Kahlui-Maui

Tuesday- I think....

Maui is a beautiful island. Haven't been ashore since we sailed from Honolulu. The original idea was to stay on board ship and maybe walk ashore when we docked somewhere. I tried to go ashore in Hilo on Sunday to go to Wal-Mart and didn't decide until 4pm, the boat was due to sail at 5:30pm so it was cutting it a bit fine> I got down to the pier for the free shuttle into town and the driver asked me if I really wanted to because most of the stores were closing early because it was Sunday. What's up with that? A cruise ship IS IN TOWN! Helloooo!

Anyway back to Maui. It's cloudy here today but a very pretty sunrise and I took one of my panoramic pictures from the upper deck.

I looked at the shore excursions and decided on a tour to the rainforest and waterfalls because it seemed we would learn about the island and the trees and plants, than if we drove ourselves and that in fact turned out to be true even to the tour guide Kristen telling us about her story she fulfilled her childhood dream of coming to live in Maui ever since she had come here from Alaska with her parents every year since she was a kid. When she first came to live in Hawaii she lived in a tent for 6 months with her 3 year old son until she had saved enough to find a place to rent.

She rents a place and shares it with 2 others. Houses are very expensive. they average $1M-starting at 600K for a 2 bedroom. She came upon the job with Hike Maui and it is the "ideal job" she loves it.

We were picked up at the pier and driven to the industrial area of town where their office is and fitted with special shoes for walking on the forest trails which are always wet and muddy, also ponchos. We were a small group, only 12 of us and we travelled in van.

It was all fun, it was raining all the time and we went through a tunnel carved in the rock up to our knees in water. We snacked by a pool, which some swam in. The waterfall was not too high but plenty of water coming down the streams from the volcano. We learned a lot about the different trees and plants and returned (soaking wet) to the van for a trip back to town via the north beach which is where the sailboarders and waverider tows rode the waves. We also saw large turtles about 4 feet long close to shore.

An exhausting but enjoyable day with a very good guide.