Maui is the island that draws the most visitors of all the Hawaiian islands. We have heard and read so much about the beauty of Maui, with its endless beaches, extinct volcanoes and scenic roadways. Yet, our first impression was of a hot, dusty, windy flat plain. That is because Maui was formed by two volcanoes whose lava flows overlapped, forming one island with a flat central plain. Consequently, each end is a mountainous peak, with the flat, fertile valley between them becoming a wind tunnel due to the strong trade winds. Narrow, twisty roads hug the sides of both the mountains, with the famous ‘Road to Hana’ winding round the west side, and an even narrower (scary!) road traveling high above the roiling ocean on the east side. The most densely populated areas are along ... read more

We took a tour with Mauna Kea Summit Adventures up to the top of Mauna Kea to see the sun set above the clouds and to look through their telescopes at various star clusters. It was a great tour, with the tour guide providing lots of information about the island all the way up to the visitor center. Then we had supper at the visitor center, partly to spend some time there to acclimatize to the height (around 9,000 feet). Then it was on to the summit of Mauna Kea, at over 13,000 feet - the highest point in Hawaii. We were above the clouds and it was a beautiful night - no snow, which often they have here - at around 0 degrees C (freezing) and not much wind. We had heavy parkas and gloves ... read more

One day we took at trip down to the south part of the island, starting at Puuhonau O Honaunau National Historic Park (Place of Refuge), then further south hoping to visit both the green sand beach at South point (or Ka’Lae), and the black sand beach at Pulaluu. Place of Refuge was the place where native islanders could go to pray and be forgiven after having done something that earned them a death sentence from the King. They had to swim there, and if they survived, they had to pray and meditate and whatever else, then they were allowed to live. Anyway, it was interesting, with the wooden statues restored and with remains of fish ponds and other buildings. We also saw a Hawaiian Monk Seal resting on the beach there. The drive to south point ... read more

We took a couple of days and drove over to the other side of the island to see some waterfalls. Hilo is the seat of government for the island of Hawaii, and is located on this, the rainy side of the island. It gets more than 180 inches of rain a year, and is the rainiest city in the U.S. So, there are waterfalls for a reason. We watched the weather forcast, and picked a couple of days that had a chance of rain of only 70% and 80%, instead of the 90% that it had been for the past week. The first half of the first day, on the drive over there and up to the top of the island where the Waipio Valley is located, it was dry. But, as soon as we got ... read more

Our flight out of Puerto Vallarta was delayed, and then even once we got to LA and taxied to the gate, they didn't open the doors for us to get out for almost half an hour. Once we found the shuttle to the hotel and arrived, and along with the one hour time change, it was late and we were tired. Still, we had to sort through our luggage, take out what we had bought in Mexico for gifts etc, and gather up our Hawaii stuff like snorkle equipment, and re-pack. It was a late night, and we had a very early flight, so we were up by 5 am. But, once we got on the plane, all was great. American Airlines was very comfortable. Steve loves to take pictures out the plane window, so I ... read more