Hawaii Trip - Part II, Maui

Six days in Kihei, Maui. West side of the island. Weather was always perfect here. Sunny and minimal wind and the waves were generally calm.

Right after we landed we could not access our condo until 3pm so we checked out Iao valley and the famous Iao Needle sticking out.



Iao Valley is really lush and I was instantly drawn to the beautiful looking stream. The water was pretty cold too as it all came from the mountains, just no trout.





A few of the Iao Needle closer up. Funny at the top of the trail head there was a grass hut, presumably to stay dry when viewing the needle when it rains. Another couple came up to the hut with their daughter who upon the arrival got upset because there was no pizza! Boy did she get duped by her parents.



The next day we went to the Maui Ocean Center. They have many nice aquariums with every kind of fish imaginable. They also have a shark tanks, tide pools, and even a sea turtle tank. These photos were with my iPhone.  Unicorn fish has unicorn point and razor sharp edges by it's tail for anything that tries to eat it, part of the Surgeon fish family.







The following day we did the infamous road to Hana along the north shore. This road is 52 miles long with over 600 curves and 54 one lane bridges. Amazing scenery including many beautiful waterfalls.







Picnic lunch we had some friendly mongoose eagerly looking to be fed. During the 1800's sugar plantation boom, rats became a problem so the mongoose was brought over to take care of the rats. Only problem rats are nocturnal and the mongoose are not. So that did not work out and the mongoose is now considered invasive as it likes to eat eggs from native birds.



The following morning we went on a whale watching tour with the Pacific Whale Foundation. Right out of the bay within minutes we spotted a whale spouting from it's breath hole. He then dived and was not to be found. However we came across this playful one year old Humpback. Best shot I got with my point and shoot. The whale breached numerous times and seemed rather playful with it's flippers as if waving at us.





Lots of shots of the tails if anybody wants to see more. I had my zoom maxed out the whole time and was constantly shooting. The first photo above is the best one. In total we saw three different humpbacks. All are here from Alaska, here to mate and give birth in the warm waters before making their way down to Mexico. Peak time is January so early December is when it starts. We were lucky to see so many. In fact we even spotted some from the road while driving.

Several marine biologists on the boat. They even had a microphone in the water so you could hear the whales plus a special program for the kids.



The balance of our trip was spent on the beach across the street from the condo plus side trips to places like Lahaina, an old fishing town that is now a tourist trap. Our main interest was mai tai's for lunch and checking out the banyan kid that I remember climbing when I was Matt's age



The beaches out front were fantastic. Very warm water and surf not too strong. Snorkel anywhere around the rocks and you would find beautiful coral reefs and lots of fish.



Lots of great restaurants in Kihei too. Anybody plan on going, let me know I can fill you in. Beach is the direct west side of the island so it was perfect for sunsets too.