Maui Vacation - Part 5 of 5

Humpback whale's tail

On Sunday, we got up early and adventured to Hana which is located on the east side of the volcano Haleakala. When we were driving toward the Kaanapali look out point again, we actually saw humpback whales splashing around. This time with their tails and making lots of waves. It was awesome to see in the early light!

We reached Hana Highway and it began to rain, and rain it did all day! The road takes you up and down the lush and almost jungle like mountain side, taking sharp turns and going over many one lane bridges. At times, you drive right along the coast line and see great rock cliffs and ocean waves crashing against it. We saw many waterfalls along, some hidden and we couldn't see them because it was raining to hard to take any of the side trails.



Before rainfall

After rainfall

The pictures of the water all Waikani Falls (aka The Three Bears) is a before and after all of the rainfall during the day. The first one is the first time we saw it in the morning and the second picture is in the afternoon returning to Paia. Most people seem to think that the heavier the water flow, the prettier the waterfall. These two shots are an example of how sometimes less is more.

Freshwater caves

We finally reach the Wai'anapanapa Sand Beach (aka Blank Sand Beach). It's got two things going for it. One, there is a freshwater cave that makes a great place for a dip. Two, it has a volcanic blank sand beach. The spring-fed freshwater caves were probably the remnants of lava tubes. There are two, though only one is suitable for swimming (shown in picture). The water level raises and falls each day with the tide, on which the fresh water floats.



Black Sand Beach

The blank sand beach was formed when lava flowed and fountained into the sea near here, shattering on contact with the ocean. Fragments smashed against each other and formed the sand you see. At the tip of the lava rocks, you can stand and see the waves crash against the lava rocks and watch water spray from the water hole. We did see some creeper spiders along the way! We stayed at the park for a time and eat our packed lunch. It was very beautiful and unique to see on Maui. I would highly recommend it, but leave early before all of the tours come thru - we just missed them as we were heading out.

On the way back, the fog and rain lifted a little bit so we could see more ocean views and cute little towns down the cliff side. We also saw a lot of the red flowers atop trees while driving all along the road. Although it rained pretty much all day, it did not disappoint us.

This was our last sunset to view on Maui and enjoyed every minute of it. We were sad our vacation was over, but excited to head home and see our kids again.

Until next time...