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
"It's not about the destination, it's about the journey." That couldn't be more true than on the Road to Hana.
With our flight to the Big Island of Hawaii just a couple of days away, our diving schedule needed to taper so that we wouldn't get decompression sickness when flying to altitude. We took this opportunity to visit some must-see sites in Maui. On our 5th day in Hawaii, we decided to take the "Road to Hana".
The Road to Hana is considered to be one of the most beautiful stretches of road in the U.S. Full of rainforests, beaches, waterfalls, and quaint food stands, there were so many things to see, we didn't even bother to cover it all. However, based on my superficial visit, here is what I learned about maximizing one's experience on the Road to Hana.
Beautiful Black Sand Beach at Wai'anapanapa State Park-
Road to Hana (M. Leung)
(1) Do NOT take a tour bus
I completely respect that some people may want to hire a tour bus to avoid driving the windy roads, however, I think that the best sights on the Road to Hana are off the beaten path. While most tourists gathered around the first, obvious waterfall at Pua'a Ka'a State Park, we had read from Lonely Planet there was a better waterfall just beyond the bend. We were not told, however, that "beyond the bend" meant getting completely muddy, and shuffling across a functioning aqueduct 30 feet up in the air (below left). At the end of the hike, however, we were rewarded to a spectacular waterfall, which most importantly, was all to ourselves (below right).
Getting to the 2nd waterfall at the Pua'a Ka'a State Park
is treacherous, but rewarding
(2) Do NOT wear heels
We saw several tourists wearing heels so they could look beautiful against the beautiful backdrop of the Road to Hana. I was wearing functional Tevas, but wished I was wearing Kevlar from head to toe. We heard there was a spectacular red sand beach in Hana, but that the path to it was rather treacherous. We were told there was a sheer wall that you had to climb. I thought Mark and I were tough enough to handle it. But the wall was really difficult to climb, not because it was so steep, but because there was no traction. I had to climb on all fours at top speed to make progress, otherwise I would have slid back down the hill. But the red sand beach at the end of the hike was totally worth it:
The Red sand beach at Hana is difficult to get to,
but well worth the climb-
Road to Hana (M. Goodnow)
(3) DO be careful how you interact with the locals but don't be afraid to mix with them either
The Road to Hana is populated with many locals, some of whose feelings are mixed towards tourists visiting their domain. However, don't be afraid to mix with the locals either. We saw some native Hawaiians swimming in their local swimming spot off the Keanae peninsula (see below left). The water looked so great, I couldn't resist joining them. I was well rewarded for some adventurous snorkeling (see below right).
Left: local swimming hole on Keanae peninsula, including dog on boogie board Right: Snorkeling there was wild and adventurous
(4) DO support local business
The fruits and products you'll find along the way are fun and delicious.
These avocados are almost as large as my head-
Twin Falls, Road to Hana
(5) DO take lots of pictures.
When you feel on the fence about taking a picture, take it anyway. The pictures are some of the most beautiful you'll take on your vacation.
Local swimming spot on the rugged Keanae Peninsula-
Road to Hana
The Keanae peninusla has been
farmed for centuries
Tomorrow, we'll be visiting Haleakala Crater National Park... Stay tuned.
We rented a couple of tanks from Maui Dreams Dive Company. We enjoyed meeting Teri, who is the store manager and course director there. She proposed that we dive Ulua Beach that day.
Shrimp-
Ulua Beach, Wailea, Maui
(M. Goodnow)
At the beach, we tripled up with Wade whose girlfriend doesn't dive. Wade had the courage to introduce himself to us at the beach, so of course we had to accept and dive with him.
Ulua Beach was an amazing shore dive, in spite of the 20-30' visibility. There were towering, ornate structures of coral. We saw the largest (2.5' long) pufferfish and the largest (1' long) frog fish I've ever seen. I managed to film the gigantic frog fish swimming several yards (see below). I learned later that frog fish like to stay in the same area their entire lives, so I felt enormously guilty that we disturbed it and caused it to swim such a long distance.
Video of Frog fish swimming-
Ulua Beach, Wailea, Maui (M. Leung)
Flat worm -
Ulua Beach, Wailea, Maui
(M. Goodnow)
Ulua Beach was definitely my favorite shore dive in Maui due to its interesting coral structures and the fact that I successfully navigated to the deeper second reef, and back, in poor visibility. During the dive, Mark almost got us lost and lead us to the adjacent beach, but I was constantly monitoring where we were and managed to get us back to our proper exit point.
Afternoon
It was Mark's birthday, so he got to do whatever he wanted. He elected to eat chips in bed while watching Star Wars. I really enjoyed pigging out next to him. Ah, simple pleasures.
In the evening, we walked around the beach outside of our hotel (see below). I highly recommend staying at Days Inn Maui in Kihei, Maui. For a fraction of the cost as elsewhere, you can stay on the beach, be close to the dive operators' boat ramp, and be close to world class shore diving.
The beach outside of Days Inn Maui -
Kihei, Maui
Dinner was at Coconuts Fish House, which ironically is a restaurant named after a cat.
Mark had a craving for fish tacos-
Coconuts Fish House, Kihei, Maui
Dive Details
Dive #199: Ulua beach
Depth/Time/Temp: 43'/1:07 min/76 deg. F
Buddies: Mark and Wade
Sighted:
-biggest puffer I've ever seen: 2.5 feet long.
-huge tan frog fish bigger than my head, was told it was a female. Harassed it and it swam fast.
-turtle
-sea star legs (cut by harlequin crab)
-mark almost took us to the next beach over.
Dive #200: Ulua Beach
Depth/Time/Temp: 25'/0:54 min/77 deg. F
Buddy: Mark
Sighted:
-fuschia flat worm
-nudibranchs
-brittle star
-puffer resting (to stay out of the sandy water)
-octopus hiding in a crack
-turtle sleeping in a hole-Mina scared it and she killed some coral
Shore diving is one of the most affordable activities you can do in Hawaii. Drive to any public beach, put on your scuba gear and walk into the ocean.
A dive float is required
when shore diving in Hawaii-
Black Rock (M. Leung)
Shore diving is what we decided to do on our 3rd day in Hawaii and our 3rd day in Maui. We decided to dive at Black Rock and Old Airport Beach (Kahelili). These are two of the easiest and most popular snorkeling and dive sites in Maui.
Underwater visibility was around 50'-60' that day, which is below average. It was certainly a lot worse than the boat dives we had done the previous day, where visibility was closer to 100'. Mark was somewhat disappointed. I, on the other hand, was so enamored by how easy it was to dive in Hawaii, that I didn't care. We got to see some cool stuff, like a baby spotted eagle ray, and a voracious green sea turtle getting knocked about by the surge:
Eel--
Old Airport Beach (M. Goodnow)
Baby Spotted Eagle Ray-
Black Rock (M. Goodnow)
Crab of some sort-
Black Rock (M. Goodnow)
Afternoon
Sporting my handmade
Plumeria flower hair piece
and nursing a Mai Tai-
Old Lahaina Luau
To help celebrate Mark's birthday, we decided to attend the Old Lahaina Luau, which is considered to be the best luau in Maui, and possibly all of Hawaii. There was a sumptuous dinner buffet, cocktails galore, and many hula dance performances. There were also crafts on site. I learned how to make a flower hair piece, which I put behind my left ear because I'm a married woman (right ear placement symbolizes singleness). There were so many things to see and do that I didn't get to see the kalua pig get dug up from its imu pit.
At our table were a couple of girls who were staying in Paia. They told us what to see and do. I felt sorry for them because they spent money to do expensive activities like zip-lining, when all they had to do was walk into the ocean for free, and have a more immersed and more poignant adventure. To each their own, I guess.
I was completely enraptured by the hula performances. I got the sense that this is an important art form to the native Hawaiians and is used to convey their history and their lore (in absence of having writing). When done properly, hula can transcend the hokey hip swaying the rest of the world thinks as hula dancing. When done properly, hula is dignified, and even solemn and is very beautiful to watch. Most people soaked in the performances and respected the cultural heritage behind it, with the exception of one man, who wolf-whistled the scantily clad hula dancers.
Enjoying the scenery-
Old Lahaina Luau
Kalua Pork, 2 Poke Varieties, Lomi, Taro leaf salad
and blue drink (background)-
Old Lahaina Luau
I would highly recommend attending the Old Lahaina Luau to anyone visiting Maui. There was a great respect given to Hawaiian art forms, and an attempt to really convey the history and heritage of Hawaii in song and dance. The food and cocktails can't be beat either.
We planned on doing some more shore dives the following day...
Dive Details
Dive #197: Black Rock
Depth/Time/Temperature: 34'/1:17 minutes/75 degrees F
Buddy: Mark
Weights: 6 lbs with a 3 mm wet suit shortie
Sighted:
-large turtle
-spotted eagle ray (small)
-cornetfish and trumpetfish
Dive #198: Old Airport Beach (Kahekili Beach)
Depth/Time/Temperature: 32'/1:26 minutes/75 degree F
This was our 2nd day on our affordable Hawaiian Vacation, and our 2nd day in Maui. We were doing three dives with Ed Robinson's Diving Adventures.
We chose Ed Robinson's because they cater to advanced divers. I really wanted to do the outer rim of the Molokini Crater, which is considered to be a "must-do" dive in Hawaii, and an "advanced" dive. I thought that if we dove with Ed Robinson's, we would have a better chance of diving it. I wasn't disappointed.
Divers hovering over the
bottomless blue -
Back wall of Molokini
(M. Leung)
Ed Robinson (of Ed Robinson's Diving Adventures), himself, came to say hello to us, even though he wasn't diving that day. I told him about my prospective dive related business, and he directed me to speak to his wife, the proprietor of Turtle Town gift shop, to see if she was interested in selling my offerings. I loved how supportive Ed was of his wife's new business venture!
Divemaster Joe
wrestling an octopus --
Back wall of
Molokini (M. Leung)
Diving with Ed Robinson
Our first dive was on the Molokini Back Wall. Molokini is a partially submerged volcanic "crater". The back wall is outside of the crater, where depths can plummet to more than 200 feet deep.
I immediately got a minor crush on our divemaster, Joe. He was sweet, charming, and dove with such elegance. He also went out of his way to entertain us divers, and even wrestled an octopus out of its cave (see right). No harm was done to the octopus, or to its cave, so I feel OK about advertising that.
Mark holding Tiger Cowry --
Back wall of Molokini (M. Leung)
The fact that this was an advanced dive made itself abundantly clear. At one point, I was carried by the surge 20 feet up in the water column. If we were at shallower depths, this could have been cause for a lung expansion injury or the "bends". As we were 130 feet deep, no harm was done but I was a little rattled over scraping the coral reef on my elevator ride up.
On our second dive, we dove "Hawaiian Reef", which is jam-packed with schools of grunts and goat fish. Mark took some great shots and video of a red frog fish (below).
Commerson Frog Fish --
Hawaiian Reef (M. Goodnow)
On our third dive, we dove "Reef's End" at Molokini Crater (see below). This dive site has schools and schools of butterflyfish (I'm used to seeing individuals). We also saw a white tip reef shark and silver jacks hunting, which was behavior the divemasters alerted us to.
Reef's End supports
schools of butterfly fish--
Reef's End, Molokini (M. Leung)
Afternoon
Cliff diver lighting torches
at Black Rock (M. Leung)
In the afternoon, I conducted "business" in Lahaina. Basically, I scoped out dive shops, and got names of the stores' retail buyers. Hawaii could potentially provide a lot of customers for my prospective business, considering the army of snorkelers, in addition to divers who frequent Maui. Everyone I spoke with seemed positive about the idea I had.
We also scoped out our next dive - a shore dive at Black Rock near Lahaina. It was here, we accidentally witnessed the daily sunset cliff dive at the Black Rock sponsored by the Maui Sheraton (see above). For dinner, we had a typical Hawaiian "plate". The Kalua pork wasn't great, but it was cheap and plentiful. Besides, ketchup makes everything taste better (see below).
Plate dinner of Ono and Kalua pork
(M. Leung)
Diving Details
Dive #194: Molokini Crater Back Wall
Dive buddy: Mark
Depth/Time/Temp: 134'/0:43 min/74 deg. F
Weight: Mina-8 lbs, Mark-14 lbs. We both wore 5 mm wetsuit
Sightings:
-octopus wrestled out of its cave
-tiger cowry
-moray eels
-2 frog fish
-crab with decorative sponge "afro"
Dive #195: Hawaiian Reef
Dive buddy: Mark
Depth/Time/Temp: 84'/0:32 min/74 deg. F
Sightings:
-dense schools of grunts
-white tip reef shark
-red frog fish
Dive #196: Reef's end at Molokini crater
Depth/Time/Temp: 72'/0:59 min/76 deg. F
-Silver jacks scaring schools of pyramid butterflyfish
Today was the first day of our Hawaiian vacation. Just 5 hours away, I considered Hawaii to be an affordable "puddle hopper". Although the hotel and food is not generally cheap, the airfare certainly is. And due to the downturn in the economy, food and lodging was a bit cheaper than normal.
Mark had been particularly looking forward to visiting Hawaii. This was his first time visiting the archipelago. He had also been feeling particularly burnt out. I, on the other hand, hadn't visited Hawaii in more than 15 years and had never scuba dived in Hawaii before. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from diving in Hawaii, especially after diving in Fiji the previous year, but I promised to keep an open mind.
Grand Wailea Resort
On our 5 hour flight over from San Jose, I had an interesting conversation with my seat mate, a "metaphysical" massage therapist. This means she works with clients' past traumas and treats the trauma with massage. She also treats the San Francisco 49'ers regularly. (As part of my self-improvement program, I have been trying to network more. I feel like I always benefit by networking. At minimum, I learn something new, and at maximum, I gain an opportunity.)
After landing, we immediately hit the nearby Wailea beach, known for its posh hotels and beaches. I felt a little disappointed. It was certainly more beautiful than the beaches down in Southern California, but I guess I was expecting more vibrant blue water.
Botero Sculpture garden
We also walked around the Grand Wailea Resort. We read in Lonely Planet that this was an interesting place to walk through because of its expensive works of art - worth $30 million according to some sources. The hotel architecture certainly looked dated. It was nice, back in the day, I'd imagine. Other than the numerous Botero sculptures (shown at right), I didn't recognize any of the artists displayed. But the artwork was still interesting to look at.
Matteo's Pizzeria
Finally, we ate at Matteo's pizzeria - based on travel recommendations from the New York Times. Although the pizzas were certainly cheap ($12-22), and the ambiance was nice, we didn't think the pizzas measured up to the pizzas from the "mainland", and certainly did not taste like authentic Italian pizzas, as they were touted to be.
Tomorrow we'll be diving the back wall of Molokini crater. We're looking forward to it.
On our last day in Maui, and our 6th day in Hawaii, we visited the Haleakala Crater National Park. 
