This was our first visit to Hawaii. What a paradise! We spent time on both Maui and the Big Island. I’ll start with Maui.
After picking up a rental car at the airport, we drove to our condo in Kaanapali, up the road from Lahaina, where we had arranged to take diving lessons from Lahaina Divers. Over a week’s time, Kathy succeeded at getting her Open Water certification, but I injured my ear early on, and had to quit.
The dive boat
Kathy, clearing. I injured my ear when I did this unsuccessfully
Kathy takes the Giant Stride off the rear of the dive boat
I went fishing on one of the days Kathy was diving. I caught a small member of the tuna family, which Kathy and I later ate as sashimi.
The harbor at Maalaea Bay, at sunrise, with the Big Island to the east
The boat
Trolling jigs and the fighting chair
Maui astern
Fish on!
Portrait of the young fisher guy (only 49 yrs old), reeling in fish
The mate filets the fish
Talking about fish – a 620 lb. Blue marlin.
Bay and reflection
Beach and surf
Our next objective was to hike into the crater of Haleakala. Haleakala is a volcanic mountain that tops out at 10,023′, and has a road to the summit crater rim. The mountain and much surrounding terrain (down to the coast on the east) is a National Park. The Halemau’u Trail starts at one of the switchbacks on the road to the summit, at 7990′. The trail is located at the wet end of the crater rim. Each Hawaiian island is dominated by volcanic mountains, and has a windward and a lee side, with the former, the wet side, and the latter, which is in the rain shadow of the central mountains, the dry side.
The trail into the crater
On the descent. Into the clouds
On the descent. In the clouds
On the floor of the crater, heading for the campsite
The Holua CG is on the wet side of the crater, at 6940′
Kathy
It rained on us a bunch on the first night! The next day, we hiked over to the dry side of the crater.
Looking back at the Holua CG hut (lower left)
Rainbow!
The endemic Silversword enlivens the crater.
The Silversword is a very good-looking plant
Silversword and a view to the far (low) end of the crater
Kathy and Silversword
The Hawaiian goose, the Nene
On the trail in the crater
Some of the colorful landscape, with Silversword
Ash?
Looking back to the wet side.
Ohelo berries
Ferns
From the rim
From the rim
Crater view, from the rim
Next, we drove the road to Hana, located at the far eastern end of the island. The pavement was, in spots, slick, by virtue of cars squashing the guava fruits that fell onto the road, while the air was permeated with the sweet smell of the squashed fruit. Guava is not native to Hawaii.
Hana Hwy.
“No Fat Women Beyond This Point”
Katydid
Wailua Falls, close to the road
Passion flower
We stopped at Waianapanapa State Park, where we were lucky to find a cabin for the night. It was a house-keeping cabin, surrounded by lush vegetation, and with a papaya tree right outside. The steep and rocky coast was 50 yds. away. We fished from the rocks with Japanese dried fish and caught a beautiful all-red fish. And we hiked the few miles along the coast from the State Park to the town of Hana.
Our cabin, behind the dense foliage
Indented shoreline
Arch
Kath, in watery cave
Shoreline and foliage
Arch
Cliff-bound bay
Natural bridge
Overhang and pool
Window and pool
Passage with pandanus
Indented shoreline and foliage – succulents and pandanus
Ginger flower, Hana
Garden spider, Hana
Parade in Hana
Fishing boat, Hana
We drove farther south along the coast from Hana, to the Kipahulu Valley area (in the National Park), the site of the Seven Pools and the hike to Waimoku Falls
Waterfall, seen along the road to the Kipahulu Valley
Sprouting coconut, at the Seven Pools
Seven Pools and a highway bridge
The hike along the Pipiwai Trail to Waimoku Falls:
Bamboo
Banyan tree
Pipiwai stream
Pipiwai stream
Kathy, at Pipiwai stream crossing
Waimoku waterfall
Waimoku waterfall
Our trip to Maui was followed by a visit to the Big Island, which will be seen in the following post:
https://believesteve.org/2016/07/21/hawaii-1989-part-2-big-island/
