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My Portrait
Photography
My Nature Photography
Arrived in Maui this morning. Today we are going to hike to a waterfall and take a swim. I searched for awhile to find a tour to do this and found the Hawaiian Hiking Company.
We breakfast at the buffet. The kids really liked the waffle station. The hardest part about the buffet is finding some of the items. The waffle and omelet lines are both outside in the pool area. Toast is at a separate mini stand inside. The outside lines had their feature item plus a fair assortment of other additions such as bacon or sausage.
Hawaiian Hiking tour guide told us to call him when we were headed down to the pier so he could meet us. We gave a call as we headed down and he met us on the pier. On the pier another group of locals were performing to welcome us.
On the way to our hike the driver stopped at a local park on the beach. Here we could use the facilities and try on our hiking booties. The booties were special shoes for walking in the water and on the slippery surfaces. Also note how stylish I was dressed!
The drive to the beginning of our hike was quite interesting. The driver stopped at a couple of lookouts for us to take a few pictures. As we continued up the mountain the road got narrower and narrower. At one point is was just one lane for awhile, but then in got wider again.
When the driver finally stopped and parked the trail had a no trespassing sign. He told us that the area was by permit only, and they had gotten a permit from the Boy Scouts for a fee. He gave each of us walking sticks to help keep our balance. I really didn't think I would need it but took it anyway. It ended up coming in very handy.
Since lunch was included in the tour, it needed to be carried in. There was one small backpack (book bag size) per two people. They were not heavy at all. They contained food, drink (bottled water) and a rain poncho. We had been asked during booking what type of sandwiches we wanted (ham, turkey or veggie).
The tour started off pretty smooth but quickly became more interesting. We had to cross back and forth across the stream many times. The trail went from open and flat to narrow and root covered (tough on the feet) to hidden in the foliage to bamboo forests and kept changing.
Sometimes it got pretty difficult to spot the trail.
As with most of Hawaii, you just need to look to find something interesting.
While the hike was not difficult, it was not easy and you do need to be able to move very well. The climbs down and across the streams were the hardest as things got a bit slippery. The trick to crossing was to not to try to stay dry, but to just slowly walk in the water.
We made it to the falls and it was great. Not a huge set of falls, but a nice swimming hole with a waterfall that was not going to present any danger at its normal flow rate. If the rains had been heavy it may not be as safe, but our guide have made sure that we were aware of the risks. In fact they have several places that they hike and will often switch based upon conditions.
After some swimming we had lunch. Our guide had brought some fresh fruit - papaya, guava and passion fruit. They were delicious. My kids really like the passion fruit. Funny thing I probably wouldn't have been able to get them to eat it at home as it doesn't look as good as it tastes.
After lunch began the hike back to the van. My girls got their second wind and were talking to the guide non-stop. They were having a great time!
About halfway back my mother-in-law found out just how slippery the rocks could be as she slipped and fell in the stream. Luckily she was not hurt badly, but I'm sure she felt it. She did get wet though. My wife decided to help her and proceed to fall face first in the water beside her. She wasn't hurt either but her new digital camera did get flooded. I let it dry for several days and found out when we got back it still works. We were very happy as water was pouring out of it.
The only negative I have about this tour is the driver never closed the door behind us. Van doors are much easier closed from the outside. Other than that minor item it was a good tour.
He dropped us back at the pier, well actually across the street as his company did not have a pier permit. It was the same place he picked us up and it was a very short walk - may two ship lengths - to the security lines. The lines were pretty long but they did move fast.
For dinner after hearing how much my father-in-law enjoyed the buffet, they decided they all wanted to go. I had seen the menu for Crossings and wanted to eat there. So me and my youngest, Olivia, went to Crossings while the others went to the buffet.
Both the buffet and the dining room were practically empty as tonight was the Luau excursion that had been very heavily promoted so there was no waiting. We had a luau planned for Sunday. My family said the buffet was ok, but not as good as the prior night. The dining room was good. I had the following (menu):
They were pushing the Baked Alaska, but without the show its really just ice cream with some meringue.
After dinner we found the rest of the family in the buffet. My oldest, Katrina, did not like dessert selection so went back down to the Palace for desert. We were seated right away and Olivia and Katrina had desserts and I had some veggie rolls.
No show tonight, instead they were showing a movie. Yes I know a lot of people were at the luau, but they really should still put on a show.
We had a very busy day, so the group decided to just relax tomorrow in Maui.
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| Thu-Kona | Fri-Maui | Sat-Maui | Sun-Honolulu | Ship Tour | Videos | Back |
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