Maui wowie

We had a few days to ourselves in Maui, my primary objective was to properly get R. into the water for some snorkelling.


We stayed on Kāʻanapali Beach, near Lahaina, but headed southeast for a snorkelling trip to Turtle Bay, where R. made the international open water signal for "shark behind you." What she meant to say was that I was being investigated by turtles. From there, we went to Molokini, a submerged volcano with a reef in the caldera. I was following behind a shark when I noticed that all of my skin was suddenly on fire. Jellyfish. I quickly made it back to the boat, where I was informed that there are two ways to quell the pain. Good thing they had the vinegar, 'cause I didn't fancy being peed on.


Very early the next morning, we drove out to the base of Mt. Haleakala to join a sunrise biking tour. After the tropical weather down below, it was shockingly cold as we waited for the sun to come up.


But come up it did, and it soon warmed up. Time to jump on the bikes and hurtle downhill.


A great thing about the outfit we were with is that they allowed us to go at our own speed - many tours make sure you stay together, slowly. Not us, we enjoyed hurtling down the mountain!


Fire on the Plains. Not what Shohei Ooka had in mind...

The rare Haleakala Silversword.

We spent a full day driving around the island, first east on the Highway to Hana, checking out beaches and waterfalls, and picking fresh guava along the way. After Hana, we continued on the south side of the island, on the Piilani Highway.


We saw a sign advertising fruitshakes. Hadn't noted the DIY aspect.


Finally, the dirt roads ended and this is literally the first building we saw - Tedeschi Vineyards - makers of pineapple wine. Well, we checked out the tasting room, but, well, let's just say we didn't buy any to take home.


Obligatory "tropical" drink, with umbrella. Fitting farewell.