Hawaii Trip, Maui Island

We made it to Maui. Very different than the big island.  More hustle and bustle and like Scottsdale people ignore the speed limit.  On the big island it seemed people drove under the speed limit for the most part.  I think I’m going to like it here.  I know Teresa does.  Already spotting whales. 

We spent the evening just walking around the property to see what’s available.  Had a very nice dinner too.

Tuesday - spent the day at the beach.  Smaller than the last beach but very nice for swimming.  No big waves to contend with.  We took a walk on a trail that ran along the beach.  It was very nice.  I don’t think I have shown any pictures yet but there are a lot of chickens and roosters on this island.  They seem to wonder everywhere.  I will take a couple of pictures to show.

Wednesday - today we took the road to Hāna.  A six hour round trip drive. It’s a 64 mile scenic drive with 620 curves,  59 bridges and many waterfalls.  Turns out there is also a national park at the end of the drive.  We were not planning to visit a park but hey, we were there.  Turns out we were glad we stopped.  We hiked 4.5 miles through a bamboo forest to see a waterfall.  The ocean views were amazing!

Oh, before I get to those pictures we found a lava tube along the way.  I explained what that is in an earlier post.  Teresa bought an app that explains what you can see on your trip and it recommended stopping.  There were no signs, no people around and I wondered if it is really an attraction.  You literally crawl through a hole in the side of a mountain which is overgrown by a tree.  Teresa crawled right in.  Forget the fact there might be snakes, spiders or even bats she took off into the cave .  It was not a long cave but very interesting inside.  No gremlins though.  We were the only people who tried it though.  I guess nobody else had the app.

On the way home we stopped at Ho'okipa Beach and saw people surfing.  A highly recommended place to watch the local beach life.  We also saw about 40 sea turtles that came ashore for a nap.  This was the highlight for me.  I love turtles.

Thursday - we started the day with scuba diving.  First time for Teresa.  First instruction in the pool then walk into the water from the beach and dive down around 20 feet.  This was an unexpected adventure.  Teresa fell in love.  We may be moving to the Florida keys so we can get certified and scuba all day.   I don’t think I’m kidding either.  I hope to get pictures from the scuba instructor and will add them to the blog.  We actually saw and swam with a sea turtle.  Got pictures with it if they turn out.  Teresa has come to realize she needs to be on the water!!👍👍

In the evening, we went to a Luau.  It was ok.  If I am really honest, I would not recommend this to anyone going to Hawaii unless you really think it is important for you to experience a Luau.  It is very expensive.  I thought it would be all about the food.  Local dishes prepared in front of you with entertainment included.  Turns out the food was very unmemorable, and the event focused on performing old Hawaiian rituals and building a story around it.  don't get me wrong.  I enjoyed the entertainment; I just thought the food would be the highlight and it was not.

Friday - we drove to Lahaina to see the fire damaged town.  We intended to stop and eat there just to support the town but there is really no place to eat or even stop.  It was devastating!  I didn’t take pictures out of respect for the town.   Then we drove past Lahaina to the top of the mountain to see a blow hole.  We also saw lots of whales.  We also went to the Kapalua Golf Course where they play the Sentry Golf tournament.  It is a beautiful location.

Saturday - whale watching trip.  This turned out to be disappointing.  Maybe our expectations were too high but we did not see the whales we expected.  We saw some but they were not as active as the whales we see from our balcony.  I felt like the captain could care less if we saw whales.  After the trip we headed back to the pool for some sun!

Here Sunday - relax on our last day in Maui….so sad to leave!

Did some driving around to see where we might stay next trip, maybe even stay longer.  We love it here.  Ended up going to ocean distillery for a tour and rum, gin, vodka tasting. 

Monday- return home.  GOOD BYE MAUI   See you in March! 

Final thoughts from Hawaii

Just thought I would pass on a couple of pictures that you many not have seen from our visit to Hawaii.  When was the last time you saw one of these?  Found several in Hawaii.  Not sure they are actually functional.

If you are ever in Maui watch out for the chickens and roosters.  They are everywhere.