Day 5 The Road to Hana

We were off EARLY to explore! We have heard alot about The Road to Hana and that it was an all day experience despite the 64 mile distance. It is slow going with over 600 hair pin turns. You get to stop about every 10ish miles to sight see. We left at 7 am and our first stop was the Twin Falls. 

There was bamboo all around and since I've never seen it growing like this, I took a pic. 

When we went to leave there was a rooster behind us. We thought it was so random and funny and had a good laugh as we watched it on the backup camera. 

I can't remember the names of all the stops but we stopped and did several hikes, ate HOT banana bread that was INCREDIBLE and stopped at the rainbow forest. These trees were so cool to see!

We stopped at a place that was crawling with little black crabs. You could explore the tide pools but had to be careful because the tide was aggresive and the rocks were sharp. 

We came across many many waterfalls that were amazing. This one was under the bridge and you would have missed it if you didn't stop. We learned that Maui has so many waterfalls because of the clouds that gather around the volcano and release water that all run down the mountain. 

One stop was Wai' anapanapa black sand beach. I was expecting sand since that was in the description but it was more like rocks. But it was amazing and some of the rocks were so smooth and shiny and it was quite a sight to see. Not really a beach you want to beach at. We watched people playing in the water and over and over big guys getting picked up by the waves and smashed down on to the rocks. We opted to hike around a little instead! We also had our picnic lunch here. 

All the black rock in volcanic rock that over time the water has broken down and turned to sand. Pretty incredible what the ocean can do. 

This tree was on a hike that we took at the end of the road to Hana. Pipiwei Trail was incredible and it led into a bamboo forest. We were hot and humid and sweaty and wet as ever, but we were still enjoying it. This tree was on the trail and it was so cool how more branches grew down to support the branches growing out. Again, this worlds creations are amazing!

Bamboo forest at the end of the trail! It was eerily dark and quiet. You could sometimes hear them hitting together and making the sound of bamboo clanking together. It was neat but a little spooky so we didn't stay long. And again, hungry, hot, wet and tired after a long day of driving!

We drove the road back to our apartment and was surprised at how much longer the road seemed. The locals drive that road like crazy. You can always tell when a local is behind you. It was fun to see coconuts, mangoes and other fruits growing on trees all around. If I was ever homeless, I'd buy a one way ticked to Maui an live off of the land. We were so tired and glad to be back home to shower!
 

Day 4 Off to MAUI

On Sunday, we checked out of our high rise hotel and caught a plane to MAUI! We were both very excited to get out of the city and enjoy the beauty Hawaii has to offer. 

Still, weird to me that birds are normal in the airport!

cute bathroom signs!

We went to Ho'okipa Beach to see Sea Turtles. At first from a distance we didn't think there were any, just rocks on the beach. As we got closer and saw the gawking tourists, we realized there were a ton on the beach! We sat and watched as turtle after turtle came up on the beach to rest. We were so amazed! They are fast swimmers and slow crawlers. They were big too. 

The baby was adorable!

Our new place in Maui was beautiful. Right on the beach and our room had stunning views of the ocean. 

Found this little lizard in the lobby garden.

 It was nice to just settle in and eat and relax on a Sunday. 

Hawaii Day 3

Today was a little more about relaxation! We strolled through the Saturday swap meet and picked up a few souvenirs for the kids and us. It was a really fun time! I loved it! 

Then we went to Waimea Falls in O'ahu. We hiked to this waterfall through an incredible botanical garden that I can only imagine that this is what it was like where Adam and Eve lived. It was stunning and I photographed nearly every flower I found. Enjoy!

Then we got to the waterfall and we could swim in it!! I was pumped to do this since its a dream of mine! We had to wear life vests so I was very glad. Chad was less than thrilled. It was AMAZING!!!!

A favorite stop was the Laia Temple! Wow!! It was just stunning! We spent some time in the visitor center chatting with missionaries and just soaking in the spirit. 

We then went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. Cool place, but we had done most of the activities in our luau so we just walked around mostly enjoying the scenery. We took a boat ride up a little river and that was probably the highlight. Not as impressive for us as many others thought. 

Sea Life Luau

We attended the Ka Moana Luau at the Sea Life Aquarium. Excitedly we entered and were immediately showered with fresh leis, pictures and drinks! The lei's smelled heavenly! I loved them so much!

We were seated after a little fiasco of them not being able to find our tickets but we were clear in the back, oh well. We were told about all the fun things to go learn about and do before the dinner. We played ukulele, braided leaves, making a flower lei bracelet and watching a man climb a coconut tree!

Where our yummy pig is cooking. 

When dinner was ready, 2 guys pulled it out of the ground and took it over to get ready to eat. I'm still trying to decide if it was real or not because the meat was ready REALLY fast after they pulled it out. So I'm not sure if that is the one we ate or if it was even real! But cool nonetheless. 

I was glad the weather held out. It was a perfect evening! Time to eat!

I loved EVERYTHING i tried. It was so good. 

Then the show began and I just couldn't take my eyes away! All the dancers were totally amazing and talented and good at what they did! I was amazed and really enjoyed it. 

The fire dancers were incredible. They were two young boys who performed and it was mesmerizing! 

What a wonderful day! On our way home we went to Walmart in the City. WOW! We had to park in a parking garage. And we were looking for pre made sandwiches, none of which they had and when we asked about it they looked at us like we were crazy. Maybe that's not a thing in Hawaii. But it was an experience in itself!!