I know I hang on endlessly about the weather, but it does rather pre-occupy a person when it is this cold. What better ways to escape the winter, than heading south to a warmer climate. Thinking of lying on a sun soaked beach is enough, you just want to do it and so my family and I ventured out this winter to the beautiful island of Maui in Hawaii.
Our daughter who is a relative organized person took it upon herself to book all the sweeping canvasses of attractions we wanted to experience.
We arrived at Kahului Airport around 9:30 pm Maui time (2:30 am our time) and were bussed to were we picked up our rental van and off we went to our destination, a beautiful resort situated between Kihei and Wailea on the western coast of Maui. It’s about a 45-minute drive from Kahului Airport. Once we’ve settled in we realized how tired we were and that there was not much time till morning.
While in Maui we became early risers. The Mynah birds were beckoning with their loud calls and creating quite a ruckus. I ventured out for a morning walk to get a glimpse of these birds but only spotted a lonely heron. Instead I captured these beautiful, vibrantly colored flowers on camera.
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The first day was spent shopping and sightseeing around Kihei, driving past bustling farmers markets, sugarcane fields and miles and miles of beaches and a spate of restaurants.
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The next day we ventured out early to Lahaina a bustling historic whaling village and hot spot with many attractions and art galleries. In the early nineteenth century it was the capitol of the Hawaiian Kingdom. In the mid 1800’s up to 1500 sailors from as many as 400 ships took leave in Lahaina including Herman Melville, who immortalized the era in his classic Moby Dick.
We had booked a submarine tour this morning leaving from the harbor and were really looking forward to the dive. We were taken by boot to the sub Atlantis. It is good to wear good walking shoes, as we had to descend into the sub downward on a strait ladder and flip-flops just wont do. We each were seated at our own giant porthole so that we could experience the undersea world first hand.
Descending to 130 feet I saw a collage of bright yellow tangs, neon green parrotfish and yawning moray eels. I was in awe as schools of brilliantly colored fish and exotic marine life swam just inches away from me. It’s a fascinating journey into another world.
Back in 2005 the Carthaginian, a replica whaling ship, was sunk in an area devoid of coral reef. Secured to the bottom in an upright position 95 feet below the surface, the vessel has become a self-sustaining habitat for schools of tropical fish and other marine life and a new interesting site for scuba divers.
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Lahaina has restored its many historic sites, attracting some of the best restaurants and shops. On most days of the week there’s an endless parade of visitors moving up and down on Front Street enjoying the attractions. The picture was taken from the restaurant were we dined for lunch overlooking the old Pioneer Inn.
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Planted in 1873 in front of the Courthouse and the harbor is this sprawling Banyan tree along Front Street. It is the size of an entire city block and stands 60 feet high. If you need to cool down a bit on hot days just walk under the dangling vines and the sweeping branches of this tree. Usually you find it full of very noisy birds so one needs to be very careful…. It is a real landmark of Lahaina.
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At sunset we treated ourselves to a dinner and dance cruise on the Maui Princess. On the menu was the islands Mahi-mahi fish. When cooked the flesh is white and flaky with a sweet taste, making it an ideal fish for preparation. I did not do any dancing but enjoyed watching a family group who were celebrating sixty years of their parent’s marriage. All dressed in red t-shirts marked with Hawaii Six-0h.
The musical entertainment by a local artist, good food, on a slightly swaying boat by a gentle breeze under the stars made for an enchanted evening.
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