Flying home

Sadly, we fly home today, leaving this beautiful island behind, wishing we had more time to explore it and enjoy the water. I would love to go horseback riding here, drive the rest of the road to Hana, go out in a big canoe in the early morning, and do more snorkeling.
Thank-you for following along dear readers; until next time! Happy trails!

Photo of Maui from the air by Alan Yeh, via Flickr

Big Beach, big waves

Sun replaced the clouds and rain of yesterday, so we thought we might be able to snorkel on our last full day here. At Ahihi Bay we walked along the lava rock path and found the tiny black sand beach; it would have been a great place to snorkel over a low reef, but the surf was too high, with a strong north wind. We watched the whitecaps, we could see the back of Molokini in the distance, and with the binoculars saw Humpback whales breaching.
On the way back we stopped to have a look at Secret Cove: in the guidebook they say it used to be secret, is very beautiful, and a lot of wedding ceremonies are held there. We found a spot to park, spied the tiny opening in the rock wall that's the only access to the beach, walked down and stopped short: a wedding was taking place at the water's edge! Beachgoers were in their folding chairs reading their novels, and the couple were saying their vows and exchanging rings - the bride in a traditional white dress, the groom in a shirt and shorts, both wearing leis, and the ten guests in shorts or sundresses! We couldn't believe our eyes! It certainly IS a picture perfect spot, especially today with the waves crashing on the rocks and sending up spray, the blue sky, and the beautiful sand.
Next stop was Big Beach, a mile long strip of gorgeous sand. Despite the red warning flags and signs reading Caution: dangerous shore break, people were swimming, bodysurfing and boogieboarding in the big waves. We watched an older gentleman walk into the surf wearing glasses and a straw hat; he was barely up to his waist in water when a wave toppled him and he lost both his glasses and hat - miraculously he found both, put them back on, but then walked out again, only to have the same thing happen! That time he didn't find his glasses...

Photo of the lifeguard tower by The_Smiths via Flickr

aquarium day

As the weather had turned stormy, with wind and rain, we decided it was a great day to check out the aquarium, or Maui Ocean Center as it's called. When we arrived mid-morning, we realized a whole lot of other people had the same idea, as there was a long line to get in!
We started in the Living Reef building, and had just made it about half way through, when it was time to meet back near the entrance for the Fins and Flippers Tour. We were a group of about 16, with 2 from Germany, and the rest of us Canadians! First we were taken behind the scenes to see week-old seahorses barely 5 mm long, and then we fed brine shrimp to 6 month old jellyfish. We did this by reaching an arm into the tank, gently and carefully turning one over, and pouring the brine shrimp mixture into their "mouth" or underside, then turning them back over and letting them go! Back in the public area, we fed pieces of mackerel to young Hammerhead sharks in an outdoor pool (on the count of three, we all threw our mackeral in at the same time to reduce fighting), and lettuce to Green Sea Turtles in another pool.

After lunch we went back and finished seeing the Living Reef exhibits; they were just excellent and we enjoyed seeing all the various colourful fish, especially the Moorish Idols and Unicorn fish. In the Open Ocean building we were astounded by the column of large jellyfish, quite mesmerizing, and then the enormous shark tank, with large fish and rays too. Around the corner of that tank you walk through a 54 foot acrylic tunnel, and could watch rays or sharks swim overhead; it's like being right inside the tank.

First photo by peter313; second by rustytanton both via flickr

Molokini

The full moon was sinking, a wild rooster in a tree was crowing, and it was still very dark when we walked down to the dock in Kihei this morning at 5:40. The dive boat crew were waiting, as well as a few of the other passengers.  Soon everyone was on board, waivers were signed, but before we could leave, the Captain had a question: "are there any bananas on board?" Huh? It seems bananas are very bad luck on a boat here - they were very serious about it - so we had to confess to having two bananas in our bag - we handed them over, and they were left behind on the dock. "Trust me," the Captain said, "they'll be there when you get back."  And they were!
The good part about leaving so early was that we were the first boat to arrive, and as the sun lit up and coloured the clouds to the east, the scuba divers got suited up, checked their gear and jumped in the water. Molokini sits three miles off Maui's south coast, and is the partial rim of an old volcanic crater.

The divers came back raving about the 150' visibility, colourful reef fish, moray eel, the manta ray, barracuda and the reef shark in the distance.
Back near the coast, we stopped at Red Hill for a drift dive. This time I got in the water and snorkeled, following the divers below at times, as it was shallow (30 - 40'); I saw lots of fish, and a green turtle swam right in front of me!
Photo by blau17 on flickr

Iao Valley

The first stop this morning was the Saturday Swap meet - it's part farmers market, part craft fair, and we bought a Maui grown pineapple and an avacado.

Then it was on to Iao Valley State Park, where we walked up the path to take photos of the "needle," a remnant of an old volcano. It rises 2250' up, and takes its' name from 'Iao, the daughter of Maui. According to legend, beautiful 'Iao was raised in the hidden valley to shelter her; but one night a "merman" swam upstream, and was smitten by the lovely 'Iao. When her father discovered this affair, he threatened to cast the merman out to sea. The distraught 'Iao pleaded that she couldn't possibly live without her love, so Maui turned the merman into a needle of stone.
Photo by jongela19 via Flickr

Whales

We were having lunch in Fred's Mexican Cafe, at a table with a view of the water, when there was a collective intake of breath beside us - a whale sighting! Humpback whales are here calving in these warm waters, and we saw them breaching, spyhopping and surfacing to breathe. It was quite a show - hard to eat as you didn't want to take your eyes off the water and miss something!

Then in the evening we went to a free talk and powerpoint presentation by the Pacific Whale Foundation - and learned that 60% of humpback whales migrate here from Alaska in the winter; the rest go to the waters off Mexico/Central America, or Indonesia. It takes them 4 - 6 weeks to get here. A 45' humpback weighs 45 tons; the females are bigger than the males; the pectoral fins are 15' long.
Photo by gumption via flickr

Paia and beyond...

The early morning line at tiny Anthony's Coffee Company in the town of Paia was almost to the door when we arrived, but we amused ourselves reading the signs and mugs with sayings like "visitors must be approved by the cat" and "if a man is alone on a desert island, and no woman hears him speak, is he still wrong?" Java in hand, we headed out, and didn't get far along the road when we had to stop to watch the surfers.  We were on the windward side of the island, the tropical and windy side, good for surfing, kiteboarding and windsurfing.
We were headed for the famous road to Hana, the narrow, winding road that hugs the coast; it has 19 single lane stone bridges, where you have to stop to see if you can cross, or if you need to wait for someone else. There are no shoulders on that road, and in some places you have a rock wall on one side and a dropoff on the other... but the views are astounding.

We stopped to walk on a narrow trail in a bamboo forest (tall and impenetrable), to climb up to a viewpoint at the top of the Waikamoi Nature Trail (like a jungle with vines climbing up the tall trees), and found the little dirt road down to Honomanu Bay, a black sand beach where we ate our lunch. Then it was time to head back; we'll save the rest of the drive to Hana for another day or even for another trip, maybe one where we stay in Hana and explore the area. 
On our way back through Paia we stopped at Ono Gelato for a delicious treat before looking around some of the interesting stores. In a shop where I found cute flip flops on sale and local handmade soap (Kula Herbs - plumeria scented) they were selling bags made from old windsurfing sails! How clever is that?
Photo by Navin75 on Flickr

Ulua Beach

A beach day today, this time only a short distance away; Ulua is a beautiful little beach with a rocky point to snorkel around. Unfortunately a hotel was being renovated 500 yards away - the sound of jackhammers and excavators tends to shatter the serenity.

We were there by 8:00 a.m. and got the second to last parking space in the tiny lot. As the mornings have the sun and calm water it's the best time to swim and snorkel.  Brad went out quite far, and not only saw a green sea turtle but also a manta ray!
Photo by bnboly via Flickr

Haleakala: from sea level to 10,000+ feet and back in a day

We left the dry side of the island in the early morning, and soon the road started climbing; the landscape changed from sugar cane fields to green pasture land, with sheep, cattle and horses. Once in Haleakala National Park, the road was one set of switchbacks after another. Our first stop was at a lookout and short trail with interpretive signs; before it became a park, cattle roamed, as well as sheep, goats and deer. Park workers spent 10 years putting up over 50 miles of fencing to keep out wandering animals and allow the vegetation to grow back.
The road continued to climb, with more hairpin turns, and the higher we went there were fewer plants and shrubs, and more and more rocks. I saw a ring necked pheasant beside the road; they were introduced as game birds.
By the time we got to the top we had on many layers of clothing; despite the sunshine, the wind made it cold. We went on a ranger walk on the Sliding Sands trail and learned many things: only insects live up that high - a flightless moth and wolf spiders that have lost the ability to spin webs -  they eat bugs that are blown in by the wind. A petrol bird nests in the lava rocks - it comes back to the same burrow every year to lay one egg - that's the only time it comes onto land.
We walked a ways further down the trail into the crater - it really did look like a lunar landscape - the walk back up was slower due to the altitude, which you really feel - rangers told us you get 30% less oxygen at that elevation. The guidebook says "the 37 mile drive from sea level to the 10,023' summit of Haleakala is the highest elevation gain in the shortest distance anywhere in the world."

The views from the top were amazing: the 7 mile wide crater, or eroding valley as it's called, the clouds, the light and colours on the rocks - it was all just stunning.
Photo by Nevin75 via flickr

A day at the beach

We went south to Malu'aka beach; as we arrived, a large group of serious swimmers in Speedos were getting ready, pulling on swim caps and adjusting goggles - several told us that they meet every Sunday morning to swim a mile down the coast and back - some only swim one way - there were at least 30 of them, with three kayakers.

Later we drove a few miles further; the road changed from a narrow twisty 2 lane one, to a bumpy narrow road over a lava field, where if you met another car, one of you had to find a place to pull over, as far as possible, to let the other pass. The road ends at La Perouse Bay, where you can either hike on a trail over lava rock, or explore the tidal pools.

On our way back we stopped at a food truck for fish tacos, and watched multi-coloured birds nearby; I saw a mongoose - they were introduced here to control rats, but now eat the eggs of ground nesting birds...

Photo by la favelafave via Flickr

On Maui time

Waking up to sunshine and birdsong is a real treat after the snow and ice at home. We're on the dry side of the island, the leeward side, and have spent some time getting our bearings, stocking up on groceries and beverages, walking on the beach and relaxing and reading by the pool. Last night there was an Art Walk in Lahaina, so after dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company we checked out some of the shops and galleries.  In one there were paintings and prints by Anthony Hopkins - who knew he's an artist as well as an actor?

The flowers here are delightful of course, like this hibiscus. 
(photo by rustytanton via Flickr cc)