I know you have been anxiously awaiting part 2 of our Hawaii blog post. So here it is at last! Here we have the major activities we did on the trip, other than laying around the pool and beach at the resort.
1. Scuba diving.
Kari is a certified diver, this was Paul's first time. He took a crash course in the pool and then they went out and dove about 20 feet down. He saw amazing fish and got inked by an octopus. I wish we had pictures of the underwater stuff. This will not be his last scuba experience and his excited descriptions of it have convinced me to try it next time. Kari went out a second time and dove the wall of Molokini, which is a crescent shaped rock between Maui and Kahoolawe. You could see it from our villa.
2. Road to Hana.
Hana is a little town on the northeast corner of Maui. The road along the northern shore of the island has become a tourist attraction in itself. It's long, winding, and the scenery is incredible. Waterfalls, rugged beaches, black sand, wildlife, and some of the most amazing views on the planet. Paul and I left the kids with the grandparents and made a day of it. We hiked away from the road a couple of times to see some waterfalls (although there were spectacular ones right up against the roadway as well).
One of my favorite things on that trip was this blowhole in a lava formation at Waianapanapa State Park. The water would come whistling out the top like a geyser.
3. Aquarium
On a very windy day we decided to go to the Maui Ocean Center to do a non-swimming activity. The kids loved it, Kate especially because a sea turtle waved at her. We also went to a truly memorable "Mexican" restaurant nearby. The food was not good but there was a guy with a guitar singing very loudly. Good times.
Kate touched a starfish, that was cool too. She was scared at first, but after Mommy touched it and described it, she gave it a try. It was pretty bumpy.
4. Golf
Paul and Marc played the Wailea Old Blue golf course. They had a blast. They did not hit any cars.
5. Ate at restaurants.
This is us at Mama's Fish House for the big anniversary dinner. Spectacular food. They could even tell you who caught the fish that day that you were eating. Kari even ate some fish! Katelyn had fish and chips and loved it; she wondered why the fish she had tried before wasn't as good. Umm, because, darling 4 year old, the other fish you had before was Gorton's Fish Sticks, not mahi-mahi caught that very morning. Other restaurants we visited during the week were: Ko at the resort, Nick's Fish Market at the resort, and Sarento's. We also grilled out on the patio a couple of nights, which was nice.
6. Helicopter ride.
This is a spot on the northwestern coast of Maui as seen from our helicopter. We took a tour of the remote northwest shore and the 'Iao Valley and then over to Molokai. My mouth hung open pretty much the whole time. It's just so wild and rugged and unspoiled.
I wanted to climb out and go for a swim in this mountaintop oasis. The pilot said that sometimes when they come by there are actually people up there. There must be a secret passage or something, because this is on top of a huge mountain with no roads or obvious trails. No one is really sure how the Hawaiian tribesmen would get up on top of the mountains, they are so rough, but apparently they used to bury their royalty up there.
Elephant Rock, just off the coast of Molokai.
The steepest sea cliffs in the world, Kalaupapa Historic National Park.
The coral reef was clearly visible, and the old fishing pond walls from long ago. The colors of the reef were vibrant and the water was sparkling. These pictures don't even come close to representing that.
7. Whale watching
Just hours before we left, we went on a whale watching tour. Audrey slept through the whole thing in someone's arms either on the deck or down below, we took turns. Kate, however, was totally in her element. She loves boats.
A whale waved at her. She's pretty popular with those marine animals.
We saw some sea turtles ("Honu" in Hawaiian) in their natural habitat.
And a happy little dolphin that played chase with us. It was a really fun trip and a great way to wrap up a spectacular vacation.
Be sure to look at our flickr site to see all of the pictures! If you can't access them, just remind me and I'll re-invite you.