Our Affordable Hawaiian Vacation-Haleakala Crater

On our last day in Maui, and our 6th day in Hawaii, we visited the Haleakala Crater National Park. 

Frankly, I was unimpressed with the scenery at the park.  Mark appreciated the powerful scenery, but I thought the crater looked rather small, even though it was 27 miles across. We ventured off the hiking paths, against park rules, and found some Hawaiian offerings underneath a bush. We were told by the park ranger, that although native Hawaiians are Christian, they do feel a spiritual afinity to the land and towards their ancestors.

Private offerings--
Haleakala Crater (M. Leung)

As the fog was rolling in, we decided to leave the park early. I didn't enjoy Haleakala crater as much as I thought I would. Perhaps I was visiting the park at the wrong time, though --the views are supposed to be spectacular at sunrise, however we were too lazy to get up at 3AM, and got there at 9AM instead.

Haleakala Crater (M. Leung)

Silverwood Plant-
Haleakala Crater (M. Goodnow)

Afternoon

We spent the afternoon napping, relaxing at the beach, and watching Spike TV. Who knew "Repo Games" could be so entertaining?  Repo Games is a game show where people get their car repossessed, but have a chance of winning their car back if they can answer some general knowledge questions. Needless to say, the questions aren't exactly difficult ("What were 2 of the original 4 flavors of Jello?"), but the contestants still couldn't answer them right. I hadn't laughed so hard in a long time.

"Repo Games"

For dinner, we ate at Sansei in Kihei, known for their innovative Japanese cuisine.

Hamachi Tartare-
Sansei Restaurant, Kihei, Maui, HI