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Published: February 3rd 2015
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Day 16 – Jan. 26, 2015 – Port of call: Lahaina, HI – Weather forecast: mostly sunny – temperature 73°F/23°C – wind: 15 kts Got up at 6:15 am and went up on deck for a walk. As the ship had adopted the rule of turning off the deck lights, to protect local birds from flying into us, the only light available was at the enclosed bow area and the lightening skies to the East. Did my 2 miles and went for a simple breakfast.
As I finished my breakfast the first island of the Hawaii chain, Maui, emerged from the clouds hanging over the ocean, so when I took Brooke her coffee I grabbed the camera for some first shots of the islands. Later after Brooke’s breakfast I returned to the deck with the camera to take some more shots. Off to our starboard side I spotted a number of splashes in the sea but did not actually see what aquatic creature made them.
Today we anchored in the harbour at Lahaina, which is located on the north shore of Maui and as there is no
pier at this location for any large ship we were forced to use the tenders to go ashore. We went to the Wajang Theatre to join up with our tour group before proceeding ashore. Once again, as we have experienced on other cruises, many people had already assembled in the theatre WELL before the time printed on our tickets. The tendering process always slows the leaving of the ship and today was no different; this caused a slight delay in our departure but did not adversely affect our tour. Once on shore we handed our tickets over to our guide Dan, who before heading off to collect the 12-passenger tour van, pointed out where the public restrooms were located.
While we waited for Dan’s return we took the opportunity to stroll along the waterfront where there were kiosks set up for a wide variety of tours, mainly those connected with the ocean - deep sea fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving and whale watching.
Today’s Shore Excursion: Discover Maui’s Coastal Treasure was scheduled to be approximately 6 hours in length, including a meal. In the official Excursion Description the tour was described as taking the “less travelled” path
for a fresh view of the natural and cultural history of Maui. Travelling along the West and East Maui Mountains we were to enjoy coastal and valley vistas with frequent photo stops. Included in the package we were to visit Iao Valley State Park, and then travel upcountry for stunning bi-coastal views. Throughout the day several stops were programmed, with short walks to scenic viewpoints, gardens, quaint towns and shops.
Once Dan returned with the van we loaded up, which proved to be the most troublesome part of the tour, as the end of the second and third row of seats did not fold up to allow people to enter and exit freely. You had to squeeze around the ends and over the wheel hump if you had the misfortune of being one of the last to board and were therefore “at the back of the van”. In the end, because Brooke and I were a bit more mobile than our fellow travellers we opted to be take the seats farthest back. Dan did recognize our sacrifice and thanked us at the end of the tour.
As we would be doing some walking on
uneven ground during some of our stops Dan had us all fill in and sign a wavier form exempting his company from any liability. This occupied about fifteen minutes of our tour time and is one of those items that I feel should be done while we are waiting before we leave the ship.
We left town and headed south along the coastal highway with our first stop looking across a bay at the larger section of the island. Over our heads there was a wind farm taking full advantage of the trade winds blowing through the area.
Travelling further south we drove into the interior of the island up a deep valley and stopped for our lunch in Iao State Park, which included structures honouring some of the early workers who came from the Far East to work in the island’s plantations. Part of our lunch included tasting Maui Gold, a variety of pineapple that has been bred to have a much lower acidic content and which reduces that sharp after bite that one normally experiences with fresh pineapple.
Following lunch we continued back down to the coastal highway and
on to a major surfing beach where many people were enjoying surfing, kite surfing or just lounging on the beach. That particular activity was being thoroughly enjoyed by one enormous male Monk seal that had hauled himself out of the sea well above the high tide mark. He was sprawled out on the sand in full view of everyone and with absolutely no fear of the humans around him.
On our next short stop we had a short time to visit a number of art galleries that displayed and sold locally produced carvings. One particular item caught our attention and it was a massive root of a mango tree that had been carved into a very comfortable chair. One of the shop staff took the opportunity to get off her feet and demonstrate how comfortable it was. All the prices were well in the thousands – plus shipping. We left empty-handed.
Our last stop of the day was at a winery that occupied part of the land that was once one of the largest cattle ranches on the island. At its height it occupied over 50,000 acres of land. Over the years the owners
have sold off sections and the ranch has shrunk to half its original size.
On our way back to the harbour the winds that we experienced in the morning had died down considerably which allowed us the fortunate opportunity to spot whale spouts out to sea. Back in town we did a little walking looking for an enormous Banyan tree that occupies the town square. We headed off to the pier where a local security team had been hired to inspect our bags, and us, before we headed off to the tender and back on board.
This evening’s entertainment was the Indonesian crew show at 10:30 but we decided to pass on it as our next port of call is Honolulu and we have an extensive shore excursion scheduled.
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