Ahui Hou, Maui!

After our trip to Dragon's Teeth, we came back for one last hotel swim before our departure the next morning. This ship was a major highlight for our kids. Son1 was in pretend heaven, and Son2 sensed that 1.5 foot deep water was just his speed.

We swam until sunset. This is one of Maui's hallmarks, these bright orange sunsets. The picture doesn't do it justice. The sun looked like fire blazing on the horizon.

Sunset on North Ka'anapali Beach

We savored our last romantic dinner, scallops in a lavender coconut reserve. DIVINE!!


The next morning I snapped some photos on the way to Kahului Harbor, where we met the Superferry for our return trip to Honolulu.

Molikini Crater, where Hubby dove two tank dives

Haleakala Crater...See, we were high above those clouds at the summit!

As we say in Hawaii...Aloha! Ahui Ho! Goodbye, until we meet again! We said our final goodbyes to the Maui Coast from the back of the Superferry.

Saturday in Ka'anapali, Maui

We stayed on beautiful North Ka'anapali Beach at the Westin Ocean Resort Villas. Ka'anapali Beach is one mile long just north of Lahaina. In 2003 it was voted #1 on the list of America's Best Beaches. We knew none of this, though. I called and made reservations using Hubby's hotel points, and this was the only property available. No wonder the lady on the other end of the line thought I was a nut for checking other availability.

After a long day on the Superferry and then a long drive up to Haleakala the day before, we decided Saturday was a hotel day just to relax. Hubby was hoping for a nice breakfast out. The room was equipped with a full kitchen, and I convinced Hubby our kids couldn't tell the difference between a fancy shmancy breakfast or the fruit, yogurt, and peanut butter we brought. Really, they didn't care what they ate, as long as they could get into the pool. In the midst of this discussion our kids disappeared. Just to prove how unphased they are by anything but water, here is where we found them.

In the end, Son2 took a nap, Hubby finished a grad school paper, and Son1 and I fed the koi fish in the pond. The night before we had been the only ones in the keiki pool, but today we found friends with cool floaties.

Hubby called. His grad paper was done and Son2 was up. We headed back to the room to collect the rest of the family. The day before we bought a lemon coconut cake for my birthday at Costco. It wasn't quite my birthday yet, but it was my birthday weekend, and we wanted cake. We didn't have a candle for me, so we sang, and blew out the decorative orchid on the cake. Simply an example of how silly we get.
After lunch we played in another pool. This was the first time Son1 has been big enough to ride the big people slides by himself. He thought he was sooo cool. Hubby and I took turns water sliding and playing motor boat until the big people slide closed.
The keiki pool stayed open much later. This was our favorite. The pool was black bottom, and super warm, because the bright sun keeps it nice and toasty. The pool was only 1.5 feet deep. In the middle of the pool was a pirate ship that spouted water out of the cannons and out of the portholes. The porthole to the right is also a slide. All three of the boys went down together a few times. They like to do things together, those three!

We were hungry all over again. Hubby really wanted us to go out for a nice romantic dinner. Gently, I suggested this was a potential nightmare. Gently. A little too gently. We showered everyone up, put the boys in their matching shirts, and headed for dinner facing the sunset, overlooking the gardens and koi pond. Romantic, huh? Mmm hmmm, for less than five minutes. An emotional meltdown, food throwing, and ear piercing shrieking five minutes later, I was in the room with an overtired little boy, alone. I tugged on his pajamas, fished out some food from the refrigerator for him, and finally put him to bed. As I was closing the door to the bedroom, I heard a knock on the door. There stood Hubby and Son1 with boxed dinners, and a sweet grin on his face. Yup, that's Mr. Romance for you.

Son1 watched a DVD in the living room, while Hubby and I scraped dinner out of those cardboard boxes onto plates, and set the lanai outside with linens. And guess what? We had the same romantic view from the restaurant, only several feet higher in the air. Except it was far more romantic. One child was sleeping, one was occupied, and we were alone, having surf and turf by sunset.

Haleakala Crater

* Read about our trip to Maui on the Hawaii Superferry.

The Superferry docked at Kahului Harbor, Maui. We were already sitting in our car when we docked, and disembarked quickly. Our hotel check in time was not until 4pm, and it wasn't quite 10am when we arrived. A few minutes in the car and the Sandman had his first victim. (You know the lullaby!)

Son1 looked at me with heavy eyes. "Mommy, the two crocodiles are very sleepy." And what do you know, he was next to go.


Well, this made our decision easy. The best way for these kids to nap without a hotel room was in our car on a long drive. There was only one place I wanted to see this weekend anyway, Haleakala Crater. Off we went!

A looong time ago the Haleakala volcano built itself up, and then went dormant for several hundred thousand years, just like the other Hawaiian volcanoes. Meantime, two huge valleys formed on either side by erosion, 5,000 feet into the core of the volcano. They met back to back at the summit. Haleakala then became active for a series of final volcanic eruptions, starting from the summit, and filling these two canyons with lava, and raising the summit floor. The volcano became extinct, and sank under it's weight back into the sea. Unlike the Big Island volcanic craters, this crater was formed by erosion.

The road to Haleakala has tons of switchbacks. The landscape changes between the foot of the crater to the summit drastically. Between 2,000 and 4,000 feet elevation we saw cattle and horses in the upcountry. The green rolling hills were a surprise in the tropics. The drive was beautiful, and reminded us of the California wine country. Our favorite trees were these purple Jacaranda trees. The purple flowers were so intense and bursting against the crisp blue sky. They only bloom this time of year.
I am not sure what this tree is called, but I call it the trumpet tree. These Lily trumpets were humongous, like bananas hanging from the tree.
The higher we climbed in elevation, the more the vegetation changed. Soon we saw plants with shorter green leaves and stubby pines. The clouds moved rapidly with the trade winds, which blow westward, toward the earth's equator. Our kids awoke about this time, and Son1 thought we were seeing lava steam, like we had on the Big Island. When he realized we were driving higher than the clouds like an airplane he was in complete awe and three year old wonderment.

We stopped at the Leleiwi Lookout. It was a five minute walk from the parking lot. We were over 8,000 feet high. The temperature dropped an average of 3 degrees for every thousand feet above sea level, so it must have been about 50 degrees. We sustained the change in altitude so quickly, and could hear our breath getting shallower as we walked. The rest of the trip we made sure everyone was hydrated, because dehydration is also common. The body has not had much time to adjust. The ascent was nearly two miles high in a matter of several minutes.

We stood at the guard rail, and were greeted by the brimming crater, with the clouds rolling in. The unique formation of the crater, the altitude, and the trade winds all contribute to why the cloud scenery can look different in five minutes. Since the atmosphere is so thin at this level and the sun is quite bright, it is also pretty easy to sunburn, in the cool 40 to 50 degree weather. (Of course, those are midday temperatures!)

Pitching rocks into the crater

High above the clouds

Leleiwi Lookout

The Silversword plant is now unique to Hawaii, however, a California bird brought over it's seeds over a million years ago. The silver hairs allow the plant to retain water and repel the bright and warm sun at this altitude. Silverswords live nearly 50 years, flower once, and then die.

People used to pluck them out of the ground for decorative purposes, and they became an endangered species. Today they are protected and the fine for picking them is more than a vacation on Maui!

We continued up to the summit for the majestic view inside of the crater. The colors were vibrant, and the cones in the middle were glorious.

Since I am not a professional photographer, here is a photo from someone who is.

We finally made it! The final point of the summit was over 10,000 feet high. The blustery wind bit through the kids, but it felt good to us. Son2's nose looked like a cherry.

This is my favorite picture. It captures the absolute wonder of the moment. Hubby is holding Son2, and talking with Son1 about all that is below. They are talking about the clouds that roll in, and the crater below. We all talked again about Who made all that we saw.

Intelligent. Unbelievable. Incredible. Boundless. Indescribable. Marvelous. HE truly is Amazing!

We climbed back in the car, ready for our descent. There was only one more sight to see, but not really see, Science City. It is closed to the public. One of the Farmer four has made it inside.

Experts from all over the world come to this astrophysical complex operated by the Department of Defense, University of Hawaii, Smithsonian Institution, Air Force, and Federal Aviation Administration. The air at the crater is clear, dry, and still, without lights, and located above one third of the atmosphere. Haleakala is one of the most superb locations in the world for ground-based telescopes. This area offers the fourth best viewing on the planet. Some of the telescopes operated by the Department of Defense are involved in researching man-made spacecrafts, monitoring satellites, rockets, and laser technology. Others research celestial objects.

Aloha, Heading to Maui on the Superferry!

Vehicles are stowed in the white area. The passenger deck is the light blue area pictured above.

This weekend we sailed on the Hawaii Superferry from our island of Oahu to the island of Maui. The three hour trip was far more relaxing than boarding a plane, even for a forty minute flight to Maui. We packed our car with luggage, stroller, beach gear, and Hubby's scuba equipment. My car was the Farmer family's fifth passenger. We left our home, drove onto the Superferry, and drove right off in Maui. What a relief to avoid the hassle of airport parking, security lines, x-ray machines, the elusive and limited $2 luggage cart, boarding the rental car shuttle, and installing the car seats all over again!!

We hit the vehicle entrance line at 4:40am. At the first stop, our car was inspected by using large mirrors and flashlights to make sure there wasn't anything illegal or dangerous underneath. You'll never guess what this lady is looking for under my hood. If you guess correctly post a comment and let me know. She is looking for seeds that may have fallen under my hood. Cross pollination of species between islands can compromise the environment. Certain species are specific to particular islands.

At the next inspection point, we rolled down our window and handed over our IDs and confirmation code. In return we received boarding passes. The last inspection point was a random vehicle and passenger check. We were not inspected, though! Finally, we were among the last cars to board just after 6am. So much for picking the right lane. It worked out in the end, since we were one of the first cars off the ferry.

Once aboard, we chose from three gargantuan passenger cabins. Hubby and Son2 settled into seats, and Son1 and I aimed toward the viewing decks. We caught the sun rising over Waikiki and Diamond Head. The sun was luminous over the water. It was breathtaking. The deck was very occupied yet hushed. Some people used tripods and multiple lenses with their cameras. Some couples stood linked arm in arm. Son1 stood with his shoulders between my fingers and whispered to me all that he observed.


Immediately it struck me how I yearned for him to remember this day, to remember the sun rising in the East over the ocean, and the beauty of the moment. I leaned down and asked him if he would remember today. In the quiet morning I recalled different Psalms praising the Creator, and offered my own silent praises. For a few instants we chatted about Who had made all that we were observing. After we passed the Oahu landmarks we went in to check on the rest of the fam. Hubby found us seats in front of one of the many flat screens mounted on the wall. But with so many kids on board, the boys wanted to follow the action at the Manta Cove, where all of the keiki were hanging out. This was a designated play area and movie area for kids.I had brought snacks, but we were sitting so close to one of the three dining areas, that we just couldn't resist. Hubby loves pork manapuas. A manapua is a meat filled cake, or steamed bun, that you might see on a Chinese dim sum cart. Manapua is the Hawaiian word for this Chinese bun. These buns were introduced by the Chinese when they were brought to Hawaii as plantation workers. In Hawaii they are filled with different fillings. (Around Thanksgiving they are even pumpkin filled!)
Son2 loves bananas. They sold fresh fruit, but not bananas. So the cashier insisted she had one in her lunch, stowed in the employee area. She offered it to Hubby and Son2 and refused to take any money for it. Hubby slipped some money in the tip jar anyway. But that's what you can expect from local folks, much aloha. It would have been rude not to take it.Now this was the absolute crown jewel of the menu, the kalua pork nachos. These were the most delicious nachos Hubby and I had ever eaten. Kalua pork is salted and slow smoked. The nachos were also topped with pineapple chunks but they are hard to see in the picture.

We chose seats near a door that led to the decks. We rotated children, and took turns on the outdoor lanais. The Maui coastline came into view. The coast rose out of the ocean and seemed to touch the sky.


We were here! Within a few minutes all passengers with vehicles were called to the lower decks, even though we were still sailing on the water. We grabbed our stuff and grabbed our kids. It was a little tough to get to our car. The cars on the Superferry are jammed closely together. There are no parking stalls, and the cars are parked so tight! I couldn't get in on my side of the car. I couldn't fit between the cars to get to my door. There is only about 6 inches between these cars, from my rear bumper, to his door. It looks wider in the picture, though, because we held the camera above our heads to take the picture. I climbed through the opposite side to my seat.

Being the last to load had it's advantages. We were one of the first cars off the ferry, and onto Maui!