Travel experiences Maui, Hawaii, USA

Zigzagging up the long road to the Haleakala Crater was anything but easy on someone with mild equilibrium problems, but waking up at 4:00 a.m. for the ride up to the summit was well worth all the butterflies in my empty stomach. When we reached the summit to see the sunrise, the landscape appeared as though we might just be on someone else's planet.

Maui, the Valley Isle, is a playground that offers an almost never-ending amount of activities to enjoy both on and off land. Three of my cousins and I started our trip by driving to see the sunrise. Though I didn't count the switchbacks on that snaking road, there were apparently 33 of them on the way up to the 10,023 foot high summit. We arrived behind numerous other early risers, but the cloud cover prevented us from seeing the golden orb emerge. The Haleakala National Park area includes marked trails and offers several photo opportunities once the sun actually peeks through. The barren crater itself is considered large enough to hold all of Manhattan.

Kula Lodge, on Haleakala Hwy., was a refreshing place to warm up after the cold temperature that was still in our bones from our journey to the top of Maui. The Kula Market, next door to the lodge, sells excellent preserves, among other treasures such as the wonderful ginger candies that soothed my stomach for the rest of our trip.

We stayed a private dwelling in the quaint upcountry area of Kula, home to ranch houses and flower farms, and much quieter and cooler than the beach resort areas of the island. We shopped in the muggy heat at the Maui Swap Meet at Kahului. The swap meet, on Hwy 350 off Puunene Ave. next to the Kahului Post Office, runs from 7 a.m. until 12 p.m. on Saturdays. Like many markets, it sells souvenirs, crafts, arts, and flowers. We found some excellent fresh produce to put in the cooler for our evening meal - corn on the cob, green beans, liliquoi, star fruit, dragon fruit, bananas, and guavas. Then we were off to Kama'ole III Beach.

The following day's rain didn't stop us from leaving our cozy digs. We enjoyed a glorious day at the Maui Ocean Center, but we didn't get to see "Nemo". The aquarium is home to native Hawaiian fish only, such as the humuhumunukunukuapua'a, Hawaii's state fish. The name, that is almost longer than the fish itself means "stitched together with a nose like a pig." The translation explains the length of the Hawaiian word.

The Ocean Center's shark tank was mesmerizing to the two of us in our group that are highly fascinated with the beautiful predators. A diver entered the tank to hand feed a majestic spotted eagle ray that is quite a character, impatiently awaiting the crunchy shellfish. The peaceful theatre area was an enjoyable way to watch the tranquil marine life.

Mouth watering food was served to us at the Seascape Ma'alaea Restaurant at the center. A couple of us dined on the Seascape Salad: crab claw, seared Pacific yellow-fin tuna, bay shrimp, bay scallops, and tomatoes on Kula greens. We watched the Pride of Maui catamaran pull in as waves crashed over the rocks in the harbor.

By Monday, the rain had ceased, and we headed to Lahaina, a former whaler's village that is now a touristy boardwalk area lined with souvenir shops, restaurants, jewelry stores, and some amazing art galleries. The Christian R. Lassen Galleries are a must see as his marine art is so vivid that it practically speaks to you of his love for the environment.

At the Courthouse Building, stands one of the largest banyan trees in the world. This behemoth of arboreal wonder, planted in 1873 by Maui Sheriff William O. Smith, is now 50 feet tall, has 12 major trunks, and is a sight to behold. We ate lunch at a restaurant that overlooked the courtyard, and were entertained by the interesting spectacle of a man spouting bastardized versions of scripture from the Bible.

We took Route 30 back home, a route where locals warn tourists to make sure to keep an eye on the winding road and not the humpback whales that breech or spout in the water. Surfers were speckled along the shoreline trying to catch the last of the waves before heading out of the water for the day. We awoke eary the next day, though waking up early was not actually difficult on any morning that we spent on Maui, where there is apparently a feral chicken issue. Each morning, before the sun even had a chance to peek through the clouds, we all awoke to the cock-a-doodle-doos of the roosters. We drove to 13 Crossings on West Maui, past mile marker 7 on Hwy 340, to go for a hike. We entered the jungle area and as the name suggests, traversed the MakaMakaole Stream thirteen times before coming to a waterfall, about an hour later. The foliage included a small bamboo forest, some beautiful tropical flowers, falling guavas, and the odd chameleon.

After our exhilarating hike, we continued our drive up the very curvy, sometimes one-way road that is Hwy 340. Though the view is incredible, the road itself is not for the faint of heart. We had some very near encounters with other vehicles, which involved someone having to back up to a wider spot - the closer to the top that we got. Some car rental companies do not honour the insurance policies of drivers who venture up this treacherous road with rented vehicles.

Snorkelling in Maui was among the best I have ever experienced. We found an excellent beach in the Wailea area that offered somewhat gentle waves, and a reef that contained numerous tropical fish - and sea turtles! As I am not a great swimmer, I bought a pool noodle flotation device so that I could stay afloat without panicking. We saw several species of fish that we were able to identify from our day at the Maui Ocean Center. When the waves of this beach weren't pummeling us into the sand because we had entered at the wrong time, it was offering us the excellent opportunity to practice our newly acquired body surfing skills.

Our five-hour day on the Pride of Maui was an experience of a lifetime. The fact that it is a catamaran made the 9 mile ride to the Molokini Crater quiet smooth. Facing the leeward side of Maui, the crater area offers 150 - 200 foot viewing - the best in the Hawai'ian Islands. We saw an almost endless array of tropical fish, and a five foot white tipped reef shark even made an appearance in our video that we had paid for before entering the water!

After an on board barbequed lunch, we headed over to Turtle Town - off the shore of Wailea, near our favorite beach. We tried our hand at Snuba - a combination of snorkeling and scuba, for which we did not require certification. The giant sea turtles were curious, fascinating creatures that gracefully swam in the gentle waters and gradually made their way to the surface for a breath of air. One such curious soul spent some time at the surface checking out we humans, who by now where below water level, before swimming off.

For our last day on Maui we fittingly ended at our favorite beach to soak up some more sunshine and frolic in the waves. We watched the spouting of the humpback whales swimming by the Molokini Crater. We witnessed a casual wedding take place early in the afternnoon, then watched as the setting sun became the backdrop for photos of a formal wedding couple...a picture postcard ending to a trip to be remembered forever.