is instantly shy when he encounters a beautiful woman, believes that dancing is rolling around on the ground simulating break-dancing, and loves trucks and trains. We live in Aiea near the Pearlridge Shopping Center, and during our daily commute we often see the monorail that services customers between the Uptown and Downtown plazas. I believe this was his first introduction to “trains” but it wasn’t until a visit to my Mom’s home when my niece Maiyah was watching an episode of Thomas and Friends that his interest turned into a full blown obsession.

He owns a few DVDs, his favorite clothes to wear is any Thomas and Friends t-shirt, and his first school backpack has of course a big Thomas emblem. In order for him to get his “train fix” we park on the opposite side of where we need to shop at the mall, just so we can catch the monorail to the other side. It’s a small inconvenience to satisfy his passion.

During his visit to Maui this past Thanksgiving weekend, he heard the “choo choo’s” of a train, and began frantically turning his head from left to right desperate to find the source. His eyes lit up, and a huge smile was plastered from ear to ear when he discovered “The Sugar Cane Train” chugging alongside Honoapi’ilani Highway. As expected of any toddler, he asked several times each day when could he ride the train, and we promised him that we would all ride the train “next time.” In fact, Lilinoe said that when he returned to school he bragged to his friends that he was going to ride “The Big Thomas” with his Neenz during his next trip to Maui.

“The Sugar Cane Train” got its name because the primary industry of the island was the export of sugar, and the cane fields flourished throughout Lahaina harvested at the Pioneer Mill. In 1969, the train began transporting passengers from Lahaina to Puukoli, and to date have serviced over 5 million tourist.

We parked our vehicles, purchased our tickets and boarded the train at the Puukoli station. We sat on wooden benches in the open-air compartments and I commented to my sister that I wish it wasn’t so overcast so that we could have a better view of the island of Lana’i. She quickly dispelled my wishes explaining that when it’s sunny blue sky weather, the compartments are heated, begging for a breeze. I scanned the compartments, and each had inoperable air conditioning units installed in the ceiling, and so if heat is a concern for you either take a train ride during an overcast day or dress cool.

We began our journey towards Ka’anapali passing through the golf course of friendly golfers who smiled and waved at the passengers. I wonder if the noise of the train interfered with the concentration required for golf? I noticed several beautiful homes adjacent to the golf course of which I assume based on location were valued more than the average price of a home in the State of Hawaii. Jayden was absolutely enjoying himself, and at this point both he and Taimane had found their center of gravity, kneeling on the benches for a closer look at what we see everyday while in the car.

One of the highlights of the ride was met at a bridge where the train had to “let off some steam” and all of the children shrilled with excitement at the vision. Our stop at the Ka’anapali Station was brief as we picked up a few more passengers. I was able to catch a glimpse of a plush grassy area with picnic tables, unfortunately as of this year the company has canceled its Dinner Rides.

As we chugged along towards Lahaina we passed the Lahaina Civic Center, a multipurpose sports complex with gymnasium and tennis courts, as well as the police and fire stations. One of my favorite yards while driving along Honopi’ilani Highway boasts a huge Buddha sculpture, and I noticed on my train ride that its owner added two more statues.

Once we arrived at the Lahaina station, although we had purchased a round trip ticket, they ushered everyone off so that they could “turn it around” to head back. There was a gift shop and vending machines with refreshments, and both Jayden and Taimane picked out a souvenir replica of The Sugar Cane Train.

I recommend The Sugar Cane Train ride for anyone with children or for anyone who has never ridden a train, otherwise it’s an almost hour and a half, six mile ride at a cost of $15 for children 3-12 years old, and $22 for adults roundtrip. One thing I was disappointed with was an unsightly amount of bulk trash items and abandoned vehicles between the train tracks and private homes near the Lahaina station.

Enjoy our photos, we all planned to wear a camouflaged print item for no particular reason except to “match like tourists.”