Tag Archives: Hawaii

Maui Day 7

On Wednesday October 7th one of our cars would travel to Kapalua Cove to snorkel from the shore. The rest of us hung out at the resort and walked down to the artisan fair that set up just at the edge of our resort.

We could see the pop up tents going up.

All Six bedrooms in the two condos we rented had beach views, which was nice especially for Katie and Andrew when they were sequestered.

Greg and I walked down early to check out the wares that were being offered.

It was already hot and humid.

After scoping out the tents and what was being offered we headed back up to pick up Granny Great so she could do some shopping and to say goodbye to the crew who were going snorkeling.

They found a great shady spot to set up camp for their morning of snorkeling.

An adult was with our Grands the whole time they were in the water snorkeling and they had their life vests on and also used a pool noodle to help them stay steady as they snorkeled. The water was very choppy on this day and they had to cut their time short but Addy and JJ were excited about all the fish and eels and other creatures they were able to see.

Meanwhile back at the resort, Granny Great, Greg and I walked down to the beach and then did some shopping at the craft/artisan tents.

It was wonderful to have this daily view of the island of Molokai.

We bought fruit bowls and fruit smoothies for our lunch. Back in our rooms we were relaxing when the resort alarm and loud speakers in our rooms asked us to please exit the building via the stairs.

We headed next door to get Granny Great and found the stairs and exited down the 6 flights of stairs. Once outside we were informed with an apology that it was a false alarm. Yikes.

Our snorkeling crew made it back to the condos for showers and lunch instead of eating their packed lunches at the cove.

Wednesday afternoon was poolside with poolside orders of appetizers and drinks. Later in the evening after a last minute shopping trip for souvenirs and gifts we gathered at the food trucks again for our evening meal.

At this stage my recall from our time might have gotten mixed up with some things out of order. I do remember the major events but some of other things are foggy in my brain.

We did finish our second puzzle.

Thursday would be our last full day and it was packed from morning to night. It will take a few posts to cover our last day.

Mahalo for following along.

Maui Day 6

On Tuesday morning October 6th one of our cars packed up for two different adventures. I’m happy to report that Katie and Andrew were done being sequestered and ready for our Molokini adventure. Only four of us opted for Molokini, Andrew, Katie, Greg and me. Josh and Dan were our drivers for the adventure. After they dropped us off for our check-in, they carried on south for their Golf tee-time. They would return in time to pick us up at 1:00 pm. Our trip started at 8am and their tee-time was at 8:30 am.

We are headed to that crescent shaped crater where you can see other boats docked for snorkeling.

Here we are with 100 of our fellow passengers! Our excursion offered breakfast, lunch and snorkeling gear. They had lifeguards out on the water and also offered any help you might need including instructions for snorkeling.

Katie ordered corrective snorkel masks for herself and for her dad. Those were game changers for them. I’m not sure if Andrew needed them, I did not. They did not cost much more than regular snorkel gear.

We were told that we were very fortunate to be at Molokini on this day since the waters were calm compared to the day before.

The temperature of the water and the clarity viewing the fish and coral reef was exceptional.

The birds were also interesting to watch on the crater. This bird might be the ‘Iwa (Great Frigatebird), a large seabird frequently seen soaring above Molokini Crater. ‘Iwa means thief, the bird is known for stealing other birds’ food.

It really was a gorgeous day to be out on the water.

 

While our sons were golfing at the Wailea Golf Club with views of Molokini, they sent us this photo! They could see the boats at Molokini.

They were very impressed with this beautiful golf course and all the amenities it offered.

From Molokini our boat anchored at a turtle bay before we headed back to the docks. Katie was the only one of us who actually spotted a turtle on this part of the anchoring. We enjoyed a barbecue lunch while the boat was at this spot. By the time we arrived at the turtle area the water wasn’t as calm or clear at this spot.

After docking we walked back to our drop off location for our sons to pick us up and take us all back to the resort. This was at 1pm and the air was so still and hot with humidity above 80%. We missed the lovely breeze that we enjoyed on the water! While waiting for our ride, I found a wood carved turtle that fit the bill for JJ’s wish list!

Mahalo for stopping by…

Maui Day 3~Haleakala National Park

On Saturday October 3rd, I watched the gradual start to the day enjoying my cup of coffee.

This was going to be a long day that got the best of some of us. Andrew was already down for the count sequestered in his room with a fever. The rest of us got into our two cars and started the trip to Haleakala National Park. This will be part 1 of our experiences this day.

“No place can prepare you for the experiences and feelings you will have on the summit of Haleakalā volcano. The landscape—deeply sculpted, richly colored, and forever changing—is unlike anywhere else on Earth.”

Stephen Tyng Mather

“He laid the foundation of the National Park Service, defining and establishing the policies under which its areas shall be developed and conserved unimpaired for future generations. There will never come an end to the good that he has done.”

If you’d like to read more about the legacy of Mather click here.

This trip was not for the faint of heart. Although it was only 53 miles from our resort with the hairpin turns going from an elevation of 500 to 10,023 it took close to two hours. The Pu’u’ula’ula summit was our destination. We were above the clouds at this height and above the path of several planes we saw, too. Our grands were traveling troopers! Some of our crew suffered severe altitude issues with their ears.

The Haleakalā High Altitude Observatory (HO) site is located near the summit of Haleakalā on the Hawaiian island of Maui. The site was formally designated for observatory use by an executive order of the Governor of Hawaiʻi in 1961, and has been managed and operated by the University of Hawaiʻi (UH) to support high-quality, high-impact research, education, and space surveillance since then. HO is not part of the Haleakalā National Park and is not open to the general public. (Top photo of the collage above)

You can learn more about this National Park here.

We were all excited that Laura captured a sighting of the NeNe Birds! Click on NeNe for more info.

This caution was heeded and it was hard to walk with confidence at this elevation. I was a wee bit light headed and not confident of my steps.

Thankfully the trip down the mountain elevations seemed quicker. We stopped at the lower park headquarters and visitor center and enjoyed some sandwiches we made for this trip. It was so good to get back on relatively straight roads for our next adventure. That will be another post.

Maui 2026 Part One

Our travel journal begins early on Thursday October 1st as we picked up our Colville family for our ride together to the Spokane Airport at 6am. The ride to the airport is about 2 hours from our homes. Our son dropped us off at the Alaska terminal with all our luggage that he tetrised into the back of our vehicle masterfully. I should have taken a photo!

We established our base camp and waited for the first leg of our flight to Maui which included a change of airplanes in Seattle.

Our kids from the Seattle side of the state were on a flight from Seattle earlier than our flight would be.

They arrived at our resort before us and paved the way for our easy entry.

We had the last two rows on the short ride from Spokane to Seattle. The flight attendants gave us some good laughs before we took off.

Mount Rainier was visible on our flight into Seattle.

The Puget Sound on our descent. We had enough time at Seatac airport for a quick bite before we boarded our next flight that would be approximately five and a half hours to Maui.

All aboard and ready to go on our final leg to Maui.

We saw a lot of the Pacific ocean before we finally saw land!

What a welcomed sight!

I took this photo above from the airport in Maui. Our Seattle crew of four secured two vehicles for our time in Maui. Our vehicle was waiting for us in the parking lot just across from our terminal exit. Another tetris job by our son and we had luggage for 8 and seating for 8 all set and ready for our hour+ trip to our resort.

Our daughter and daughter-in-law met us as we drove up to the resort with our room codes and to show us the lay of the land. Our first glimpse of our view from the condo was jaw dropping. The twelve of us enjoyed two condos side by side for the duration of our stay.

After we settled into our rooms, a walk down to the beach was on the agenda.

Looking back at our lodgings, Honua Kai Resort and Spa.

Looking north.

Looking South…

 

One of our side by side decks with some of our crew.

Our Seattle crew of four had already made the trip to Costco to stock up on water, snacks, breakfast and lunch items for the week. Our dinners would be eaten out at restaurants or the nearby food truck court.

Thursday was done and we were all looking forward to a relaxing Friday with nothing on the agenda.

Mahalo for stopping by today. More adventures coming tomorrow.

Happy Columbus Day here in the U.S.A. and a very Happy Thanksgiving Day to our friends in Canada! 

Mid August

On August days when the skies cleared of smoke Addy and JJ enjoyed activities outside. They are really mastering their bicycle skills.

Our daughter-in-law and four of our nieces enjoyed several days in Maui celebrating Melissa’s 40th birthday in style. She’s a beach girl through and through so this was an appropriate destination for the celebration. An amazing ‘cousin’ time.

Addy’s week of VBS culminated with a short program Friday night for parents and Addy thinks that VBS was great!

Our daughter Katie and Andrew were in New York over this past weekend for the wedding of one of Andrew’s Marine buddies. Andrew was in the wedding. This wedding was supposed to happen a while back but then the you know what postponed it. They had a wonderful time celebrating outside of Albany, New York.

My last follow-up cataract appointment is on Tuesday. I’m looking forward to ordering some glasses on that day. The other thing we are looking forward to on Tuesday is a major cooling down and some rain in the forecast, too. Hoping for clear skies on Wednesday with some new fires getting contained.

What does your week look like?