Snorkeling (part 6)

(Aren't these photo's beautiful?  We discovered this local photographer on Maui and those two pictures are from their collection.)

We were lucky enough to go snorkeling several times.  As I have mentioned in the first post in Maui, we went on a kayaking snorkel trip.  We were able to do 3 snorkel swims on that day and we had a great time.

We went snorkeling a few times at a spot about 30 minutes from our condo, just south of Big Beach that was a natural reserve.   Our first attempt to snorkel on our own, my mask kept fogging up and I was just really nervous in the water.  So, that afternoon we went and go some defog for masks and tried again the next day.  I did much better this day, however, the water was not nearly as clear, so that was a bummer.  We went back a few days later and the water was absolutely breathtaking and clear.  

Wednesday, the day before we left the island we did a couple more snorkel swims.  The first one was at Black Rock and it was GORGEOUS!  Donald also did some cliff diving here - this is his claim to the island adventure fame!  He climbed the rocks and dove down into the crystal clear water where there were snorkelers everywhere.  Not only were there people scattered about the water, but when looking down from the top of the rocks, the boulders underneath looked to be about 4 feet below the surface, so that really worked on Don's nerves as he tried to swallow hard and do the dive.  He did it twice and loved it!  Of course we had to get it on video, so I volunteered my services on the nice hot, dry, soft sand as he proceeded to risk his life.  Anyway, I digress, the fish were beautiful here and we got to see couple turtles as well.  

(video clips at the bottom of the post)

After Black Rock beach to the blowhole and then to Honolua Bay for some more snorkeling.  It was a rather large cove that is tucked away on the northern shore just a couple miles from Slaughterhouse Beach.  By the time we made it to the Bay, it was already late afternoon and I was exhausted.  We had been hiking and swimming and snorkeling and in the sun all day long.  You can tell from these pictures that I do not look all that thrilled.    By the time we got home that evening all I wanted to do was sleep.

We had a fantastic time snorkeling, and I loved how with each location there were different fish to swim with.  

The Nakalele Blowhole (part 5)

Wednesday September 10th,

Just a few miles past Slaughterhouse Beach on the upper north end of the island around mile marker 38, we stopped for an adventurous hike to the Nakalele Blowhole.  Before we decided to stop at the blowhole, we drove a few mile past because we were informed that the view was magnificent.  We do agree that the view was outstanding, but for me, I was scared spit less.  I have a bit of a fear of heights, and the wind was blowing fiercely and it is a straight drop off down to the jagged rocks of the ocean.  Donald kept poking fun of my scaredy cat behavior but I just let it roll because I remained on safe dry land.  I have no idea how high up we were from the water, but my guess would be at least 100 ft. or so.  When you look down at the water it was practically  crystal clear and the boulders looked like they were barely beneath the water (but we know they were much deeper than that).

After taking in the great view, we headed back to take the trail down to the blowhole.  The hike wasn't too bad, steep here and there, but very manageable.  Once we got down to the blowhole area, it was like acid rain had fallen all over the place.  I guess the spray and water from the ocean has effected the lava rock in such a manner it looks like it was drenched by acid rain.  Anyway, back to the blowhole.  We were lucky enough to go at a time when the water was really shooting up.  From what we read, depending on the surf and the tide, will depend on if you get no shoot up from the blowhole, or if it shooting as high as 80 ft.  When we were there, it was probably shooting up about 50 ft.  I was actually kinda glad it was not in full force and height because what we read indicated that sometimes when the water shoots up the earth shakes all around and just trembles.  The thought of that kinda freaked me out, so needless to say, I was slightly relieved.  The spray from the blowhole was cold and windy - that is why you see me standing with my arms out like I am crazy or something.  By the time we left that area, we were completely soaked from head to toe.

Donald and I kept talking about how cool Trent and Kolby would think the blowhole was.  We decided that if we ever bring them to Maui, that is a must see experience because it would totally rock their world!

'Iao Needle and sunset surfers (part 4)

Sunday after church and a nap, Donald and I set off to go hike the 'Iao Needle. We enjoyed the paved walking trail, and then discovered there was a rocky trail off to the side and going up. We watched a couple locals hop the railing and we decided to do the same. We climbed the rocky ridge trail along the side of the mountain for about a mile until is became too over grown to weed thru. After coming down the mountain, we fallowed the paved path to the river/stream and discovered MORE exciting and unpaved trails. We hiked all along the boulders and banks of the river. We saw several locals swimming and playing in the fresh pools. I wish we had our swim suits on because I would have loved to take a dip as well.

It was very cloudy and overcast at the Needle, as you can probably tell from these pictures.

One of the locals who was hiking the area told us that these two waterfalls are RARELY ever seen. They are so far away they must have been gushing that day in order for us to see them.

Some of the trail was rather steep and was narrow is spots. My legs were getting scratched up and my thighs were killing me from the angled trail.

Here's the creek/river/stream - whatever you want to call it!

After your husband has taken the 50th shot of you that day with different scenic backgrounds, you get a little creative your expressions for the camera.

Donald and I kept joking around by saying "SCARY!" There were several things we saw on our trip that we assumed Tanner would have responded with "scary" so we took it upon ourselves to do it for him. So here we are, documenting us saying "SCARY!"

After leaving our hiking adventure we drove half way to Lahaina and decided to stop and watch the sunset. We chose a spot with our kids in mind. We watched a group of surfers ride the waves as we enjoyed the sunset. It was a lot of fun to just take it all in. The wind was blowing pretty strongly and you can really tell by some of the pictures. Donald took a few AWESOME shots of the waves, so I included a few of those pictures as well.

The focus on these surfer pictures is not the best. They were actually rather far away and of course, constantly moving.

Check out the wind force as this wave is curling forward.

I love how the light and wind and water all work so well in this picture. Donald loves that it is a double wave shot!

Awwww, sunset! The sun is shining down on the sail boat as it drifts by.

an evening in Lahaina (part 3)

Saturday we sent the late afternoon and evening in the town of Lahaina. I read in our Maui Revealed book that "Lahaina should be viewed as an event, not a place. You DO Lahaina. You go there to shop, eat, walk and gawk." So that is exactly what we did. We loved visiting different art galleries, going into different boutique shops, visiting the larger than life banyan tree and enjoying dinner at the waters edge. We ended our night with the entertaining show at Warren and Annabelle's. This is a comedy magic show and we laughed so hard my jaw hurt.

This is Banyon Tree Park - an incredible must see tree that encompasses an entire park. There were lots of different kinds of people selling crafts, paintings, and souvenirs.

This pictures does not even begin to show the vastness of the size of this tree. As the branches would grow larger, heavier, and longer, they would then root into the ground and come back up again like a tree trunk - but it is all the same exact tree!

Donald and I enjoying dinner at Kimo's on Front Street. The food was great, the view perfect, and the famous Hula Pie was to die for!

Donald is a bit greedy, don't ya think?

These next pictures are kinda messed up, so I am sorry for that. Here Donald and I are at Warren and Annabelle's Magic Show. We were one of the 4 couples chosen as victims, I mean special participating audience members.

Here I am holding up a lemon that I just cut in half. Inside the lemon was a 100 dollar bill that had been burnt to ashes and belonged to a policeman in the audience. I tried to pocket the lemony bill, but my integrity took over and I returned it to the rightful owner.

Road to Hana (part 2)

First a few tid bits.

The best resource we had for our trip was the book MAUI REVEALED by Andrew Doughty. If you are planning a trip to any of the islands, I would totally recommend it to all and anyone.

Wednesday we did a kayak snorkel tour with MAUI ECO TOURS. We loved it and had a great time. I was amazed with how much my hip flexers hurt from the rowing and balancing, but it was well worth it. We did 3 snorkel dives and saw several turtles, lots of other fish and beautiful coral.

Thursday we hit a few beaches and relaxed. We rented some boggy boards and had a great time.

Friday we spent the day exploring the adventurous and famously known ROAD TO HANA. This is an extremely winding, scary, beautiful, exciting drive. Without any stops along the way, I think it would take about 2 hours to get to Hana, it took us at least 6 hours because of all our stops. We loved stopping along the way to enjoy the sights, the waterfalls, the hiking and the banana bread. It was already 3:30 p.m. when we made it to the 7 sacred pools. The weather was very windy and rather chilly. We ended up hiking for 2 miles (each way) all the way up to the top waterfall of all of them. It was enormous! Sadly, it was late enough in the day that we were not able to do much more at the 7 sacred pools. We ended up running half of the trail down from the waterfall because it was already starting to get dark. We drove the road home with the top down on the convertible as the sun finished setting. It was beautiful to watch as we went around the cliffs and the different backdrops the road presented at sunset. Once it was completely dark, I just kinda stared up at the sky as I watched the stars begin to appear and become brighter and brighter.

(What a beautiful drive. It's a good thing we don't get car sick.)

(this is the coast line of Ke'anae Peninsula. It started to rain on us, but it was beautiful.)

(Enjoying the banana bread at the Halfway to Hana stop. 2 thumbs up in approval.)

(The Upper Waikani Falls, or better known as Three Bears Falls. We had to hike to these falls and kinda scale a wall a bit and do some boulder hopping, but it was invigorating. )

(for some reason I can not remember the name of these falls. We had to kinda scale along one side of the water (which was difficult) in order to get close to the bottom part of the falls. We met a few other couples here and worked together to figure out the best way to get across.)

(Wailua Falls. Pretty large waterfall, we ended up getting rained on so we did not stay long.)

(Wai'anapanapa - and black sand beach. The black sand here was formed from lava and water smashing into each other causing the fragments of black sand. I also found 6 large rocks to bring home for my "hot rocks".)

(Donald and I standing inside an old lava tube at black sand beach.)

(Donald is acting like the EXTREMELY tall bamboo along the trail up to Waimoku Falls has him trapped. This hike was 2 miles long, and while we were hiking thru the bamboo it was very dark because of how tall the bamboo was.)

(Here I am wading across a rushing stream in order to get to the waterfall. At first I was kinda nervous because no one else was around and I was unsure on if we were really suppose to cross, but once we were in the water, we were good to go and continued along the path.)

(check out how small Donald is as he is being dwarfed by Waimoku Falls at the top of the 7 sacred pools.)

One thing I do regret is that we were not able to to spend any time enjoying the pools at 7 sacred pools. I wish we had taken an additional day and went back to do more hiking and spend a few hours at the pools. Instead, we chose to do other adventures that I will write about on another day.