Saturday, March 8th, was our whale-watching tour, out of Ma`alaea Harbor in central Maui. Jordan booked 10am tickets for the five of us, but (in retrospect) 8am probably would've been better, with less wind. We're discovering that March is a windy month on Maui! White caps were already on the water by the time we left the dock and it wasn't easy to tell if you're seeing a whale spout or spindrift under those conditions.
Hi Jimmy!
Rogues gallery, ready to roll!
Jimmy, Tom, Diane, Jordan
Das boot.
Front seats on the upper deck.
Hold onto your hats!
You can see choppy water here at McGregor Point and Lighthouse.
Further out we spied our first "thar she blows!"
By gum, "whale ho!" Humpbacks breaching!
I was glad I'd brought my Tilly hat 'cause it protected my face (and it would stay on!). Everybody else had to remove their visors and caps or lose them to the wind, and they came home red-faced. I guess I was videoing something here.
When not looking for whales, many people on the top deck were mesmerized by swirling mists and clouds over the West Maui Mountains. I can tell you that returning to the pier was a trip in itself with the boat bouncing in the waves, spray reaching the upper deck! Woohoo! We didn't get up close or personal with whales, no matter, but the two-hour tour/boat ride was fun. The two of us are happy campers anytime on, in, or near water!
Next to the pier is the Maui Aquarium. It seemed like a good idea ... and it was.
I could've spent hours and hours in this amazing aquarium, watching the fishies of the sea in their reef habitats. Their exhibits are unique, highlighting marine life around Maui, including sea turtles and humpback whales and live Pacific coral.
That strange-looking orange blob, lower left, is called a frogfish. The aquarium had five Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles (Honu), a protected species and the largest sea turtle in the world, in a lagoon exhibit.
But my absolute favorite was the octopus, who was attached to the side of its exhibit, till lunch time and then it was all arms and legs! That light-colored "stick" is someone's arm! Feeding or petting or what, I don't know, but his hand stayed inside the octopus for quite a while. Again, I would've stayed till dark watching this octopus -- I name each one I see "amigo."
* * * * *
On Monday morning, the 10th, Jimmy and Tom announced that "the mountain looked clear," and we should drive up to the summit of Haleakala National Park, approximately 35 miles away and straight up from sea level to 10,000'. It's over an hour to get there on a very winding road through various microclimates as diverse as rainforest and alpine desert. But, these mountains attract clouds like ants to honey.
Twist and turn! Haleakala's peak (or close to it) is to the left in this picture. Yup, clouds.
It was VERY WINDY up here and we were all cold. But we did it!
Swirling mists clouded the crater.
The usual "it-doesn't-belong-here" non-native Chukar birds were hanging around. It's a wonder they can survive in these harsh conditions.
Up to the tippety-top.
Wishing I had my Nevada City parka!
Jimmy wondered if Haleakala Silverswords were soft or stiff. They're soft with silvery hairs and fleshy leaves, and can only be found on Maui. We didn't see any blooming.
You can actually hike down in the crater.
We didn't last long at the summit, t'was just too unpleasant! Remembering our delicious lunch two years ago at Kula Lodge, we returned for lunch this day. These round "pavilions?" are a fun place to eat, surrounded by gorgeous, exotic flowers ... and cute li'l hungry birds. Good food, too.
This tall shrub was intriguing. I thought it might be some kind of pine tree. I asked several people, finally learning it's a Pincushion Protea from the manager. Never saw anything like this! Their seeds look like upright pine cones!
So, that's two days' worth of adventures. When all is said and done, we end up in the infinity pool, loving every minute.
