Dec. 18, 2010
In the morning we went swimming outside our hotel, the Aston Paki Maui. The waves were pretty rough, but we were able to see some fish and a lot of sea urchins. We had some sandwiches for lunch and then headed a few miles north to Honolua Bay. We parked in a small parking lot and hiked 1/4 of a mile down to the bay through the gorgeous forest. The bay was very rocky, and a bit murky right at the edge. As we swam out farther though, it was very clear snorkeling. There was a lot of coral and and fish, and it went very deep at the center of the bay. It made me want to take up scuba diving again, to see all the fish up close without being swept this way and that by the waves. If I move to Hawaii, I will definitely get my own scuba gear and be re-certified.
We drove a little bit further north after leaving the bay and saw a lot of surfers riding waves. We also saw one of the most gorgeous views that I have ever seen. I am pretty shocked that there was no multimillion dollar house built where we were standing because it was amazing. In one sweeping view you can see from the bay up through the jungle forests up to the mountain peaks shrouded in cloud. The colors and the beauty of that view were breathtaking.
We had a hamburger and hot dog picnic for dinner and played some Cribbage. We went to Lahaina at night to see the huge Banyan tree and the shops.