Hawaii: Day 8

This morning was one I've anticipated for quite some time now. It was standup paddle board (SUP) lesson day! When we originally planned this vacation (cough cough pre-COVID cough cough), we asked the kids what they wanted to do while in Hawaii and Annika's request was "surfing lessons". Before cancelling our 2020 trip, we signed up for surfing lessons. That said, the realization that we'd probably never go surfing again in our lives was there and made the lessons seem a bit less practical. Fast forward to when we re-planned this trip, we opted to take paddle boarding lessons instead, knowing the chances of us actually using the skills again were much greater. (Plus, there were no surfing lessons available with Maui Surf Lessons the week we would have wanted them, so that simplified things quite a bit!)

After breakfast (this time, we did take-out from the Kihei Caffe), we gathered up our gear and headed about 15 minutes south to Makena Beach. Our instructor, Curtis, was there waiting for us as soon as we arrived and quickly proved to be very personable, knowledgeable, and safety focused.

Curtis started out with the on-land portion of our time together. He talked about how to ride on the SUP, how to fall off of the SUP (very important skill), how to approach waves, how to paddle and maneuver the SUP, safety signals, and what we might see while on the water. He also taught us a bit about the Hawaiian language, including how to pronounce some words, the meaning of some words, and how the 'okina (aka the stop that looks like a single quote mark) impacts words. Pretty neat stuff!

When it was time to enter the water, Curtis helped us launch one-by-one, starting with Eric, followed by Conor, Annika, and then me. Standing up on a SUP is no joke when you're a newbie. Fortunately for us, the water was incredibly calm. In fact, Curtis kept calling it Lake Pacific because of how smooth the water was. (We lucked out, apparently, because the day before, the SUP lesson he taught had to be cut a bit short due to wind.) We spent a good chunk of time getting our feet under us and figuring out how to balance while on the SUP and how to fall off of the SUP... a skill we all needed along the way. (Except for Curtis, of course, because he's the pro!)

Eric paddling away

Me working on the whole "balance on water" thing

The paddling Olsons!

If we did this shape on purpose, we could have called
it synchronized paddle boarding, but sadly, we didn't...

I love how intense his posture is

Conor catching his breath and enjoying his balance

Annika

Mama

Daddy

Off to search for turtles

Dig, dig, dig

Once he thought we had the basics figured out, Curtis took us a bit further out so we could try to spy some sea turtles that like to hang out in the caves formed by lava flows. Lucky for us, we saw two turtles.... one of which popped up right in front of Annika's SUP. She (the turtle) was gorgeous and happy to let us peek at her for more than a second. (Per Curtis, the short tail is a way to tell that it was a female turtle and because she didn't dive right away, she was comfortable with us being there with her... at a safe distance, of course.)

Our new turtle friend

Hello, pretty turtle

After tootling around the bay for awhile longer, it was time to start heading back to shore. (Side note, I'd like to note I was the last one of us to go into the water ... and that wasn't until the last 5-ish minutes of our SUP time.) Curtis went to shore first and then had us paddle in one-by-one so he could help us safely return to shore and get the gear out of the water. Top notch experience all around!

We drove back to Kihei after bidding Curtis a fond farewell and de-sanded/de-salt watered ourselves. We kicked back at the condo for much of the day. I read my book on the balcony (and startled a bird on the roof when I sneezed!) while Eric and the kids hung out inside soaking up the AC. A little after 2, the four of us trekked through the parking lot and introduced Eric to Gus the Bus. Eric asked James (the owner) for a flavor recommendation. James said the coffee and dragonfruit flavors were his favorites. So, Eric ordered the coffee option and I ordered the dragonfruit option. Annika chose a combo of root beer, birthday cake, and cotton candy. Conor returned to his beloved lemon/lime flavor profile. After a bite, Eric was hooked!

James, our shaved ice chef

Oh the color!!!

I wanted to try for a few more turtle photos, so grabbed my camera and headed to the beach. (Yes, I'm pretty sure I've become an official sea turtle stalker... but in the nicest of ways.) I climbed up on the lava rocks I knew the turtles congregate at and waited ... and waited. The water was a bit rougher than I expected (it wasn't windy, which I hoped meant the water would be calmer than it had been on previous days) which I suspected kept the turtles closer to the bottom. Eventually, I saw a turtle head pop up. I realized that my turtle stalking has evolved ... I can now somewhat frequently find them when they are just under the surface of the water. I've learned to identify how the water moves a little differently as their shells slide along under the surface. I saw something today I had yet to see... turtles inside waves. The first time I saw it, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Then awhile later, I saw it again... and again. I tried to snap photos of the turtles in the waves but didn't realize I actually GOT any photos until I was able to get the camera's SD card into the computer and scroll through my photos. 

This sailboat was moored there the entire time we were on Maui.

Foamy waves

Molokini in the distance

Can you find the turtles in the wave?

Lava rocks getting swallowed by the waves

I could look at this water all day, every day

Eric grilled steaks for our final dinner in Hawaii. I'd like to point out that he made some AMAZING steaks all without the benefit of a meat thermometer... the man is THAT good at the grill. The rest if iyr dinner was pieced together based on what food items we still had to use up so things didn't go to waste. The kids thought they had died and gone to Heaven when they got to finish the remaining ice cream treats in the freezer .... seconds on dessert? Uhhh. yes please!

Following dinner, we officially entered "pack up and get ready to head home" mode. Packing cubes area an amazing little invention and made packing for this trip so much easier. Each person was responsible for packing his/her clothes into packing cubes, which I then Tetrised into the checked luggage. (We are grateful for a few travel-related inventions: suitcases with wheels, packing cubes, and portable luggage scales!)

As I sit here now, I half can't believe this trip finally happened. Our time in Hawaii was a 3+ years in the making and happened over a year later than we originally expected. Was waiting to be here worth it? Without a doubt. Tonight during dinner, Eric asked everyone if we'd want to come back at some point in the future. All of us answered a whole-hearted "YES!" That is always the sign of a good trip... if you hope to return in the future.

I hope this isn't a true goodbye. I am choosing to bid Hawaii "ahui hou" instead, hoping that we'll have the chance to return some day. (Ahui hou = Until we meet again)

Hawaii: Day 7

Before we headed to Hawaii, a few people we know recommended things to do, places to eat, and places to go. One of Eric's co-workers has a condo on Maui and was full of incredibly helpful information. Two of the restaurants she suggested were put on today's to-do (to-eat?) list.

We had breakfast at Kihei Caffe and, oh my goodness, was it ever good! Eric had "eggs any way" (scrambled, duh) that came with a biscuit and Spam (Eric was one happy guy!). Annika had the fluffiest buttermilk pancakes we've ever seen ... and to make them even better, she had them topped with strawberry slices. Conor had a Belgium waffle topped with chocolate chips (another happy guy!). I chose the crab cake eggs Benedict. So good! We were all completely stuffed, but in a "I couldn't eat another bite, but I would if I could" sort of way.

After breakfast, we popped back to the condo to digest. Around 10, we headed north to Lahaina, which started out as a whaling town way back when. The drive up was very pretty with ocean views much of the way. The town's architecture was unexpectedly old. There were a few from the 1800s! We peeked in a bunch of the souvenir shops along the way and quickly realized we were just seeing the same shirts/dresses/necklaces over and over again, which made the shopping a relatively quick experience after awhile. That said, Annika did find a cute sundress and Conor found a sweatshirt to wear back at home when the cool weather returns. (Not now! We keep seeing alerts that the PNW is experiencing a heat wave.) 

Lahaina felt very touristy (at least, where we were) and I realized we kept seeing the same things store after store. What really stood out to me was the architecture. The old colonial feel was still very present in the buildings along the main street. At one point, there was even a wooden plank section of sidewalk. It felt a bit like a trip back in time. We even saw the Baldwin Home, which was the home (turned museum) of Rev. & Mrs. Baldwin, two of the original missionaries in Lahaina. 

One of the things I really wanted us to see was the Lahaina banyan tree. It started out as a single-trunked 8' tree that was planted in 1873. Now, the single tree that is 60' tall and spans an acre of land. Apparently, banyan trees not only grow up, but out. There are trunks all over the park and the leaves/branches have created a gorgeous and refreshingly cool canopy. Someone really thought ahead with that tree and the park! Initially, the park was planned to give the local working class a place to escape the heat and find a comfortable place to relax.

On our way back from Lahaina, we stopped at another place that Eric's co-worker recommended, Leoda's Kitchen & Pie Shop, which is in Olowalu. We picked up a to-go lunch and some of their mini pies. Once back at the condo, we sat down for lunch (due to COVID, there was no in-house dining at Leoda's). To say the sandwiches were tasty is an understatement. They were fantastic. The bread is made right there at the restaurant and if I'd known how good it is, I would have inquired about buying an entire loaf of it. It was a delicate wheat bread that had great flavor and texture ... basically, the prima donna of bread.

After all of that delicious food, we needed to burn it off. We donned our swimsuits and headed to the pool. The water felt marvelous! Eric and Annika busied themselves by having races from end to end while Conor and I practiced our underwater handstands. We also had fun standing with our heads under the waterfalls, which are part of the rockery at one end of the pool.

Eric decided to take full advantage of being on vacation and opted to take an afternoon nap. To help him succeed in his endeavor, the kids and I decided to go for a walk. (Quiet condo = better nap!)

Annika, Conor, and I quickly got detoured when we noticed the shaved ice van (Gus the Bus) was parked outside. Win! Gus the Bus is a converted blue/white VW van from the 1960s, and it is beyond adorable as a shaved ice food van. We'd heard of this famous Hawaiian treat, but hadn't gotten around to trying it yet. We decided it was high time to right that very great wrong! I had expected a snow cone, little chunks of ice bits that are flavored with a syrup of some sort. Boy, was I was wrong. It is more like eating fluffy snow, and it is quite delightful. I ordered a POG shaved ice, which was literally POG juice frozen in a huge cylinder and then shaved. Annika had POM (passion, orange, mango). Conor chose a lemon/lime option. 

Gus the Bus

We took our treats to the Kamaole Beach Park I (aka the beach that is across from the condo complex) and happily sat on the sand while digging our toes in the sand and enjoying our shaved ice. After the kids finished their treats, they happily put themselves to "work" creating a variety of sand art and sculptures. I happily sat on the beach, watching the kids have a great time and taking in the glorious ocean views. The breeze kept us from feeling too hot... as did the occasional dips of toes in the ocean.

Annika's "sandman" creation

By the time we made it back to the condo, Eric was up and ready to hear about our adventures. I promised to take him back to the shaved ice van tomorrow so he could find out how tasty it is first hand. He is definitely in for a treat!!

The rest of the evening was very low key. We picked up dinner from the food trucks (Aloha Thai Fusion and Kina'ole Grill) that park outside the condo complex each day. With our yummy food in hand, we happily kicked up our feet for the remainder of the evening. I read my book, Eric and Annika watched a movie they found on TV, and Conor played a video game. 

Tomorrow will be another activity day, so a little R&R evening was just what we needed.

Hawaii: Day 5

 Today was our first "no plans" day, and it was lovely to just go at our own pace.

Eric and I started out the day with a wonderfully relaxing walk along the beach. We pulled off our shoes as soon as we hit the sand and enjoyed the feeling of the beach with every step. We walked down to the lava rocks to see what we could see. I had hoped for a sea turtle sighting, but no luck in that department. Eric saw one head out sea but it eluded me. Sneaky little turtle! Even without any turtles, we saw a lot of neat sea life in the tide pools, including some sea urchin, tiny little fish, and helmet urchin (we had to look up what they were called). While we were climbing on the lava rocks and taking in the amazing view, we realized how neat it is that the kids are now old enough to be left on their own for a bit while we have some much-appreciated "just us" time. 

Greetings from Maui!

Molokini waaaaay off in the distance

Eric looking for turtles

Sea urchin

Helmet Urchin

Lava rocks, palm trees, and clear blue water ... no doubt we are in Hawaii

After breakfast, we hopped into the car and drove down to Wailea to poke around. The first shopping center we went to was WAY out of our league - it had Tiffany and Prada stores. Uhh... nope. We went to a more budget-friendly shopping area and poked around the various shops in search of some souvenirs. We found a neat Christmas tree ornament of the islands for the family. Conor found a hat (he looks quite sharp in it!) and a pan flute -- so far, we have been treated to a few rounds of "Old McDonald". Annika found a pair of blue/green earrings that look very pretty and she proudly modeled them for us as soon as we returned to the condo and she could clean them.

Conor rockin' his new hat

I hoped to get a new pair of knitting needles at a quilt shop that I found online, but it was not meant to be. The shop had all of 3-4 pairs of knitting needles and none were the size that I needed. Oh well. I did find some adorable fabric that I'm going to turn into a quilt after we get home, so it was still a win. 

In the same shopping area, we found a 50s-style burger place called Peggy Sue's and had lunch. A slow lunch, but we all agreed the fries were worth the wait. I'm fairly certain that was the first indoor restaurant dining experience we've had since the pandemic began. Wow!

After our souvenir hunting and burger-ing, we headed back to the condo for some time at the pool. I made a quick side trip to Boss Frogg, a chain that rents snorkel gear on a per-day basis. (We've seen people paddle boarding and snorkeling in the morning hours at the beach across from our condo and hope to enjoy some open water time, too!) Eric opted to hang out at the condo and read (aka hide from the sun to let his sunburn heal a bit) while the kids and I hit the water. We spent about an hour and a half in the gloriously cool water. The kids played and had a great time together. I happily sat to the side watching them play and swim.

Eventually, we called it a day at the pool and headed back to the condo so we could shower and figure out a plan for dinner. A family friend (hi Auntie Barb!) recommended a local food truck called Da Nani Pirates, and we decided to give it a try. I picked up our food and was quite impressed... it wasn't a single food truck in the lot. There were 8-10 food trucks around the perimeter. It was like a little food truck round up! And, yes, there were chickens a-plenty running around, too, because we ARE on Maui after all! The food didn't disappoint. We opted to have a low-key family fun night and watched the new Disney movie Luca while we ate. The whole evening was wonderful!

The rest of our evening was nothing but kicking back and relaxing. Just what an island vacation should be. 

Hawaii: Day 4

Today was a day I have looked forward to for quite some time. Why, you may ask? Well, let me tell you! It was Molokini Crater snorkeling day with Trilogy Excursions! (Side note: We learned on the boat that it isn't actually a crater. It is a volcanic atoll. Huh!! Basically, it is a lava fin sticking out of the water.) People started calling it a crater at some point in history and the term stuck, even thought isn't accurate.

Because of the time zone change, having early morning events really didn't phase us, which is a good thing. We knew that we had to be at the marina at 7:45, so we were in the car a few minutes after 7 to ensure we had time to find parking and still had time to get to the boat on time. Driving to the marina was no problem (it was only 15-ish minutes from Kihei), and we were lucky enough to find a parking spot quite quickly. (The prep email said to allow for 15 minutes to find a parking spot, so we were a bit nervous. From the car to the boat proved to be our real navigation challenge. We took a bit of a circuitous route to the slip (aka went the complete wrong way not realizing that the odd slip numbers were on one side of the marina and the even slip numbers were on the other - oops!), but we eventually found exactly where we needed to be... and on time!

After checking in, we boarded the boat with the other passengers and were given our snorkel gear by the boat's crew. Before we departed, the crew went over safety information and provided a quick itinerary for the day. The long and the short of it was we'd go to two snorkel spots at the crater instead of snorkeling at the crater and then relocating to Turtle Town (which had 1 foot of visibility thanks to some recent storms that ran silt from the hills down into the water and completely clouded the water). The crew and captain were actually pretty excited about the change of venue because it is rare to be able to go to the 2nd spot due to weather/water conditions. Win for us! 

It took about 45 minutes to sail from the marina to the crater. The trip to the crater was very easy with smooth water and provided gorgeous views for as far as we could see. I was truly in Heaven - on the water with my family on a sunny day with snorkeling adventures just around the corner. Part of the excursion included a continental breakfast, which included fresh fruit and tasty cinnamon rolls that were apparently made using a 5th generation recipe. (Yes, my amazing family all told me that my cinnamon rolls were better!) 

It was highly recommended that people stow anything they didn't want to accidentally land in the water - including phones, hats, etc. - because the wind and waves could result in lost items. Fortunately, our phones being tucked away didn't leave us without photos for the day. Trilogy had a professional photographer onboard to take pictures of everyone throughout the trip. What really impressed us is how she remembered who went with who. At one point (while we were in the water and wearing our snorkel gear, which greatly obscures a person's appearance), she said "OK, I have photos of your husband and daughter, now let's get some of you and your son." Seriously impressive!! 

The Olsons Four

Greetings from Maui

Before long (ok, about 45 minutes), we found ourselves anchored at Molokini anxiously waiting for our turn to head down the stairs and get in the water. We donned our snorkel gear and hit the water with gusto. First of all, even there the water was pleasantly warm and talk about blue!! We had well over 100' of visibility, which was truly amazing!! Eric and Annika buddied up while Conor and I buddied up as snorkel partners. 

Our first snorkeling site is called Tako Flats and it was a perfect location, especially for the kids who didn't have any snorkeling experience. We spent a good amount of time just tootling around going this way and that to see what we could see.  It would have been incredibly easy to spend all day at the first snorkeling spot and still not see everything there. We saw all sorts of fish (note to self: find an online guide to fish at Molokini), countless sea urchin, coral galore, and an octopus that was tucked away trying to remain inconspicuous. Eric and Annika were very excited to see what they dubbed a rainbow fish while they were in the water. The really interesting part of snorkeling at Molokini was how shallow the water could get. It wasn't like a wall dive that had a sheer face to float along. The underwater terrain very gradually sloped toward deeper water. The slope was so gradual, in fact, that it was barely noticeable. 

The boat's photographer (Lauren with Island Dream Productions) even popped into the water to get photos of us! (This was a really good thing because our knock-off Go Pro died within 4 minutes of its first use - NOT impressed with that! But at least I got the three videos above.) And, let's face it, she could get mind-blowingly good shots with her setup... and did (see below), unlike what we could capture with our little underwater camera option. 

Eventually, Captain Dani sent out the call for everyone to return to the boat so we could move to the second location (Reef's End). She sailed us completely around Molokini so we could see the back side of it. While she did that, one of the crew members taught us more about Molokini, including how the flight pattern of some of the birds (which can have 6-7' wing spans!!!) can signal the upcoming weather (if they're lazily circling in the sky good weather conditions are in store; if they are all hunkered down on the top of Molokini, storms are coming). We also learned how the government used Molokini as target practice during WWII. There are a lot of divots on the back side of Molokini that were caused by mortar hits. 

After our 360 tour of Molokini, we approached our second anchor spot. The crew had to be a little extra careful throwing the anchor rope into the water because there was a group of scuba divers around the anchor. When it was deemed safe, one of the crew members threw the rope to another crew member (already in the water wearing snorkel gear) who tied the boat to the anchor. From what we were told, the conditions to snorkel at Reef's End have to be just right for people to snorkel there and today, they were. We basically drifted along a reef that is the line of delineation between the interior of the crater and the deep blue. (Captain Dani made sure we knew not to go past a specific point because the name of that current is called something akin to "road or current to Tahiti".) The coral and fish were truly gorgeous. We saw a type of coral (cauliflower coral) that was stunningly pink and had beautiful ridges all over. The current was quite a bit stronger on the outer side of the reef; once I realized that, I kept Conor close by and we stuck more to the top ridge of the reef instead of heading too far out in the deep blue. Like at Tako Flats, we saw brilliantly colored fish (some solo and others in schools) and a wide variety of colorful coral. 

We knew it was going to be a shorter snorkel time at Reef's End site than we had at Tako Flats, so after floating along on the reef, Conor and I started to head back to the boat. The current was no joke and seemed to pick up as time passed. I wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to make it back without any issue. Soon after making that decision, I happened to look back and noticed everyone else seemed to have the same idea and opted to head back, as well. The group of snuba explorers associated with our boat were very slow to return to the boat due to the current; they struggled with it but the crew member with them helped along and they eventually made it back safe and sound.

The crew served us a very good lunch (teriyaki chicken, salad, roll, and rice). Our stay at Molokini wound up being a bit longer than expected because one of the passengers accidentally dropped her iPhone into the water (WHOOPS). One of the crew members attempted to get it (45' feet down) but wasn't able to free dive that far. So, Captain Dani pulled off her outer clothes (she had a swim suit under them) and swam out to retrieve the phone. I made a comment about grabbing a tank, but she said "for 45' down? Nah!" Mightly impressive!! She was greeted with a boisterous round of applause when she climbed back onboard with the phone in hand. (Luckily, the phone was one of the new waterproof iPhones. Talk about lucky!)

Bye, Molokini

Once the phone was back with its owner and Captain Dani dried off a bit, we sailed back to the marina. The wind picked up considerably as we sailed (as it tends to do as the days progress), which allowed the crew to put up the sails. It was rather exciting to be almost directly under the sails as they went up, I have to say. 

When the day began, Captain Dani made a comment about letting people try steering the boat at any time during the day, so Annika asked if she could on our return trip... Captain Annika at your service. She took the helm and even helped with one of the ropes as the crew brought the sails down as we neared the marina. She did a great job! Captain Dani taught her some basics about captaining a boat and Annika was a very willing student. She soaked up everything Dani told her with gusto!

Captain Dani teaching Annika how to captain the boat

Captain Annika at the helm

Working on her rope-pulling skills

We think we found a summer job for her - crewmate on a boat!

To say we were wiped out after our day on the water would be an understatement. We were pinker than we'd hoped (guessing the zinc oxide sunscreen was a bit less effective than we had hoped, but was required to protect the reef). We've been slathering ourselves with aloe ever since returning to the condo and enjoying the cool air provided by the AC!

We picked up dinner from one of the food trucks outside the condo parking lot. Having two food trucks so close is really quite convenient!! We hunkered down in the living room around the coffee table, ate dinner, and watched the movie Shazam on TV. Nice and low key after a fun-filled, tiring day.