Pacific Paradise: Maui, part I

Our epic Pacific vacation continued with us meeting my side of the family in Maui, to celebrate my parents' 40th wedding anniversary this year!  I had been to Hawaii (Oahu) with my family only once before, in 1989 on a stopover before we moved to Thailand, and have only vague recollections of the island, but had never been to Maui. This was Kelvin's first time to the state! We flew from Tokyo to Honolulu (~7.5-hour red-eye), and then connected to Maui's Kahului island airport. Iver woke several times, but slept most of both flights in my arms.  My parents, sister, and brother-in-law arrived later in the evening on Sunday.

We are staying at a beautiful resort in Kapalua, which has been interesting and quite an experience for us. Our family is not so much a beachy/resort-y family (and Kelvin and I are generally more of budget and on-the-go travelers), but I can definitely see why people book resort vacations. The service here is amazing, there is enough on site to occupy your days (without having to leave this enclave!), and it certainly is relaxing and comfortable to spend time, beach- or poolside, reading, splashing, and enjoying the sunny weather and views (and to not have to repack/unpack every couple of days).  It's a bit uncomfortable for me/us to feel so "pampered" and luxuriate in our surroundings, but I suppose I could get used to it. It has been a nice change of pace from our usual action-packed days (like ours were in Japan), and we've all (especially Iver) gotten better rest here.

  

Kapalua is on the northwest coast of the island, so it's a bit of a hike to get to some of the attractions on the middle or other (eastern) side of Maui, but on Tuesday, we headed to the middle part of the island to hit some non-beachy sites.

My parents, Iver, Kelvin, and I took a 50-min helicopter ride over the island to catch glimpses of the Haleakala Crater, Hana Rainforest, and coastline (that we may not get a chance to see by ground due to the distance and our carseat-hating toddler).

Getting prepped and ready

Safety first!

 

 Iver was not a fan of the noise-cancelling earphones...

...but, within minutes of being in the air, he was out for his first nap of the day!

 We had spectacular crater views

... and saw the old lava tubes

Coastline clouds

 We flew over 'Ohe'o Gulch (which has the seven sacred pools) and saw many beautiful waterfalls, richer because of recent heavy rain

We saw some of the road to Hana from above

This is "Jurassic Rock," where some scenes of films #1 and #4 were filmed

It was the first time in a helicopter for several of us, and a fabulous experience.


We then headed inland (upcountry) to the slopes of the crater to visit the Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm, where we strolled amongst fragrant rows of blooms and saw some pretty coastline views.

Vanessa and Marco

Whole Family shot

Baby and Papa

My fabulous Mom and Dad, who are definitely celebration-worthy!

We headed a bit farther north to the Surfing Goat Dairy, run by a German couple, expats-turned-dairy-farmers, where we sampled goat-milk-chocolate truffles, and Iver got to interact with a few of the resident goats.

 "Goat-riding, not surfing"

We then headed to Paia's Mama's Fish House for lunch, which came highly recommended. Reservations were a must, and the food (Hawaiian specials, and freshly caught fish) was amazing!

Iver entertained himself with a straw and ice water for much of the meal, and we got to eat our delicious fish in relative peace.

 Macadamia-crusted/crab-stuffed Mahi-Mahi (which might have been the tastiest fish dish I have ever tried)

Hawaiian special, including dipping bowls of "Octopus Luau" and Poi (taro pasty thing)

There were beautiful seaside views

 On our way home, we stopped at Ululani's Hawaiian Shave Ice in Lahaina to try the cold treat, which was like eating flavored snow. It was extremely refreshing on a hot day, and a big hit!

We definitely have had some time to enjoy the resort's multiple pools and sunshine.

First floaties experience

Swimming!

Iver could stay in the kiddie pool all day

 

Another afternoon pool session:

Screaming with papa!

Getting this kid to sit still for a photo was nearly impossible, but we got several good shots!

We also have nearby coastline which is easily accessible by shuttle-- will try to do some snorkeling in the next few days.

 

Aloha from Maui!