Aloha! It's finally time to tell you about our Hawaiian getaway and we
are so very excited to share our pictures and memories with you! Let's start by zooming in on Maui, the second island from the right, where our holiday began.
We arrived at the Kahului International Airport late Monday night, which seemed even later to us after the time change. If you look at the map, you can see Kahului nestled in the upper groove between the east and west sides of the island. A quick stop at the car rental kiosk and we were on our way to the hotel to rest for an early morning start.
In the morning we were greeted with a heavy island breeze an a dark, cloudy sky, but that didn't slow us down. We were entirely too excited to sit around and wait!
Our, we'll call it "tenacity", paid off as we made it to Iao Valley State Park before the rain and before the crowds. This valley, located in the eastern "pod" of the island, carries great importance in Hawaiian history. It was in this valley that King Kamehameha the Great defeated Kalanikupule, during the 1790 Battle of Kepaniwai, and consequently united the Hawaiian Islands under one government.
The landmark feature in Iao Valley is a pointy lava remnant covered in lush vegetation called the Iao Needle and it carries a legend all of its own. Back in Old Hawaii, Maui had a beautiful and much over-protected daughter who fell in love with a Merman god. When Maui found out he decided to turn that unworthy punk ( I don't know why he was unworthy. I mean, he was a god for crying out loud.) into ashes. The pleas of Maui's daughter and the goddess Pele (who happened to be the Merman's friend) persuaded Maui to soften his punishment and turn the Merman into stone. Thus the Iao Needle was born.
Due to its natural beauty and its historical significance, Iao Valley is a top tourist destination. Around 9am, the crowds started pouring in and the previously empty parking lot was packed past capacity. Lucky for us, we had finished the little loop and were ready to go find an island brunch.
The rest of our day was spent driving along the northwestern shoreline on the Road to Hana. It is an unnervingly narrow one lane road with numerous one lane bridges, unfathomably scary blind turns, and priceless beauty that is worth the effort.
Remember that island brunch I mentioned? Well, we found it at the Huelo Lookout Fruit Stand. That morning we feasted on fresh, juicy pineapple (that we now lament the loss of), island bananas, sweet papaya, and fresh blended smoothies. If you ever go to Maui, you MUST experience this.
Our next stop was to walk off some of that brunch on a state nature trail. The Road to Hana takes you in to the heart of Maui's rainforest region and this short trail shows off the area's wild lushness. It felt as though we had stepped into a scene from Lost (even though it was filmed on Hawaii) as we made our way through the trees with gigantic vines and shrubbery all around.
We never caught site of the Smoke Monster or any polar bears; however, we saw a feral pig and a giant flapping Bilbo bird.
After being treated to a few more vistas, we came to the Keanae Arboretum, a more manicured salute to the beautiful trees and flowers of Hawaii.
Our favorite trees were the painted gums with their neon splattered bark.
There were also bright flowers, productive banana trees, and palms.
I even found a new hat!
We continued on from one breathtaking spot to the next until our yummy brunch began to wear off.
Yet we managed to hold out for the dinner we had been dreaming of. Somewhere around Mile Marker 29 sets a little local market that is a big attraction. Why so popular? It's because this market is home to "Up in Smoke BBQ" and they make a mean Kalua pig!
Kalua pig is the traditional Hawaiian process of digging a hole, making a smoke pit, and then burying a pig in it to cook. Let me tell you what. You have not experienced pork if you have not eaten traditional Kalua pig! Being a lover of BBQ pork, I ordered the pig taco and Bilbo tasted the catch of the day with an Ono fish taco. BEST LUNCH EVER! That is all I have to say.
We enjoyed looking at the artisan shops around the restaurant and especially appreciated this little kitty. Before we got back on the road, we hit up a bakery for coconut/pineapple bread. We didn't eat it until breakfast the next morning, but I'll tell you now that it was wonderful!
Shortly after dinner we arrived in the little village of Hana. The Road to Hana is not really about reaching Hana, but about finding old Hawaii along the way.
So, after seeing what there was to see in this sweet and tiny town (a couple churches and general stores), we kept on towards the southeastern portion of Haleakala National Park.
The thing to see here is the O'heo Gulch, or Seven Sacred Pools, which ebb and flow depending on the rain fall. Despite the fact that our guide book told us this was a popular swimming
spot, the National Park Service prohibits going for a dip in these
highly unpredictable and sometimes deadly waters. We could easily see why. The day we were there, they were at their peak of danger with water rushing down from the hills.
Sunlight would soon be scarce, so it was time for us to back track a bit north of Hana to Wai'anapanapa State Park, where we would camp for the night. The park is characterized by black sand beaches, made from eroded volcanic rock.
It was a great place to camp, albeit a bit windy, with campsites directly overlooking the water. Here I am by our campsite.
The next morning began with a visit to Kahanu Garden, where one can find the largest collection of breadfruit and the largest ancient Polynesian place of worship; but first, we had to get across the stream that ran through the middle of the road. Oh, Hawaii. Being in a rental car tends to make one a bit more timid in situations like this--especially when that rental is a low clearance sedan. So, even though the water was not touching the red posts (the water level that the accompanying sign said was too high to cross) we decided to park on the side of the road and walk to the garden.
A quick stroll later and we were there. Lucky for us, some of the gardeners were there working because we arrived a few hours before opening. In the laid back island style they let us in and we had the whole place to ourselves!
We really appreciated the plaques which explained the practical and sometimes sacred uses of indigenous Hawaiian plants.
Here is the place of worship, Pi'ilanihale Heiau. According to archeological evidence the structure is thought to have been built in stages beginning in the 13th century and was likely inhabited by cultural leaders.
Because this is considered sacred ground, a black lava rock path leads you around the place of worship at a respectful distance. The walk is anything but boring, though.
By the time we finished, the place still wasn't open and the workers had left...and locked the gate. So, we had to climb out of the garden to leave. The good news is the wall was low enough to step over. More good news...the car was still there!
Having gotten an early start from the opposite direction, our drive back from Hana seemed less crowded and we were able to stop at the Three Bears Falls for some pics.
Boy were we happy to see a two lane road as we got closer to Kahului! Now, we could just sit back and enjoy the drive.
I think that's enough for now. After all, there's no way to fit two weeks worth of paradise into one little blog post! Next time we'll tell you about our experiences camping and hiking at Haleakala National Park and share our little taste of living it up in Maui! Until then, aloha!
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