Maui - part 2 - relaxing on the beach

After our three day trek through Haleakala, we drove across Maui island to Ka'anapali Beach in Lahaina. The weather was beautiful: sunny, clear, and warm. Our resort, the ResortQuest Ka'anapali Shores, turned out to be even better than expected, and we were given room 249, a one-bedroom, one-bath which rivaled my apartment in Seattle for square footage. It had a nice kitchen, king bed, and deck facing the "garden" (otherwise known as a pretty footbridge, trees, and pool.)

That evening we purchased some groceries and crashed early. We spent Wednesday on the beach and by the pool, resting both legs and eyes, and drove that night into Lahaina. Just south of Ka'anapali, Lahaina has a beautiful and completely fascinating banyan tree (and many stores and restaurants.)

Originally, we had planned to go snorkeling Thursday, but high winds and a small craft warning led to the cancellation of the trip. Since we were up early, we decided to drive to Hana. The Road to Hana is famous: it's over 30 miles each way, windy, and full of one-way sections and bridges. Expedia (who was all over our hotel, but not in an annoying way) had a free CD we borrowed for a "guided" tour.

Unfortunately, it rained. Now, I've heard it always rains on the way to Hana - you're practically driving through a rain forest - but when I say it rained, I mean it poured! We could not step out of the car without getting soaking wet, and puddles formed along the road.

It was also chilly, and between the rain, the mud puddles and the brrr factor, we decided to skip the side hikes you can take along the way. At the same time, it was still beautiful to drive along and take the occassional road detour.

After arriving in Hana, we had lunch and the weather cleared a little. I was hoping to continue to the Oheo Gulch (Kipahulu) section of the Haleakala National Park, but that area was closed in October due to an earthquake and heavy rains and has yet to reopen.

By the time we arrived home that night, I was sick of driving! We had a pleasant dinner at the resort restaurant and sat on the balcony drinking wine and listening to the many birds chattering away outside.

Friday, we took a long walk along the beach, down to the Black Rock area. It was still windy, but the sun was out in between the occassional cloud. Ka'anapali has a lot of nice resorts - just walking by I liked the Westin the best - but they can be very expensive. I think we hit the jackpot with our place. :o)

Saturday was our last day, and we spent it on a Pacific Whale Foundation snorkel cruise to Molokini and to another site off Maui (the Lanai' part was cancelled due to winds). This was a lot of fun, especially because the boat only was at half capacity (again, due to weather.) However, it was sunny, the water wasn't cold, and we had good visibility. We also were able to glimpse a mother and baby humpback whale pair in the distance (early for the season.) However, I liked the trumpet fish and the green turtle we saw up close the best!