Thursday, December 22, 2011

Maui: Lahaina

So we landed at Kahalui, picked up our rental car, a Chevy HHR, and drove the 20-odd miles to Lahaina. Vicki had found a perfectly wonderful studio apartment in a nice residential neighborhood 5 minutes' walk from the beach. We spent our first evening and the next morning simply walking the beach and looking at older Lahaina, the 19th century capital. Lahaina is totally touristy--nearly everything in Hawaii is--but there are degrees of touristy, I think, and, somehow, Lahaina is on the good side of the spectrum. Some history; some historical buildings; some natural interest; some interesting galleries; and also all the usual crap.
We walked past the Feast at Lele, one of the many exorbitant
"luaus" around















Alpenglow on a rampart of Mauna Kahalawai; interestingly,
to me, Maui is built on two shield volcanos, the much older
and now severely eroded Kahalawai (5000 feet), and the
younger, less eroded Haleakala (10000 feet), more about
which later


















Mauna Kahalawai the next morning; it was cloud-covered
every day of our visit















The great banyan tree at Lahaina's center; it covers nearly a
city block, aerial roots capturing new ground, extending and
supporting the great lateral limbs; said to be the largest in
the Islands














Thus












And thus; it also supports and shelters a fine crafts market; one
of two in the world we have found in which there is NO CRAP,
only neat and fine stuff (the other is at The Rocks, in Sydney)























One of the joys of grandparenthood is the
whole new dimension of humor and cuteness...




















Looking across the channel to Lanai














I would bet real money that the "wreck" just off-shore here
has been planted and cemented into place by the chamber of
commerce...scenic, nonetheless

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

En Route To Maui

So our twin-engine prop Island Air DHC8 flew low and slow, as I like it, from Lihue on Kauai to Kahului on Maui, affording marvelous views of five of Hawaii's larger islands...
Bye-bye, Kauai














Oahu's northwest cape; note gigantic waves














Desolate west coast of Oahu














Honolulu sprawl













Pearl Harbor, Battleship Row, Missouri and Arizona Memorial
















Next up: Molokai














Molokai southwest coast; we'll see the splendiferous northeast
coast via heli later; even lower and slower















Over desolate and sparse Lanai now














From Lanai to Maui...10 miles? 5?














On approach to Kahului; Lahaina, where the boats are
headed, is where we'll stay

Kauai Out-takes

Hawaii is not paradise for everybody; Vicki read Michener's
old Hawaii, and read parts of it to me; the tale of
exploitation and oppression by US imperialists, well into
the 20th century, is shameful

















"Ceci n'est pas une pipe"?


















Garden hose snake at the National Tropical Botanical Garden














Mele Kalikimaka














Mele Kalikimaka, Kauai-style














Us at the Grand Canyon of the Pacific














Marie, Vicki, and Bob, at Kalalau Lookout














The Kapa'a Shores; thanks again, Bob and Beth














Kapa'a beach














Till we meet again, Kauai...cockle-doodle-dooooo!

Seldom Seen Kauai

The best beach on Kauai is on the navy missile range on the southwest side, accessible only to military or retired military personnel. Fortunately, brother-in-law Bob had his retired USN ID with him.
Looking south on huge, beautiful Major Beach














Looking north














We shared the miles of open beach with two surfers and two
fisherpersons














Niihau, the "forbidden island" in the distance














And its neighbor, uninhabited (by humans) Lehua














Because of Marie's keen eyes, we all got to see a whale--
maybe a mile away, flapping its tail and then breeching
once or twice; always a thrill; the picture above could be the
whale...










Also under the heading of "seldom seen Kauai," here is a 
sunny and absolutely clear and calm view of Kalalau Valley
from Kalalau Point in the higher country; doesn't get any
better than this; the boats and helicopters and ultralights
were out in force

Kauai Sunrise

OK, getting up to see the sunrise is not so big a deal this time of year, especially for tourists from the more eastern time zones; nonetheless...
Dawn's rosy fingers over the Mai Tai-dark sea














A lone paddle boarder off Kapa'a















Veteran sunrise watchers know that there is relatively full
light well before the sun actually rises















Thar she blows















More















Still more















Done

McBryde Garden/National Tropical Botanical Garden

Something we didn't do during our 2009 Kauai visit was tour the McBryde Garden/National Tropical Botanical Garden. There are certainly larger tropical gardens we have seen--many free and open to the public--but the McBryde features perhaps the largest collection of plants native to Hawaii. (Very little of what one actually sees here).
Main building/gift shop














Weird tropical fruit














The whole place is a couple hundred of acres, up from a
beautiful cove















More weird tropical fruit














South Florida, where I was born and raised, is loaded with
tropical vegetation; but Hawaii has the best hibisci















Vineyard, sort of














Staghorn fern, like one my mother had (until it was stolen)















Oozing orchid



















Who can resist orchids?














Who can resist orchids, 2














Who can resist orchids, 3














An heron looks for lunch in the stream, surrounded by
papyrus















Mapplethorpe plant



















Lipstick plant