Hawaiian Cruise - Getting There & Maui

I wasn't kidding when I said I needed a vacation as soon as Reading Week was over; the very next day I set off...  Jibbity Jibe came through for us again this year and took us on a Hawaiian cruise!  This year, they won the trip from a vendor and so Mark, Joann, Matt and I packed our bags for a week on the islands - thank you Jibe!  We hired my nephew Drew and his wife Toree to stay with the kids - it was much more comforting to have family as opposed to the nanny service we'd considered.  After the relative ease of getting packed and ready, actually getting to the islands turned out to be quite an ordeal.  Our flight was booked through United Airlines.  Their plane broke down and if we waited for it we'd miss our connecting flight, so UA transferred our flight to American Airlines.  After waiting for a while at the American terminal they announced that their plane had maintenance issues as well and would be delayed for at least an hour... seriously?!  Luckily, we had some very helpful people transfer us to a Delta flight (our 1st choice anyway; sky miles - woot, woot!) but when Mark and Joann tried to check in at the Delta counter their tickets weren't showing up.  Aaaagh!  A bit more stressing, running around, and sweet talking people got us all on board a plane that would get us to Oahu in time for our cruise. Time to start relaxing! :)

The first two days of the cruise were spent in Maui.  We drove the road to Hana on the first day.  The drive took all day and was quite diverse.  This is our first stop, Haipua'ena Falls.  It was a small waterfall with a large pool for swimming.  All of us were planning on swimming in multiple waterfalls during the day but this one was so early in the morning that Mark was the only one to brave the cold.

This is our second stop of the day.  I think it's an overlook of the Ke'anae coast. 

Our short hike to the Upper Waikani Falls, otherwise known as the 3 Bears Waterfall:

We had a midday nap in the grass at this overlook; I think this was the end of Nahiku Road.  I can't remember if it was before or after this overlook but about this time we stopped somewhere for some warm banana bread and shave ice.  Sketchy details, I know - I'm getting old, but regardless it was delicious!  I think I could totally move here and open a banana bread stand.  

We stopped at Kahanu Gardens.  It wasn't open but we walked around the grounds anyway.  There was an enormous temple they'd discovered - Pi'ilanihale Heiau.  It hard to see because of all the vegetation but when you realized how small the part of the structure you can see is related to the entire building you understand how massive it is.  Our favorite part of this stop was Matt trying to break a coconut open, him being frightened of the bugs on the nut, and another coconut almost falling on him as he's collecting them. :)

 

This is Wai'anapanapa Park, the black sand beach.  There was a cave that led to a different spot on the beach.  Matt and I climbed atop some enormous boulders to watch the waves and could actually feel the boulder shake beneath us sometimes when the waves crashed in.

Haleakala National Park, otherwise known as the Seven Sacred Pools.  This was our last stop of the day - we had very little daylight left and it was getting pretty windy and cold; we were bummed we didn't have more time to explore.  There's supposedly a great hike here... next trip I guess. :)

The second day in Maui we took advantage of the beautiful beach in Ka'anapali.  Mark and Joann went snorkeling and Matt and I rented stand up paddle boards.  I had a hard time getting the hang of the board for about five minutes and on my first fall I really bruised my tailbone on some rocks when I fell. Ouch!  However, after I figured it out Matt and I had a fabulous time and I think I was almost as adept at the boards as he was.  I came into the beach a bit earlier than Matt so I could soak up the sun and read.  Matt stayed out and tried to surf on his paddle board.  This is the only picture I got from day #2... Matt's one of those specks in the water. ;)

Details on the Big Island next...