Leaving behind a white, frozen landscape, we all were looking forward to the penetrating warmth of the Hawaiian sun. The islands did not disappoint. After a short stopover in Honolulu, we were on to Maui to meet up with our close friends, Scott and Diane, their daughters, Kaleigh and Mady, and Di's parents, Don and Marg (soon to celebrate 50 years of marriage). The consistent weather...low to mid 80's, calm mornings and breezy afternoons...made planning our week's activities fairly easy. The other factor that made this week even more relaxing was bringing along a good family friend, Lindsay, to watch the kids when the adults wanted to go play.Most mornings were spent on the beach. Asa emulated our true feelings as he rolled in the sand and literally coated himself with little pieces of Hawaii. If only we all expressed our feelings so well! The boogie boarding was good, but the water was calling us in a little deeper. We started looking for snorkeling opportunities at the little reefs that bordered the beaches.
At three something in the morning on Tuesday the adults, taking full advantage of having Lindsay around to take care of the kids, headed for Haleakala. It is a 10,000+ foot volcano (dormant) that greets the morning sun in grand style. There was a spectacular display of light and color as the sun broke above the layer of clouds below the peak.
Thursday and Friday we rented snorkel gear and headed to Ahihi cove and the beach at the Maui Prince Hotel. Here is where a new world opened up for all of us. It was a bit crowded, but once in the water your attention quickly turned to the many varieties of fish darting in and out of the multicolored coral. And then we all enjoyed the bigger surprises in the water...green sea turtles, eels and a reef shark.
Friday night was date night in Lahaina. Don and Marg went to a great magic show, and Scott, Di, Amy and I went to a great fish house called Kimo's. Saturday, we decided to see what the hiking was like on the island. We explored the Iao Valley and then moved on to another valley with swinging bridges and creek crossings. We ended Saturday with an Easter egg hunt at sunset on the beach.
As much as we wanted to go to an Easter service on the beach, Sunday was the only day available for the snorkel excursion boat that we wanted to take to Molokini, a little cresent shaped atoll off the coast of Maui. It was Molokini that offered the
clearest, albeit coldest, water. You could see 30 feet below with no problem. The boat moved closer to the beach for a better look at the green sea turtles. Our best look at the turtles was back at the Maui Prince Hotel where Amy took a few underwater pictures of the turtle action. The kids have not stopped talking about all of the sea life and the snorkeling experience. While the warmth, waves, sunshine, and relaxation was great, the snorkeling really made the whole week.
