December 2018 - Maui
We arrived in Maui shortly after lunch and it was a short walk to the car rental lot. Out of the choice of cars, we settled on a black Jeep, as it had tinted back windows, so that we could leave things securely in the trunk. We set off on the road over to the other side of the island, between the now dormant volcano craters.
After about 45 minutes, along a spectacular coastal route, we came to the turn off for Kaanapali Beach. Our hotel was the Kaanapali Beach Resort Hotel, which was almost at the end of the strip. Check-in only took a few minutes and we parked the car in guest parking and made our way to the room. Very spacious, all mod cons, with a view straight over the extensive gardens to the beach and surf.
As our first week took us over the Christmas Period, the hotel was full, though never felt it. There is a public boardwalk which runs the length of the beach, separating the hotels, and we made this walk a few times, having a look into the other properties or stopping off at Whalers Beach for some food or shopping.
Thankfully, having the car meant we could go out and explore further afield. The first day we headed off to see what we could find and sought out hidden quiet beaches and good vantage points, every turn off the highway offering something new. We drove out and back, which took us around five hours in total, just to get a feel for the place, and to see if anywhere else needed further exploration.
A little further down the coast was Lahaina, probably the largest town on that side of the island, with lots of bars, restaurants and shops. We found a restaurant owned by Mick Fleetwood, and decided to eat there on Christmas Eve. Linked to the restaurant was a music memorabilia shop, display Fleetwood Mac artefacts, and many music celebrity photographs of artists such as Queen, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. we spent a good hour in there having a look at the displays and talking to the owners.
One of THE things to do on Maui is go to the Haleakala Nation Park to visit the crater rim for sunrise or sunset. if you want to go at sunrise, you need a permit, which are sold out weeks before you need to go. If you miss that opportunity, the only other way of doing it is to go on an organised excursion, which requires a 2:30 am pickup, to make sure you get to the crater before sunrise. We decided to make an afternoon of it and go for sunset. We had been recommended a restaurant to stop at for lunch, which had a breath-taking view, before getting back in the car and driving the last 40 miles to climb to over 10,000 feet to the crater rim.
We made good time and got to the ridge around one hour before sunset, wrapped up and had a walk around the visitor’s centre. We got there just in time as we noticed the drive to the summit became so congested that they closed the road. As the sun began to set, we made our way down a short way to the next viewing point just to take it all in. We've seen many sunsets all over the world, and this was something special. Of course, the one thing about visiting somewhere like this, is you have to return the same way, so it took us around two hours to make our way back down the mountain and over to Kaanapali.
On Christmas Eve we wanted to drive the "Road to Hana", a picturesque 100-mile round trip drive through the countryside, and cliffside of the north eastern coast of Maui. The weather had other ideas. Once we got over to the north side, we hit rain, and it rained for the whole drive both to Hana and back, only breaking for a few short minutes to reveal a stunning rainbow over the coastline.
We didn't know what to expect on Christmas Day, and it started with the hotel staff visiting each room block and singing carols with a Ukulele accompaniment, which we had never heard before. By the time they reached the last block, many hotel residents had joined in, and it became quite a moving little carol service.
Before lunch, we decided to go for a wander down the beach, dive in for a swim and do some snorkelling, as you do on Christmas day. Lunch was set for 4pm, and I have to say, we were astounded at the amount and excellent quality of the food on offer, from Sushi, pasta, salads, heaps of vegetarian options, and a carvery serving lamb and ribeye steak. I had to make do with only four runs to the tables, as I was about to turn into Mr Creosote, and refuse a wafer-thin mint. They even had an offering of turkey and stuffing and roast potatoes for us traditionalists. After all that, we had to go walk it off, so set away along the boardwalk to see how far we could get. It was a lovely night, and everyone was in fine spirits. God Bless Us Everyone.
On Boxing Day, we had arranged to go kayaking to see if we could see some whales and do a bit of snorkelling too. The only trouble was, it was an early start, with a meet up at 06:45, which is almost as bad as getting up to go to the Next boxing day sale.
The meeting point was Leoda's kitchen and pie shop, which served amazing food. We had a steak pie and salad one afternoon, as we happened to be passing. I digress, we met our guide, and there were only seven of us to go out on the water.
We had a quick briefing, and out we went. The sea was like a mill pond, flat calm, absolutely no swell or wind, conditions were perfect. All eyes were straining to watch for blow holes, and the whales. It wasn't long before we saw two quite close by, watching them breathe in unison, once, twice, then the third big breath before flicking their tails in the air and going deep. We tried to keep a distance of at least 100 metres between us, though you have no idea where they will surface. So we spent a very nice two hours plus pootling about in the kayaks whale watching. Unfortunately, we eventually had to turn around, get nearer to the shore, and drop into the warm ocean and have a quick look at what was below the waves. Plenty of coral, fish, and one lone turtle. It was a great end to a great morning.
The next day we rested up, had a last look down the beach, and packed our bags ready to leave for Big Island, and New Year.