"Sights of Maui" Maui Travelogue by M0B1US

Such was security leaving Oahu that I even got my sandals checked for hidden compartments!!!

This was just after the 'shoe bomber' had been caught trying to blow up a plane.

Worse still, although we were at the front of the queue, random bag checks (on me!) meant that we ended up boarded a lot later and got crappy seats without a window view... :-(

A dolphin sailing with us

Once we landed in the morning at Kahului Airport - we got our hire car and checked into our hotel. After a quick refresh, we were on the road again to Ma’alaea Bay as top of our priorities was a whale watching trip!

We picked the The Pacific Whale Foundation to go whale watching with as it is a non-profit making organisation whose proceeds are ploughed back into the study and protection of Humpbacked Whales. We had a good time and saw a number of whales and dolphins, unfortunately we weren't treated to any breaches though, but it was well worth the time going!

On the waterfront

As it was approaching evening we then decided on a trip in Lahaina , parking a little east of the Banyan Tree and taking a leisurely stroll around the historic waterfront before stopping to eat at the Pioneer Inn, which was very nice indeed!

After a little more window shopping we drove the hour or so back to our hotel to prepare for another action packed day...

Needle in a Rainforest

We set out for The Iao Needle State Park via Wailuku. Driving towards it you get the feeling of being gradually swallowed up by the landscape as the lush rainforest clad mountains crowd in around you. The picturesque park is overshadowed by the huge rock spire of the needle and is also the scene of a bloody battle in which King Kamehameha took control of Maui by turning the water of the river here red with the blood of his enemies!

Next we turned our attentions to booking snorkelling at the small island of Molokini and drove to the famous Snorkel Bob's in Kihei via the wonderful fields of Sugar Cane in the valley. It was here that disaster stuck when we discovered that those snorkelling trips, indeed all the good trips were booked out for the duration of our time here!

At the same time we found that the Old Lahaina Lu'au was also sold out and had to settle for the Maui Marriott the next day and were able to get a reduced price.

Maui's rugged Northwest Coast

Always flexible, we decided to again head to Lahaina and pick up where we left off the day before for a few hours before heading back via the popularly called 'little Hana road' taking you over the top of NW Maui from Kapalua to Wailuku, as by now we knew that we would never have time for the Hana road. This is a rugged road little used by tourists, which takes you past small native Hawai'ian settlements and a starkly beautiful coastline including an impressive blowhole. Once at the hotel, it was early to bed for an early rise the next morning!

Many people took the blankets off their beds!

At about 4am the alarm rang for the thing I was most looking forward to on Maui - reaching the summit of Haleakala to watch the dawn of a new day at the 'House of the Sun'. Maui's tallest mountain at 10,023ft is a stunning summit location reknowned for awesome sunrises and sunsets and there was no way I was going to miss it!

As we set off I felt vindicated in choosing Kahului as a base as I knew that people from as far afield as Lahaina or Kihei would be adding an extra hour on their journey. All told it took us less than a hour to reach the summit as part of a surreal convoy of headlights snaking their way up the side of this majestic mountain!

At the top we had a while to kick our heels in the bitter cold of the summit and I watched with a small amount of envy as the downhill cyclists were preparing for their ride down the mountain later on.

When it came, the dawn was utterly breathtaking, it was one of the best and most moving experiences I''ve ever had...

A milder climate...

After we had a chance to explore the summit, we slowly made our way down into the upcountry region of Maui, an area still cooler than the temperatures at sea level, it was home to beautiful flower gardens and Maui's only vineyard - Tedeschi Winery, where we whiled away some time sampling and buying their wines and taking in the grounds.

Getting rather hungry as it was nearing lunchtime, we drove further downhill to Makawao, a remarkably preserved and sedate Paniolo (Cowboy) Rodeo town in the foothills of Haleakala and now a major arts and crafts destination with a well recommended Italian restaurant by the name of Casanova's which we happily took advantage of.

After a walk around Makawao, we happily lost ourselves tracing the back country lanes as they meandered towards the coast. Taking care to turn left at the junction!

Heading west, we were able to take in the sights of Ho'okipa Beach, Maui's best surf spot, and Paia the local town where many surfers stay, on the way to our Lu'au all the way over a Ka'anapali...

The singer being 'upstaged' by the dancers

The Maui Marriott Lu'au, although apparently not quite in the same league as the Old Lahaina Lu'au, was still great fun nonetheless featuring performers from seven different Polynesian nations and an awesome Fire Knife Throwing display as its finale.

Stuffed from our banquet, we made our way home to prepare for our flight early the next day - we definitely slept soundly that night!