Surfing Goat Dairy Farm!

We were originally going to go to Haleakala crater to watch the sunrise, but when we woke up at 2:30 in the morning Ben was still tipsy from unlimited Mai Tai's from the Luau and I was exhausted. So this will be tomorrow's adventure.

First, we had lunch at Pita Paradise here in Kihei, which was AMAZING! ... I seem to be saying that about all the food here. Then we (Ben and some of his siblings) went to the Surfing Goat Dairy farm... It really is called that! The farm is located on the lower slopes of the Haleakala crater in Kula. The 30 minute drive turned into 45 minutes because none of the streets are labeled and navigations don't work very well. We drove through Hawaii farm country and past the Maui dump. The farm was lined with beautiful white picket fences and huge palm trees. We didn't do any of the formal tours, but we fed some of the adult goats hay and watched the baby goats play on a surfboard! Then we did the cheese tasting which included their most popular flavors. They also had some unique mixtures like jalepeno and artichoke, smoked salmon, mango chutney, and olive oil and herb. I bought some of the smoked salmon one to put on my morning bagels here, as well as, goat milk soap (super moisturizing) and chocolates made with goat milk. Overall, it was a fun little place to visit and I would definitely go back to do one of their tours. Then we all just went to the beach. Sadly, it was super windy and pretty cloudy, but we did see some whales in the distance!

My First Luau!!

So as a reward to ourselves for surviving our adventures of the day, we attended the Luau at the Wailea Marriot, just 1.5 miles from our hotel. The tickets are pretty expensive but include dinner, alcoholic drinks, dessert, a show, tip, and fun company! The show is called Te Au Moana and includes the un-earthing of our pig from the ground. You arrive about 4:30 to take pictures with your authentic Lai's on, do a little shopping at the booths if you want, and meet your new friends at your table. Then, they unearth the pig and open the buffet line soon after. The sun sets as the show begins, where they share the history and origins of the Hawaiian people. Grass skirts and fire dancing included! A must-do for your first time in Hawaii!!

Driver Courtesy On One-Lane Roads

Quick driving tips:

1. Drive SLOW!
2. Honk your horn as you turn a sharp corner.
3. Take note of "turn-offs" or wider sections of the road you could potentially back up to if someone needs to pass you.
4. Uphill drivers have the right-away.
5. Be patient!

Orrrrrrr... You could just avoid long sections of one-lane roads... :)
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Narrowest Two-Way Road of My Life!

Whew... I'm still alive after the craziest road of my life. We were well aware that this section of the road heading back down to the Central Valley would have one-lane sections but it was pretty much one lane the entire 10 miles with very few and small turn-outs. Let's just say that our rental car had one tire almost hanging off the side of the cliff as we struggled to pass another sedan. (Sorry to scare you Mom...) It was definitely an adventure and we stopped at Julia's Banana Bread hut to buy some of the world's best banana bread (claimed by the authors of the guidebook), but I don't know that this road was really "worth it". Both Ben and I were so nervous about the road, we really couldn't enjoy the amazing scenery. We didn't pass that many cars, but when we did, you're heart just kinda stops for a moment. There aren't any "scenic lookouts" to stop at, but it is beautiful as you drive along the cliff/mountain side with the ocean off to your left. Personally, I would have just turned around at the Olivine pools and headed back toward Lahaina. There were a few hairpin curves where we could practically see the back side of our rental car!
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Nakalele Blowhole & Olivine Pools

Rounding the top of West Maui, the road starts getting MUCH windier. Following our guidebook, we parked on the side of the road 1/2 mile past mile marker 38 to see the Nakalele Blowhole. When you walk straight out to the closest cliff area and turn to your right, you see the coastline pictured in the first picture. Then you walk down the rocky "trail" to your left (wear shoes or water shoes) to get to the blowhole. The best time to go is high tide. There are signs reminding you to watch your distance to the blowhole because you could get swept away by a wave. One sign states "This is not a waterpark". The blowhole is AWESOME! There is an undercut in the lava shelf at the shoreline here that creates water pressure and shoots it up. You can feel the ground rumble beneath you as the powerful ocean slams underneath. I couldn't get a picture with my phone, but I'll post pics of it when I return to the mainland. I would describe this as Hawaii's Old Faithful, except much less crowded and probably not as "faithful" in timing.

About 4 miles up the windy road, there is another parking area by mile marker 16 (the road restarts here and counts down now). Looking down the hills side, you see the Olivine Pools. These are naturally formed lava pools in the lava shelf. Olivine is the name of the shiny gems you find in the lava rock here. We hiked down the rocky hill side, passing signs that try to scare you away-saying "Don't Go Beyond This Point". I definitely wouldn't go down there if the waves were really rough or a storm was coming in, but it was a calm day. There were about 3 main pools (last picture) that were very warm from the sun. One pool was even deep enough to jump off a rock into it! There were even little fishies in the pool to join us! Very relaxing!

Continuing Around West Maui

After Lahaina, we continued North on the main "highway". We stopped in Ka'anapali because our guidebook said it was a must-see. It was very difficult to find parking, but once we did it was worth it. The beach (first picture) is very long with super soft sand and relatively calm waves. The beach is lined with huge resort hotels. If you wanted to come to Maui and do nothing, this would be the place. Personally, I wouldn't want to stay there because its crowded and you don't get that small town, relaxed Hawaiian feel. We walked along the beach with the water running up to our feet in search of Black Rock (you can see it off the left in the distance). This is volcanic rock serves as a place that ancient Hawaiians believed that when they died, their soul left the world from there. Each island had a point like this. There is supposed to be good snorkeling around the rock. While at Ka'anapali Beach, we witnessed huge turtles mating right next to the shore. Ben caught the whole thing on video!

As we continued North, we found that this part of the island has a sort of evergreen tree similar to what we have in Tahoe! Who'd a thought?! We stopped at this turnoff point overlooking small Honolua Bay (second picture) where lots of people were snorkeling because there are some coral reefs down there.

Lahaina

One of the only towns with an actual "downtown" area, where we are right now. This is where people come to shop or go out in the water on whale watching trips or across to the island Lanai. Apparently its always crowded, but compared to the SF Bay Area this is nothing. I guess this is what the locals consider crowded.

We were going to eat at the famous Cheeseburger Paradise, but all the locals say its crap and its a rip off. They all recommend Cool Cats Cafe for a good burger or local fish. Every local we passed that heard us mention Cool Cats, just raved about it and continued us in the right direction! Well... It IS delicious!

West Maui today!

So today we are going to West Maui from where we are staying in Kihei (South Maui). We are going to drive clockwise around West Maui from the south to the north and back around. First, we are going to stop at a scenic lookout point to try and spot whales while the ocean is at its calmest. Then we are going to do a little shopping in Lahaina and then continue north. There are smaller town north of there and some beautiful beaches. The coolest thing we are looking forward to is the Nakalele Blowhole! And then a Luau tonight!!
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Where my "Insider" Knowledge Will Be Coming From

This is the guidebook that I'll be following while here! It's great! The authors of this book will actually live in different areas of Maui for months in order to really gain insider knowledge. It's an awesome read because they actually make you feel like you are on the island!

Map of Maui

Here is a map of Maui so you can better follow all of our trips!

Just Arrived in Maui!!

Woohhhooo!! Just arrived in Maui after about a 5 hour non-stop flight from Oakland. It's a clear enough day that you could see most of the island when we landed! And when you step out of the gate area after getting off the flight, you immediately pop right outside for your walk to the baggage claim area(pictuured above). It is currently 78 degrees, breezy, and slightly cloudy-- obviously they want to remind you why you came!

After grabbing our bags, we took the short shuttle ride to Enterprise where we are currently picking up our car. Our shuttle driver was super enthusiastic!! Next, we will make the 45 minute drive down to Kihei to check out our hotel.

Lots more to come! We'll be here til next Wednesday!