Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii and Whales

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12^th February Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii



This is our first Tender port.



Lahaina used to be a former whaling port, and the channel off the coast as you enter the port is one of the best places in the world to spot humpback whales. It didn’t disappoint, I was up on deck early and within a few minutes had spotted whales close by and in the distance. The sea was alive with them; in the end I went back to the stateroom and just watched them from the balcony until we were ready to leave on our trip.



Today’s trip was entitled the ‘Maui Pineapple Experience’ and it did what is says on the tin. After tendering into the small harbour (and it was small) we waited to board our bus.



Lahaina was a whaling village during the boom years and sailors including Herman Melville who immortalised Moby Dick in his classic novel were based in the port. Front Street is a lively place with bars and hotels and also the shops!!



Boarding the coach we were only a small group (smallest tour we have done) and set off to the pineapple plantation. It took us east towards the ‘Valley Island’ where the sugar cane industry has been the stalwart product of the region. Interestingly pineapple production is now rivalling the sugar cane industry in value.



When we reached the Plantation we changed buses (we were going into pineapple fields) and set off. This plantation is the ONLY one in the whole of the United States and exports to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle amongst others. It also air freights the product to those who are willing to pay top dollar. Like most crops it is farmed in rotation but because of the climate it produces ripe pineapple all year round. It is very labour intensive with planting and harvesting all done by hand. When harvesting they pick for which market they are selling too, so that if it needs to be on the supermarket shelf in one, two or three weeks will determine which they pick. The very ripe ones are for local consumption and the smallest ripe pineapples go to a local winery to make you guessed it ‘Pineapple wine’.



Fascinating to see an exotic fruit that we all take for granted being farmed on a large scale.



A good lunch (with no pineapple) before heading back to the ship.



Tendered back to the ship in quite a large swell of sea before sail away. It was meant to be 4.30 but because of the tendering it took longer o get people back on board.



We tracked back out into the channel to watch humpbacks performing with their calves (breaching and fin slapping) for the final hour before sunset.



MAGICAL!!



Next stop Pago Pago, American Samoa – pronounced Pango Pango

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