Honeymoon Video

Haleakala National Park

The name "Haleakala" is a mouthful. I can't count the times I've mispronounced it today, but the correct way to say it is "Hale-a-ka-la" meaning house of the sun. Haleakala is a giant volcano that covers the East side of Maui. After a 90 minute drive along the Maui coastline and up the tight winding highway, we reached the volcano's summit at 10,023 ft. It was a breathtaking view above the clouds. From the summit you can see the ocean, lots of volcanic rock and an impressive crater formed by years of erosion. Within several thousand feet of the summit, the slopes of Haleakala are covered in lava rock that creates a desert-like appearance. Strangely enough though, this high desert gets snow. Wait, isn't Maui supposed to be a beach paradise? Well, yes. But Maui is a diverse island that has high mountains, incredible beaches, beautiful mountain ranches, and farmland. Seeing this land makes me wonder what the explorers must have thought when they stumbled upon this beautiful place.

Unda Da Sea

Maui is a sea life sanctuary. It is the world's premier whale watching location and one of the best places to snorkel and dive. We have taken advantage of this by renting snorkeling gear for the week and by going on a whale watching expedition. Each winter, humpback whales migrate from Alaska to Maui to give birth to their young. Humpback whales are an endangered species, yet they can be seen in abundance in Hawaii from November to April. Of the roughly 18,000 humpbacks alive today, about 10,000 of them make Maui their home during the winter months. Why do humpback whales do this? Well, the answer is not completely clear. The most common theory is that the whales come here to protect their newborns (like the one pictured here) from Orcas, also known as Killer Whales. Orcas stay in colder, deeper waters and Maui offers warmer, more shallow seas.

Our whale sightings have been amazing. We've seen numerous breaches, where the whale will jump all the way out of the water and create a huge splash upon landing. Two days ago we witnessed a massive whale smashing her pectoral fins against the surface of the water. The pectoral fins are an astonishing 15 feet in length on a full grown humpback. And we will soon post a video that was shot from our condominium in which a humpback smashes her huge tail against the water surface for about 2 consecutive minutes. Full grown humpback whales are roughly the size of a school bus, so seeing so many of them in one location is really an incredible sight.

Whales are not the only creatures that we have encountered on this trip. We stood on the beach in Honolua Bay to watch the surfers and this monk seal casually strolled ashore for some sun bathing. He was probably 6 feet in length and roughly 500-600lbs. He was not threatened by our presence whatsoever. He allowed us to approach him and get some cool pictures. Like the humpback whale, monk seals are endangered. This guy is a Hawaiian Monk Seal, of which it is estimated that there are fewer than 1,500 in existence today.

We have also spent a lot of time in the water snorkeling. Maui hosts miles of coral shoreline and hundreds of exotic fish species. Another endangered species, the green sea turtle, is making a comeback in Hawaii. I was fortunate enough to see one while snorkeling in the coral gardens, just south of Lahaina on the west side of Maui. I wasn't able to get close enough for a clear picture, but the turtle moved gracefully and allowed me to get within 30 feet or so. The turtle is among a long list of fascinating creatures that we have seen while snorkeling. The fish here are electric in color and many of them look just like aquarium fish that we see in the mainland. We have really enjoyed snorkeling and will surely take to the waters any time we get the chance. Here are a few underwater photos from our dives in Maui. Can you see the fish in the last photo?

Surf's Up

On the north shore of Maui, the surf has been known to reach heights of 70+ feet. Massive storms from as far away as the Bering Sea churn up gigantic swells that travel, uninterrupted, until they reach the shorelines of Hawaii. The world record for the largest wave ever ridden was (and maybe still is) held by a Maui local named Pete Cabrinha - he rode a 70-footer in Peahi, Maui. So Pete didn't just hop on his board and paddle out into those giant swells. Surfers that are wild enough to take on a big day at Peahi need crews and jet skis. They work in teams that maneuver out of the harbor and into the open bay where the swells make their break. The sheer size of the waves make it impossible for a surfer to simply paddle into his ride. He has to be pulled into the wave by a jet ski.

The surf hasn't reached that height for my eyes to see. But Honolua Bay, just north of Kapalua where we are staying, has sets coming in that are double overhead. The bay is protected by a "lava finger" that juts out into the water and protects it from the northeast winds that would otherwise create choppiness. The reef causes the waves to literally curve around that finger and roll into the bay perfectly. The surfers have been tearing it up. We sat on a ledge at about 30 feet above the water and captured some awesome video and photos of the surfers. The water is glassy and then sets of waves roll into the bay. The surfers can ride the waves at Honolua for minutes at a time because of the perfect break.

I won't be taking on Honolua because it is well beyond my skill level. I may end up renting a board to take on a more manageable spot here on the northwest side of Maui. If that happens, I'll be sure to post those pictures. I'm sure I'll look something like these guys that we watched at Honolua!

Here's a look at past days in Peahi: http://tinyurl.com/an8s7g

ALOHA!

Aloha from Maui! We are here and watched the sun rise this morning. We traveled a full day yesterday and arrived in Maui late last night. Our flight left Houston at 9:35am local time and went straight through to Honolulu, Oahu. We had a 5 hour layover there and we took advantage of that time by going to Waikiki for lunch. The time was short, but adventurous. We took a very short flight from Honolulu at 7:05pm and landed in Maui at 7:35pm. For perspective, Maui is 4 hours behind Houston time, so it felt like midnight by the time we landed in Maui. We hopped in our Jeep Wrangler at the airport and hit the road to the northwest side of Maui - destination, Kapalua. We stopped to buy groceries in Lahaina and Kyra began to understand the "awesomeness" of our accommodations. She didn't know that we would be able to cook and have home-like features at our destination. I have kept this location a secret just to make it exciting. So anyway, we picked up groceries and drove the final 10 minutes to Kapalua. It was dark when we arrived, but the entrance looked grand even though we couldn't see much. Our condo was fairly easy to find and well worth the travel. WOW! This place is incredible. We have 2 stories - 1st floor has kitchen, full bath, living room, dining room, and floor to ceiling windows; 2nd floor has an awesome full bath, jacuzzi tub, master suite, private patio, and floor to ceiling windows. We can see Kapalua Bay from any spot in the condo. It's beautiful.
We got some rest last night and were both wide awake by 5:30 this morning. We decided to make some coffee and omelets. We had a nice quiet breakfast together before making the 100yd walk to the volcanic cliffs of Kapalua. We stood on the rocks and watched the sun rise and huge waves roll in. The waves were incredible to see as they crashed into the rocks below us. And to make things even better, we witnessed numerous whales breaching shortly after sunrise. This is whale season in Maui and we will get to see these magnificent creatures up close. I am so captivated by God's beautiful creations. We are so blessed to have this time of rest and relaxation in such a beautiful land.
My coffee cup is empty now. I've been sitting on our upstairs patio enjoying the refreshing morning, a cup of coffee, and my beautiful wife. Get ready to hear from us often. We have much to show you!