Sunday, February 3, 2019

Hawaii ~ Part II

 Part I of our trip is here,  

Our second full day in Maui was probably my favorite day of our trip.  The day started waking up to this beautiful view below,


The weather had been drizzly off and on the day before and a bit chilly with the winds.   The off and on rain made for beautiful rainbows all over though and we definitely enjoyed our morning tea and coffee staring out the rainbow and whales!  I had forgot to mention the whales in my last post.   I knew we would have a chance to see them but I had no idea they would be everywhere!   On our drive from the airport Kayla and I saw a whale jump completely out of the water and we were amazed.  Little did we know we'd be seeing a lot of whales before we even went on our whale watching tour.


Today though we were off to check out the Nakalele Blowhole and Heart Shaped Rock.  The drive to get there was beautiful and we found a few other fun spots we would stop at on our way back later that day.   We weren't quite sure where to stop and park at to get to the blowhole but I recognized the marker number so we parked at the first spot we saw.   Later I realized that a little further up the rode was the main spot most people were parking at but our hike there was way better than the steep straight down shot everyone else was taking.   We found a group of guys that knew exactly where to go and they helped us and told us where to go and made sure to let us know that we would be seeing the prettiest views on this hike.


They definitely were right!  It was so pretty and the volcanic rock everywhere made it feel like we were on another planet.  The girls loved this hike!






The Nakalele Blowhole can be very dangerous and people have died by getting too close and then slipping on the wet rock which makes them get sucked in.   I was happy that from the side we hiked in from we were up above it a bit and I didn't have to worry about getting near any wet slippery rocks at all.




Can you spot the heart shaped rock?


Brooklyn found one on the ground all on her own!


We enjoyed the views for awhile and then made the hike back to the car but we stopped A LOT to look at all of the ocean views.









I just couldn't get over the colors of the water.




This spot I could've stayed at all day!


On our drive back towards Lahaina we stopped at a really cool spot that looked like a jungle that we knew we had to check out.  There was a local food truck across from it and we were starving so we decided to get some food first.   We asked where we were and they told us that the short hike led to Honolua Bay which is known for their snorkeling.  We decided after we ate we would check it out.



The food truck was surrounded by chickens and roosters so we had some friends while we ate


and of course Brooklyn found a cat while we waited.


Our lunch was delicious and my homemade kombucha was also amazing.


After we were done we gathered our snorkel gear and headed down to the water through the forest of trees.  This short walk to the water had us all amazed.  We felt like we were in a jungle and it was even more exciting to know that we were traveling along ancient burial grounds.






When we made it down to the water we saw that the water was murky and not clear at all and the signs at the entrance along with the guy at the food truck stated to not go in if the water was murky so we turned back and headed to the car.   Later that night I found information on Honolua Bay and all of the amazing creatures we could've seen if the water was good for snorkeling that day and then I also saw that murky water always brings lots of sharks to the area and I was pretty happy we listened and did not go in at all!


We next drove over to D.T. Fleming Beach so the girls could boogie board and we could get some beach time.  Earlier in the morning an older couple came up to Brooklyn and I and asked if we would like to use their boogie boards because they we would be leaving.   Brooklyn's face was perfect and they could immediately tell she was the perfect kid to hand them over too.  The girls used them for the rest of our trip and then we handed them over to some other kids when it was time for us to leave.



The clouds came and went while we were on the beach and there were rainbows off and on in the distance.   The girls built sandcastles, boogie boarded and ran in and out of the water for hours.





I explored the beach and waters hoping to find my sea turtle I was so desperately wanting to see.







At one point we looked up and saw almost a complete rainbow and shortly after it drizzled and then the full on rain came and we called it a day.   All of us ran to the car soaking wet and full of sand and I'm pretty sure something like that is only fun while you're on an island somewhere.


By the time we got back to our hotel the rain was gone so we showered up and then headed to dinner at the Maui Brewing Co.  The beer was good but the food was so so and it was definitely my least favorite meal of our trip.




After another long day and late night we were pooped and ready for bed.  Of course Brooklyn was the first one in bed and passed out long before we even turned out the lights.  This was the norm with her each night we were there.  She loves her sleep time which is good because we had another fun day planned that she needed to rest up for.




2 comments:

Tara said...

Love the rainbow over the beach! So lucky to be there... lately it's been below zero here in CT! Love the memories you're all making!

Calypso In The Country said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful time! We vacationed in Maui this past summer so it was exciting to see the island through your eyes. You visited some beautiful areas that we didn't get to see. I guess I will put them on my list for next time. (I still need to write my Maui post...I guess I am a little late.) I would love for you to share your post at my monthly Take Me Away Travel Link party going on now. Stop over if you get a chance! Enjoy your week!
Shelley