Hawaii Revisited- Last Days in Maui
My last post about the Road to Hana wasn’t my final experience in Hawaii and even though it’s taken a long time, I wouldn’t feel ok until I closed up the Hawaii posts with this wrap-up. 🙂 Here are photos from the various places we explored on the last two days Samantha and I spent visiting with Shara and Mike before we returned to the mainland.
Ka’anapali Beach
A view of the island of Lana’i. Shara told me there’s a ferry that you can take over to it. It has one little town and a couple of really nice resorts. It’s owned by Larry Ellison, who owns 98% of the island.
A very scenic walk to Honolua Bay
A very scenic walk to Honolua Bay
Honolua Bay
A very scenic walk at Honolua Bay
A banyan tree in Lahaina
This was some good stuff! Shara and I enjoying Ululani’s Shave Ice, Front Street, Lahaina
The waterfront in Lahaina. This photo just screams America to me. 🙂
Lahaina
Sunset from Lahaina
Lahaina
Maipoina ‘Oe la’u Beach Park (aka Veterans Park in Kihei)- Hanging out with Bandit and cooking out. A great way to spend our last night on Maui!
The West Maui Mountains view from Maui Lani Pkwy in Wailuku
Iao Valley
Iao Valley
Shara, Samantha, and I enjoying our last day together in Maui, hiking in Iao Valley before flying out that evening.
Iao Valley
The Road to Hana, Maui
If you’re just tuning in, I’m finishing up posts of the beauty I experienced on my spring break trip to Maui with my high school friends Samantha and Shara. Near the end of our trip, Samantha and I took a day to explore the Road to Hana on Maui (Shara and Mike have done that trip quite a few times, so they sat this one out). Sadly, the weather didn’t cooperate with us for spectacular blue sky photos, but it was still a memorable day exploring such a gorgeous area.
The Road to Hana is a remarkable road full of twists and turns and over 45 one-lane bridges (which usually coincided with a beautiful waterfall right next to it) that leads to the town of Hana on the east side of Maui. It took a few hours to get to our destination, Kipahulu in Haleakala National Park, with many stops along the way to enjoy the gorgeous beaches, waterfalls, and other unique sights.
The end of our trip (before we took the road back in the evening) included a four mile hike through the National Park (and a breathtaking bamboo forest) in POURING rain (hence the lack of amazing bamboo and waterfall photos since I wanted my camera to survive) to Waimoku Falls. They were pretty spectacular, especially with all the recent rain to make them more powerful… totally worth the rainstorm hike. As Sam and I lamented the weather initially, we decided to embrace the day we were given and the chance to make so many memories. Check out the sights below!
Taro fields
The Three Bears falls
Three Bears Falls
Just a random waterfall seen on the side of the road during our drive. I almost got tired of them!
An entrance into some lava tubes that we explored. We were thankful to run into people with flashlights… it was dark in there!
Inside the lava tubes.
Wai’anapanapa Black Sand Beach
Wai’anapanapa Black Sand Beach
A different perspective of Wai’anapanapa Black Sand Beach
Wai’anapanapa Black Sand Beach
A blow hole in action at Wai’anapanapa Black Sand Beach
I sort of enjoyed taking photos here. 🙂
Near Hana- this was the non-treacherous part of the hike to the red sand beach.
Red Sand Beach on Kaihalulu Bay
Red Sand Beach on Kaihalulu Bay
Red Sand Beach on Kaihalulu Bay
Red Sand Beach on Kaihalulu Bay
Red Sand Beach on Kaihalulu Bay- I love the red and turquoise.
With one of many waterfalls along the road.
Pools of ‘Ohe’o (aka Seven Sacred Pools) inside the National Park
On the hike on Pipiwai Trail
The best pic I could get of the bamboo forest on Pipiwai Trail- if it wasn’t for the rain, I’d have some really gorgeous pics from there.
After a two mile hike in the pounding rain, this was our reward- Waimoku Falls.
Proof that we made it (taken with the camera I’m less attached to).
The “trail” on the way back. There was a lot of rain that day (taken with the camera I was ok with drenching) .
On the hike back
After our four mile hike in pouring rain, the sky finally decided to do this before the sunset. 🙂
Paddle Boarding and a Luau
I had hoped to combine events so I wouldn’t bombard you with Hawaii posts, but I’m having trouble because it was such a beautiful trip. I have way too many fun things to show you here, so bear with me. 🙂 Today I’m going to show you pics from the day that epitomizes a Hawaiian vacation- adventures at the beach and a luau.
We went to Ukumehame Park in Lahaina on a gorgeous afternoon for some water adventures. I decided to attempt paddle boarding because it looked a little easier than surfing. Unfortunately it wasn’t quite easy enough for me to master in a mere 20 minutes on the water, but it was fun to try it! Shara’s husband, Mike, was incredibly patient with me and my meager attempt to balance on that large board. And Shara and Samantha did a great job cheering me on from shore and capturing a few photos that made me look relatively skilled at staying up on the board! They also captured my failed attempt to stay up on the board for any prolonged amount of time. (See photos below).
After the paddle boarding/sitting on the beautiful beach adventure, Sam and I went to the quintessential Hawaiian tourist experience- the Old Lahaina Luau. They have that thing down to a science- complete with a mid-meal light rain shower with a double rainbow for our enjoyment! 😉 It was a fun, educational experience with some delicious Hawaiian food, leis, a pig roast, hula dancing lessons, cultural demonstrations and hula show topped off with a beautiful beach sunset. Sometimes you just got to embrace the whole tourist thing and go all out! It was a fun time and gave me all sorts of flashbacks to TV shows that filmed Hawaii episodes like The Brady Bunch and Saved by the Bell. 🙂
Here is the photographic evidence of all the fun!
Ukumehame Park- the view from the paddle board of the West Maui mountains was seriously spectacular.
I’m doing it!
… and then this happened.
Ukumehame Park, Maui
Luau time!
Coconut being shaved, Hawaiian food to try, cultural demonstrations, and the pig roast (that buried thing)
Do any of you also think of the Brady Bunch when you see these?
Our double rainbow present!
Samantha and I embracing tourism. 🙂
Hula dancing and dessert (passion fruit cake and lavender-iced cookies were my favorite)
There’s just something about palm trees and a sunset. Felt like I was in a postcard. 🙂
Farmland in Hawaii
When I was on my way to Maui, walking around farmland wasn’t the first thing I thought about doing. I think that was one of the most surprising things about my trip- Maui has so many different types of land and sites… there was so much more to see than just beaches!
On one of our first days there, Shara, Samantha, and I explored a few different areas of eastern Maui. We started out with a visit to the Upcountry Farmers Market in Pukalani. It was definitely the most picturesque farmers market I’ve ever seen! We tried some Kombucha tea and lilikoi (passion fruit) butter while picking up some avocados and veggies. We followed that with a delicious brunch at a french restaurant. Then we visited the farmlands off of Thompson Road… farmlands that happen to belong to Oprah! I had no idea she owned so much farmland on Maui. It was a beautiful road with great sites going uphill and looking out at the coast below.
From there we went to the Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm and got to explore a bit before the downpour. See the photo below taken after we made it back to the car… should’ve brought a raincoat!
We finished off the adventure by stopping at a couple picturesque spots on the journey home- the Hui Noeau Visual Arts Center in Makawao and the Makawao Union Church. Check out the photos below!
Visiting the Upcountry Farmers Market in Pukalani.
http://www.upcountryfarmersmarket.com/index.html
La Provence french restaurant in Kula for brunch- eggs benedict and a lilikoi (passion fruit) crepe… fantastic!
Exploring Thompson Rd. farmlands up in the hills.
The view from Thompson Road
High school friends (me, Shara, and Sam) still having adventures together 15 years later!
The view from Thompson Road
The view from Thompson Road
The view from Thompson Road
Thompson Road- Hawaiian Cows!
Visiting the Ali`i Kula Lavender Farm as the rain started to come in.
Ali`i Kula Lavender Farm
Great view from the Ali`i Kula Lavender Farm… note the dark clouds up above.
Ah, lavender, such great stuff.
Some of the vegetation around the lavender farm and our next stops on the trip.
You could say we weren’t exactly prepared for the rainy run to the car from the lavender farm. 🙂
Some artwork outside the Hui Noeau Visual Arts Center, Makawao
Hui Noeau Visual Arts Center, Makawao
Outside the Hui Noeau Visual Arts Center, Makawao
I love trees like this.
We had to stop the car to check out this beautiful church- Makawao Union Church
makawaounionchurch.org
Makawao Union Church
Makawao Union Church
God does good work.
I’m still in Hawaii visiting a friend of mine from high school and we were able to enjoy this sight the other night. I couldn’t help but think of this verse from Psalms while we soaked in the beauty of it all. God does good work.
Wailea Beach, Maui
jenni mansell photography 