Some Maui Highlights

We are home after a lovely holiday in paradise on the island of Maui, Hawaii.  It was the first Hawaiian trip for both the Liskas and the Wallaces.  Many folks I know in the Pacific Northwest go to Hawaii regularly and rave about it.  Now I know why.

  

Napili Kai Beach Resort and the view from our lanai

I will soon forget that I did not like the humidity in Maui.  I will long remember the beautiful view from our lanai at the Napili Kai Beach Resort, the sunsets, the flowers, the Humpback whales, the local foods and several special outings.

Martha & Collie enjoy a Hawaiian Plate Lunch

This posting will share with you a few choice spots we enjoyed and loads of photos to relay more than words are able to convey.

Iao State Park in the Iao Valley near Wailuku is packed with visitors all there to see the unique geological formation and the scenery.

     

Not far from Iao is the Kepaniwai Park Heritage Gardens which commemorates the multi-cultural heritage of Maui’s citizens in gardens created by the various groups – American missionaries, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, and traditional Hawaiian.

  

  

Missionary, Portuguese, Chinese and Korean Gardens at Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens

Haleakala National Park rises to over 10,000 feet.  We did not go for the sunrise: too early and too cold.  We did not do the bike ride down the mountain: you have got to be kidding, but we did see bikers cycling UP the mountain (two at the 8,800 feet level and still going up).  We parked and walked to the Leleiwi Overlook and looked down into the crater area and down at the tops of the clouds below us.  We picnicked in Hosmer Grove and saw several unique Hawaiian birds there.

  

I took pictures of the sunset on three different evenings from our resort.  Talk about a show of color.

    

Along a drive north from Napili Bay to the very northwest tip of Maui, we made several stops to look down at beautiful bays and beaches and at the Nakalele Blowhole.

  

With all these pictures I expect that you will be tempted to travel to beautiful Hawaii yourself some day.  A dreamy escape from the horrid Mainland winter of 2014.

(by Martha)

all photos copyright Martha Liska and Mary Wallace