Breakfast was a little breezier this morning but we still enjoyed our spot by the pool. We’ve developed a system so that one of us remains at the table at all times because they have some very aggressive sparrows that swoop in as soon as they see any crumbs left unguarded.
The buffet is a good one by American standards – an omelette station and scrambled eggs every day but an additional egg dish that varies – yesterday it was a shrimp frittata and today a yummy bacon, onion, spinach florentine. The bacon is the usual fried-to-a-crisp American standard but today there was ham as well. Waffles, pancakes, pastries and lots of lovely fruits and a bottomless cup of coffee help make a good start to the day. In fact it’s a little too much of a good thing… we skipped lunch altogether today!
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| West Maui Wind Farm |
As we walked through the lobby I snapped a couple of photos of the beautiful Hawaiian Quilt wall hangings they have framed and placed on the walls. The Hawaiian quilt style is very unique, unlke anything else in the quilting world and instantly recognizable…well, instantly recognizable to the quilt enthusiasts anyway 🙂
We took the road north again this morning but when we reached the valley between the two volcanoes we headed northwest and followed the coast road up to the area that’s known as West Maui. The road wound around the headland along a very, very dry grassy landscape and then followed the beaches that line the entire coastline here. We also had a closeup view of the colossal wind farm that rises up the headland of West Maui, it has been hugely successful as the wind here just never stops blowing!
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| Bubba Gump Shrimp, a favorite American restaurant of ours, spotted in Lahaina but sadly we were too early for lunch. |
We tried to stop in the major town on this coast, Lahaina. Back in the day of the Hawaiian royalty this town was the original capital of Hawaii before later kings decided to build a palace in Honolulu and make it the capital. Today, Lahaina, is a very touristy little town with a nice waterfront and lots, and lots and LOTS of shops, cafes and restaurants lining its narrow streets. It is also full of lots, and lots and LOTS of tourists in cars trying to find a parking spot. We drove around the town a couple of times on the same mission and decided that we’d already seen enough of Lahaina , so we headed off further north instead.
We dropped in to the major resort area of Kaanapali which is only about 10 minutes north of Lahaina. Here there is a long lineup of multi story hotels and condo blocks lining the beach with similar landscaped drives and gardens to those we have down in South Maui. We stopped in at the Whalers Village shopping centre which opens out to the pretty beach and has the usual array of resort shops and restaurants. The beaches are certainly lovely along the Kaanapali area but we aren’t sorry we chose to stay at Makena Beach instead, it is much quieter down here and has a more relaxed feel to it.
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| Trying to spot a Humpback Whale |
We drove a little further north to stop and take in the views of the popular surf beaches but the breaks weren’t very good today and there weren’t many taking to the waves on their boards.
We had to retrace our route to get back but on the way we stopped in to see the view at the lighthouse at the bottom edge of the West Maui headland, just before it curves back into the Kahului valley area. The viewpoint where we stopped is supposed to be one of the best places on the island to see the whales that migrate to Maui for the winter months, but we must be a little too early for the season because the only thing in the water were the tourist boats that take visitors up the coast on snorkeling day trips.
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| The Iao Needle |
From there we drove back towards East Maui and took the short road that winds up into the narrow valley carved into the Puu Kukui mountain. From sunshine at sea level we rapidly came under the cloud that seems to permanently cover this part of Maui. We were heading for Iao Valley State Park which is the site of the Iao Needle, a 2,250 foot stone pillar, covered with green foliage that rises from the valley floor like a sentinel. This area is also the site of one of the last great battles between the ruler of Maui and King Kamehameha the great of Oahu, which lead to King Kamehameha becoming the ruler of ALL the Hawaiian islands.
The Iao valley is one of the wettest places on the planet, they average around 38 feet of rain a year here so we put on our rain jackets before leaving the car and heading up the trail to the viewpoint. However the weather was kind to us and although it was cool, grey and windy, the rain held off. We past several houses near the park and wondered why anyone would choose to live in a place that must see very little sunshine – it certainly wouldn’t appeal to us!
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| Neil was very tempted by the “Dusk Dynasty” inspired boots at Walmart. Fortunately, sense prevailed! |
After our big breakfast we really had no desire to eat lunch, so we decided to do a little more shopping in the main town of Kahului before heading back to the hotel. Macy’s, Sears and Walmart all got a look in and we definitely picked up some bargains. The suitcases are getting fatter and we still have 2 islands to go!
Back at the hotel we felt like a lazy tea so a call to room service resulted in a tasty meal of burgers and chips on our balcony, overlooking the sunset and the beach. It doesn’t get much better than that. Tomorrow we leave Maui and head to the Big Island. We have seen all the “must-sees” of Maui and it’s been a real eye-opener. I’d be very happy to come back someday.
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| Room service for our last dinner in Maui |