Wailea Makena Shore
Sometimes a little splurge is worth it. Let's face it. Would you rather be driving a Taurus or a convertable Mustang around an island paradise? It took a little bit of haggling with the woman behind the Hertz counter, but it was worth it.
It's first trip out was a trip down through Kihei (where we had a nice breakfast at Kihei Caffe) and then down the shore through Wailea and Makena, which are filled to the gills with very nice resorts. We decided to take the road (Wailea Alanui Dr.) as far as it could go. The car is parked at a little unmarked turnout with some lovely shoals and tide pools.
The next stop was a turn out after the road had dropped to less than two lanes and we were driving through the 1790 lava flow from Haleakala. The landscape is vaguely lunar, but 215 years has brought with it some recovery. This picture is long and narrow because I was able to "stitch" three pictures together using PhotoShop Elements. How cool is that?
The road ends at roughly the midway point along La Perouse Bay at what appears to be a pretty nice surfing beach. John and I got out to watch a group of surfers catch a few waves. I was lucky to get a few nice shots. Clearly this is not a sport for those of us who can barely walk straight without running into most of the time. But it's very fun to watch.
I was asked for more beach shots, so I had to post this one. We turned around from here and headed back for home. We did make one more stop, however, at a red sand beach called "Big Beach". This beach was absolutely stunning and we were both wishing we had our bathing suits with us. Towards the end of our walk up and down the beach we got to see some pretty spectacular waves crash in toward the shore. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any good pictures of those, but I rather liked this shot. That's Molokini island in the distance.
We're not sure yet where tomorrow will take us. We're just playing it by ear so far. But I'm going to be lobbying for a trip up the Kaanapali side of the island to the north and west of Kihei.
Treating this as a much-needed virtual vacation.... keep it up! Enjoy!
Ahhhh. Beach!
I love Kihei. There's a great restaurant at Maalea Harbor called Buzz's Wharf, not far from Kihei, their butterfly shrimp are marvelous. Also, if you decide to take a molokini trip, I can highly recommend the Pacific Whale Foundation, they do a great snorkel trip. Their main office is in the shopping center by the acquarium. Enjoy!
It may be a good thing that you didn't have your suits with you at Big Beach (Makena) as the shore break is extremely dangerous there. Every year people lose their lives or are maimed due to severe concussions and spinal injuries. That said, it is one big beautiful spot of paradise.
If you get back to La Perouse, go snorkeling. It's an underwater nature preserve.
If you get back to Kihei, go to Alexander's fish and chips and opt for the mahi mahi - deep fried, of course.
Have a wonderful time.
Nice ride!
I rented a convertible when I was in Hawaii, too. Definitely the place for driving around in one of those.
Keep posting!
Ahhhh! I'm dying of envy here. Enjoy yourself!
Sorry I'm running a few days behind, but, panting to catch up, am grabbing you by the lapels and panting "Civilization III!!!" Another woman who loves it! It's ruining my life -- I keep trying to win by pacifist, feminist rules -- but I do adore it. Sid Myers is the devil.