Maui-Complete

Our direct flight from Anchorage to Maui left late afternoon.  We arrived two hours ahead of our flight and had plenty of time after checking in to enjoy a Starbucks latte before heading to our gate.

Ted Stevens International Airport Anchorage - Sprinke Donut for Carter

The plane had no video screens which was nice as everyone kept their window blinds up.  This created a nice light in the cabin.  We enjoyed our meal and service in first class on the almost six hour flight.

Hot meals have returned on Alaska Air...When will Delta follow?

After retrieving our bags we decided to walk to the rental car facility.  It was only a 10 minute walk.  We could choose any car in the executive lot and opted for a Jeep Sahara with a removable roof.  Our first accomodations were at Sugar Beach in Kihie, a fairly short drive from the airport. Our unit was on the ground floor so we could walk right out our lanai sliding glass doors to the beach.

View of Kihei Beach from our Condo

Thursday morning we started our day with at Safeway run to stock up for the next few day's meals.  After breakfast we headed to Lahaina, stopping at the boardwalk in the bird sanctuary for lunch and short walk

Dole, at least....but maybe not Maui Gold.  Thanks to Tama's company!

In Lahaina we were able to find a parking spot a block off of front street.  We walked through the historic distict of old Lahaina, which has been a port city for several hundred years.  We turned around at the huge Banyan Tree and did some shopping on the way back. Ann found yet another packable hat and we bought a Hawaiian shirt and matching sundress for Annabelle.  We returned back to the resort for a swim in the pool before supper. 

Ann on board ... our first snorkeling adventure

Friday morning we woke up at 5am in order to drive to Makena Beach for our snorkeling cruise.  The Kai Kalani catamaran launches from the beach.  You wade through the surf to reach the ladders.  On the way to the Molokini Crater we were served cinammon rolls and pineapple.  Going early in the morning there were no crowds.  The waters were over the reef were calm and clear.  There were a variety of tropical fish.  Bennie had the GoPro to capture some of the activity.  

5am Maui - Full Moon

Nightfall at Sugar Beach Resort

Maui Sunset

Molokini Crater

Our next stop was along the shore at a turtle hangout.  Snorkeling, we spotted a handful of turtles hanging out on the bottom.  They surface intermittantly to breath and don't seem at all intimidated by all the people.  On the way to this stop we were served parfaits and gingerale.   On the last leg to Makena Beach we encounted a pod of humpback whales.  They travel to Maui in the winter to have their young and then return to Alaska.

Humpback in the "Baby Pool"

Fish at Molokini Crater

 

Hawaiian Green Turtle

Our third course was egg, sausage and hash browns along with a spicy bloody Mary.  In the early morning the seas were calm and the water was clear.  The weather pattern on the west side of Maui are for the winds and surf to pick up in the afternoon.  Our snorkel cruise ended on time at 9:45am, so we had time to enjoy the pool and hot tub back at the resort.  Bennie grilled a steak on the grill located next to our unit.  

Saturday morning we packed up for our stay on the other side of the island.  We stopped for gas at Costco ($4.79/gallon....most other places were $5.35) and checked for Hurricane Popcorn (out of stock).  We shopped for groceries at Foodland because we were given a discount card at the resort.  Checkin time was 3pm, so we stopped at the state park in the Iao Valley for a pic lunch.  The park commemorates the arrival of immigrants from Japan, Korea, Portugal and Puerto Rico over a century ago.  Hawaii is definetly a melting pot of peoples and cultures.

Iao Valley

For the rest of our time on Maui we are staying at Huelo Point Lookout outside of Haiku.  The turnoff is just a short drive up the Hana highway and a little further on country roads.  We arrived early at 2pm but our cottage was ready.  Our cottage has an outdoor shower and hot tub.  It is surrounded by tr opical vegatation and very private.  The unit is decorated with Hawaiian flowers, enough to make our own leis if we wanted.   There were also lots of goodies, local fruits, breakfast items including fresh eggs from the chickens and a bottle of wine.  We enjoyed the wine with our dinner of garlic butter shrimp and salad.  After unpacking we explored the property which includes a guest laundry, chicken coop and community pool.  The cottage is not air conditioned but the fans and open windows keep it comfortable.  

Haleakala Cottage 

Aerial View of our AirBnB complex - Huelo Point Lookout

Sunday we started our day with a stop at Twin Falls.  The hike follows along the river and there are actually two falls along the way.  The second falls has a simming hole at its base which is very popular.  We did not have our swimsuits so we only took pictures there.  Then on to the drive up Haleakala.

Twin Falls

Flora along the Twin Falls hike....is that pineapple in the wild?

Ann on our short hike to Twin Falls

Then we started our climb to the summit of Haleakala volcano.  It has been dormant for 500 years and has moved off of the hot spot now under the Big Island.  The drive is winding, but beautiful and you drive through the clouds and are above them the last part of the trip.  The summit is 10,023 feet above sea level.  We hiked a short trail to enjoy the summit views.  We saw NO NeNe's nor Silversword
plants in bloom.   The visitor center gift shop was open so we bought some post cards and souvenirs.  On the way down we stopped at Hosmer Grove for lunch.  On the way home we stopped at Long's Drug to buy a journal for this blog and then drove in search of Huli Huli Chicken, which we never found.  We drove to Paia and bought two fish tacos at Paia Fish Market.  We had a relaxing evening planning our adventure for the next day and enjoying our hot tub.

Don't step back!

Our Rental Wheels

The elusive NeNe....this is not our picture...we never saw one.  [Note we did finally see one on the Big Island...stay tuned for a picture of ours!]

Silversword...apparently unique to Haleakala...blooms rarely (the picture on left is not ours)

On Monday we planned our drive to Hana, but due to a late start only drove as far as Kaena'e.  The driving experience is truly unique with hairpen turns and narrow one lane bridges over gullies.  We used the Gypsy app to learn about the area and its history.  We went straight to Auntie Sandy's Banana Bread.  She was still open but had sold out of banana bread.  We stopped on our way back to view the ocean crashing on lava rocks just outside of Kaena'e.  

Kaena'e Surf

Our next stop was the Arboreteum which has a variety of trees, including rainbow eucalyptus with their beautifully colored bark.  We also stopped at one of the many waterfalls along the road for a photo.

Painted Eucalyptus Trees....wonder if any of the ones planted in Haiti will ever get this big?

A waterfall along the road to Hana

In the evening we had an appointment to see the former home of one of Bennie's colleagues. He left Maui 2 years ago and the home was bought by "flippers".  Gary sold it for 1.6 million and it is now on the market for 4 million.  We enjoyed touring this lovely home but opted not to submit an offer...though they said they were accepting any offer!  For more pictures of the home, if you're interested, click here.

New Pool at Gary Forrest' $4MM home on Maui

We returned towards home by way of Paia and stopped for a Hawaiian shaved ice at Ululani's.  Ann chose the Sunset Beach whose flavors were passion orange, mango and guave.  They were all good.  By the time we finished it was dark driving back to the cottage on the Hana Highway, which is a challenging experience as the headlights don't illuminate the road up ahead of you with all the sharp turns.  Thankfully we arrived safely.

Downtown Paia (intersection of Road to Hana and Baldwin Avenue)

Sunset Beach Hawaiian Shaved Ice - Passian Orange, Mango & Guava  

Tuesday March 22.  We decided on a beach day and headed for Baldwin State Park. The park is named after an early missionary.  My grandmother's maiden name was Baldwin, so maybe he was a distant relative.  Bennie can check it out on Ancestry.com.  On the way we stopped at Ho'okipa lookout to watch the surfers and check out Maui Green Turtles sunning on the beach.  Baldwin State Park was just a few more miles down the road.  As a state park it has a lifeguard and bathrooms.  This beach also had turtles basking in the sun.  As the surf came up, they moved to the water I assume to find some lunch.  When we had enough sun we headed back for some pool time.  The winds have continued to be high and surf has been rough on the east side of the island.  The pool at the cottage was refreshing and we had it all to ourselves.

Turtles on the beach

Surfer at Ho'kipa Beach

Wednesday March 23.  We decided to head to Wailea beach, which supposedly had been rated as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  We loaded up only to find the car did not start.  We had already been dealing with a slow leak in one of the tires.  Bennie identified a small nail as the culprit.  We have added air a few times and so far haven't had to change the tire.  Our host Jeff came to our rescue and read on Google that if the gas camp is not on tightly then the car will not start.  Bennie opened and reclosed the gas cap and the car started right up.  While we were dealing with the car, a nice bunny sat patiently in the driveway.

Bunny visiting our cottage

On the way to the beach we stoppped at the Sugar Beach Bake Shop for malasadas and banana bread.  The malasadas are served hot so we had to eat them right away.  We tried cinnamon sugar and ube sugar.   Both were delicious.  

Famed Hawaiian Banana Bread

Even more famed, Malasadas....one with Ube Sugar (left above) and one with Cinnamon Sugar

We arrived at Wailea in time to find a tight parking place in the ublic parking lot.  In the morning the surf was calm and several snorkeling tours were there right off the beach.  It is a beautiful setting and beach is sandy with a nice entry into the surf.  [We don't think it quite lives up to being one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, though.]  

At Wailea Beach

After swimming there, there was a dramatic change about 1pm.  The winds picked up and the surf became rought and uninviting.  It all occured within a few minutes.

We had our picnic lunch and headed back to Kihei for our Huli Huli Chicken stop.  We were successful!  Today we found malasadas, banana break and huli huli chicken.

Back at the cottage we took the cliff walk but it was windy, cloudy and a storm was coming in.  The banana bread was delicious but the chicken a little dissappointing.  Huli huli chicken describes flipping the chicken frequently over the grill.  The chicken was similar to rotisserie chicken but not particularly well seasoned.  We have another chance on Friday when we drive all the way to Hana.

This is not how it was demonstrated on the Gordon Ramsey Show!

Thursday.  After breakfast we tried the cliff walk again.  The view is beautiful but it was too windy to fly the drone.  Today was our upcountry day.  Thanksfully the car started and our tire with the slow leak was inflated.  Jeff supplied us with a battery powered CAT jump starter/tire pump, which we were able to use this morning and for the rest of our visit.

Cliff Walk

Our first stop based on Gary Forrest's recommendation was the Komoda bakery in Makawao.  We tired doughnuts on a stick and a vanilla cream puff.  Bennie wanted chocolate cream but they were already sold out.  

After our treats the next stop was the Wachou Spring Trail.  The drive there goes by huge eucalyptus trees and the first part the walk is an easy stroll through the forest \.  We decided to walk down to the springs.  It was a steep descent with lots of switch backs.  At the bottom there was only an interesting rock wall with no waterfall, pool or spring.  On the way out there were multiple tree limb teepees.  Bennie surmised that they may have been the results of Trail Life or Boy Scouts doing wilderness survival skills.  Bennie posed in one to share with Trailmen back home.

After our hike we returned to Makawao for a little shopping.  We checked out several stores and gift shops.  Our last stop was a the glass blowers.  You can watch them create.  And the shop has several of their creations.  We decided on a plumeria dish which should survive the trip home.

The surfboard with commerorative coin in bottom right was created by Gary Forrest, a former PM colleague....we didn't buy it on our first trip, but on the way to the Lavender Farm we stopped and it was still there, so we purchased it.  It's not signed, so maybe we have to send it to Gary for an autograph!

We headed back to the cottage for a late lunch. This was clothes washing day and we had time to go to the pool and enjoy the hot tub.

Friday - The Road to Hana and Beyond.

We got an early start to beat the crowds.  Our first stop was the Kenae Peninsula.  We stopped at Auntie Sandy's for banana bread.  We got two loaves ($8 each)...one for snacking and one to take with us to the Big Island for Katie & Brandon and the Chiu's to share.  We enjoyed a slice by the shore and then walked to the historic stone church.  The church survived a tsunami but is currently no longer in use.  Back on the read we stopped at some of teh scenic overlooks and waterfalls.  Our reservation at the state park with a black sand beach was not until 3pm, so we passed by and arrived in Hana for the famous Huli Huli chicken.

Famous Aunty Sandy's Banana Bread

We decided on the chicken/rib combination.  This was the huli huli chicken stop featured on the Gordon Ramsey Hawaii special.  It was muhc better than our earlier version.  We enjoyed the Hana Bay and then continued on the road to the bottom of Haleakala National Park and the Seven Sacred Pools.  We took the short hike there.  No swimming allowed because of high bacterial counts. 

A little further down the road is the grave of Charles Lindbergh.  He died of cancer and chose to return to Maui for the last week of his life.  

Charles Lindbergh Grave.  What we saw was the top right...barely legible.   The model plane is actually labeled as the Spirit of St. Louis.

On our return trip we stopped at the farmer's market in Hana for toasted coconut.  We also dropped off our post cards at the post office.  We arrived at the black sand beach at 3pm.  The state park has facilities, restrooms and showers so we could change before walking down the steps to the beach. We had a lovely few hours sitting on the beach and enjoying the view.  The water was cler but rough and the sand is shifting so your footing is unsteady.  We took a short walk along the shoreline and headed back to the car for the winding ride home.  We made it back just before sunset.

Aerial View of Black Sand Beach

After packing up we said goodbye to Sharyn, our hostess, and headed to the lavender farm.  The farm is located upcountry but is only open on the weekends.  When we arrived there were several paragliders sailing through the air.  We didn't have time to tour the farm but bought a few lavender gifts and a lavender scone for a midmorning snack.  We made a quick stop at Costco for gas and then to the airport.  After checking in we ate a packed lunch before boarding our short flight to the Big Island.  

View from the Upcountry Lavender Farm