After a cold trip to Haleakala we hung out at the beach by Maui Schooner Resort to warm up. Then we went out for a fancy dinner at Ka’ana Kitchen, Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort (Wailea Restaurants | Beachfront Dining | Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort – a concept by Hyatt). The food was good. I saw their fake Hawiian fire dance at a distance. The sunset and ambience was lovley. It felt special to have valet parking.
Here, at Kahanu – National Tropical Botanical Garden (ntbg.org), more that any other place in Maui, you will find yourself alone and able to feel what Maui used to be like. Few people go there. Perhaps because it is too educational and not glitzy enough. We loved it. I learned a lot about the native plants. The history of the place is interesting too History – National Tropical Botanical Garden (ntbg.org)
After a full day at the Garden of Eden and Kahanu Garden we drove to Paia – Maui’s Hippie And Surfer Town – Maui Hawaii and dined at the excellent Paia Fish Market.
We made hundreds of photographs at the Maui Garden of Eden | A beautiful garden and arboretum on the road to Hana, Maui on the Northshore of Maui. These are a few of the ones that I like or that are of interest. The view of a Keopuka Rock is also known as Jurassic Rock because of its appearance in the opening sequence of “Jurassic Park.” This garden took us several hours to see. It is well maintained and lovely.
I do not recommend the Tropical Express at Waikapu. The tour was not worth the money. We could easily have seen it without the ride with little information given. They do have a nice gift store Maui Tropical Plantation.
I tried for over half a year to book a parking spot for dawn on Haleakala in Maui. The only way we were able to do it was to book with a tour group. I chose Haleakala Sunrise Tours | Visit the Crater, Kula, Makawao, Paia, Haiku (haleakalaecotours.com). Their guide was full of information and told us many stories. I thoroughly enjoyed it because of him.
Silversword: Argyroxiphium sandwicense subsp. macrocephalum – Wikipedia
It took a day to see everything at the Maui Ocean Center | Aquarium of Hawai‘i | Encounter Hawai‘i’s Marine Life. Plus we booked a gourmet meal for lunch at their Seascape restaurant Dine With Us | Maui Ocean Center. I booked ahead. The 3D theater was amazing. The whale’s nose was inches from my face Humpbacks of Hawaiʻi Exhibit & Sphere – Maui Ocean Center. I only wish there was an adults only day. The screaming children are too much for me. Gone are the days when parents made their children behave in museums and zoos.
We visited this small wildlife preserve, Maui Bird Watching | Friends of Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge, in South Maui several times. It is close to the airport and Whole Foods. The blurry Sleepy Orange is a life butterfly.
The Manawainui Gulch under the Piilani Highway was formed by Haleakala’s waters carving out a deep chasm into the earth. The Manawainui Gulch is often dry unless there’s heavy rainfall, but the views of the southern slopes of Haleakala alongside the massive chasm are stunning. This area is very windy and it’s dangerous to get too close to any of the cliff edges. As you can see, were now on the dry side of the Island.
Piilani Highway is a road with bad reputation. We found it fun to drive. The road is rough and unpaved at times. It’s a good idea to honk around blind corners. Hawaii Route 31 is 61 km (38 miles) long, running from Kipahulu to Ulupalakua. It’s a twisty, up and down roller coaster. The toughest section of the road is about 10km (6 miles) long, where the road sometimes narrows to a single lane in sharp bends. In some areas (such as at Lelekea Bay) it’s just a one-and-a-half lane bumpy road hugging the sea cliff around a blind curve. The hairpin bends are completely blind, but there is almost no traffic. Occasionally the road is closed to traffic due to landslides. Traffic is light.
Piʻilani (“ascent to heaven”) was born ca. 1577 and ruled as Mōʻī of the island of Maui in the later part of the 16th century. At the time Maui was an independent kingdom within the islands of Hawaii. He was the first Aliʻi to unite the island under a single line.
