Maui, Hawai'i

Wednesday 15 May

We’re flying over to Maui today, but our flight isn’t until lunchtime, so we can allow ourselves a lazy morning.  I’m up early and take my new running shoes out again, then we take a stroll into town to find some breakfast.  Once we’re packed up and ready to go we head to Kona airport, where you can combine waiting for your flight with sunbathing.

Our flight time today is a gob-smacking 17 minutes.  We’re barely up before we come back down again into Maui.

After the relative quiet of the Big Island, Maui feels like the big smoke.  There’s a queue for car hire and the highways are dual carriageway.  Counteracting all this are the wild chickens that are everywhere – yes, including at the airport/carhire.  We’re a little later than expected getting to our accommodation and we get there to find ourselves locked out.   It’s a minor inconvenience and soon we’re in.

We’ve booked a self-catering unit for the 5 nights we here – it feels like the ultimate luxury to be able to unpack, put washing on and fill up the fridge with groceries.

Still, I’m finding these everyday tasks a bit taxing, so the first chance I get I pop down to the beach for a swim and a cool down. Ah, that’s better.

We have a quiet night in trying to remember how to cook for ourselves and catching up on some Internet time.

Thursday 16 May

I’m up early for a quick, exploratory run into town.  Later, we take a more leisurely stroll in.  We’re staying in Lahaina – an old whaling port that has managed to convert into bustling tourist hub whilst still maintaining much of its historic charm.  It’s all low-rise, wood paneled buildings crammed right up against the seafront. 

There’s a giant banyan tree that takes up a whole block, and a lovely beach that’s been taken over by surf schools. 

We take a stroll through the shops, watch the novices take on the waves and then head back.

We’ve decided to check out the beaches that lie to the south of us today, so we pack up a picnic lunch and head as far south as we can get on the road.  We come to La Perouse Bay – a rather wild and windswept place.  The sea is much to rough for swimming, but it’s perfect for watching daredevil surfers take on scary looking waves.

We have our lunch and then head back up the coast to Makena State Park in search of a swim and some sun-bathed sand.  We find both at the aptly named Big Beach.  It’s a broad swathe of soft, caramel sand. 

I’d like to say it’s lapped by turquoise waves, but slammed would be more apt.  There’s a very shallow shore break here, and towering waves.  Still, it kinda looks fun, so we give it a go.  Getting out is not too bad: we take a break in the waves and swim furiously to get beyond where they’re breaking.  Here we can bob up and down in the silky swell.  It’s wonderful.  Getting back out is not so easy…  Nick manages it on his second attempt, but I can’t get beyond the fearsome drag that kicks in after the waves break.  To avoid the towering waves about to break on my head I swim back out again.  This keeps happening, much to the amusement of the gathering crowd on the beach.  I’m not in any danger (although my pride may be), but I am getting rather worried that an over-zealous lifeguard might jump in to pull me out.  Before that happens I manage to get close enough to shore for Nick to haul me in.  Exhausted but still giggling I collapse on the sand.

The drive home takes us past more beaches and plenty of condos/hotels.  By the time we get in it’s late afternoon – just about right for a few beers, some food and bed.

Friday 17 May

We’re up early today as we’re planning to spend the day at Haleakala National Park, home of Maui’s gigantic (but dormant) volcano.  It takes us a good 2 hours or so to drive up the road which rises from sea level to over 10 ,000 ft in 38 miles.  It’s a bright morning and the views are stupendous. 

By the time we reach the top the clouds are starting to build already and we don’t get a clear view of the crater (which apparently is large enough to hold Manhattan).  On the plus side, we have clear views over to the Big Island and can finally see it’s two volcanoes (which were cloaked in cloud the whole time we were there).

We set off hiking into the crater, but only hike 2 miles down.  It’s enough to reward us with moonscapes and some close up views of cinder cones.  It’s a bit harder work coming up, but it’s still only mid-morning once we reach the summit again.

We drive a little way down to another hiking trail.  This one is completely covered in cloud.  We follow it for a mile or so and whilst it’s a fairly easy walk through pretty vegetation, it’s chilly in the cloud and we can’t see much, so backtrack to the car.  We have an early lunch and then wind our way back down to sea level.

We have time for another stop off on the way back: ‘Iao Valley Sate Park.  The short drive and scenic walk allow us to experience some of the lushness of West Maui’s mountains.  The main sight here is the ‘Iao needle – a green finger of rock steeped in Hawai’in mythology and history.

It doesn’t take long to get back and, despite the rain in the mountains, it’s sunny and warm on the beaches.  We take a stroll over to Baby Beach to enjoy the sunshine.

We’re treating ourselves to a night out tonight, so as the sun is setting we walk into town and find a convenient balcony bar for a few beers.  Then we get lucky with an ocean-side table at Cheeseburgers in Paradise for (you guessed it) cheeseburgers.

Saturday 18 May

Today is our day to explore the beaches north of us and we start off by heading about as far up as we can go.  This brings us out at Honolua Bay – one of Maui’s prime snorkeling spots.

It’s a beautiful, sheltered bay reached by a five minute walk through lush, jungle-like vegetation.  Wild chickens roam the rocky beach.  The water is wonderfully calm and we don’t waste anytime jumping in.  The coral is lovely and there are fish a plenty.  The highlight for me is when a turtle manages to sneak up on Nick, frightening the life out of him – I nearly drown myself in a fit of hysterics.  We swim out and around the point into the next bay, finding another couple of turtles and a reef shark along the way. 

We make our way back to shore and pull ourselves out with tired arms. It’s lunchtime and we’re starving, so we head towards the glitzy side of Maui – Ka’anapali.  Along the way we encounter another oddity of Maui’s weather: within a few miles we hit torrential rain although we’ve stayed dry all morning.  Another few miles takes us back out into sunshine again.

There is a beautiful, long beach here backed by Maui’s finest hotels with manicured lawns, crisp golf courses and beachside bars.  There’s a gentle walking path that winds us past all the hotels and we soak up the luxury, stopping in a cheesy café for toasted sandwiches.  We have a poke around the shops and then stretch our towels out on the soft, cushiony grass and enjoy the beach.  I could get used to this…

Sunday 19 May

We’ve got another big driving day ahead of us today, so we’re up early again.  This time we’re tackling the near legendary Road to Hana – a winding seaside road that clings to cliffs, swoops along bays and climbs through jungle, taking in 54 one-lane bridges and numerous waterfalls along the way.

It’s a beautiful drive, the only downside being it’s popularity: we’re in a train of hire cars and tour buses, all eager to snap our pics.  We stop for a quick nature walk through thick forest.  Then we strike it lucky: a tip in the guidebook leads us to a completely deserted swimming hole hidden from the road.  We have a beautiful swim in our own private waterfall before heading on. 

A little mid-morning cake stop gives us the energy to keep going and just before we reach Hana we stop at Wai’anapanapa State Park: home to a beautiful black sand beach, an impressive lava tube and some caves harbouring spring-fed pools.

We reach Hana and stop at the beach to eat our sandwiches.  It’s warm, but heavy and humid and it isn’t long before the rain comes in.  We’ve still got a long way to go, so get going. The road winds us along the coast and past a few more waterfalls, before depositing us at ‘Ohe’o Gulch.  Here we tackle a 4 mile round trip hike to some waterfalls.  It’s a glorious walk that takes us through lush jungle into a deep, dark bamboo forest (which seems a little out of place in Hawai’i). 

Our reward is the fantastic Waimoku Falls.  We drink in the scene and then retrace our steps.

All that hard work has left us hot and sweaty, so we stop off for a swim in the swimming holes – a cascade of waterfalls and pools dropping down to the sea.

Refreshed, we get back in the car and tackle the drive back.  It’s a little more than we’d anticipated – for the first 20 or so miles we’re on an almost single lane track clinging to the cliffs.  It’s wonderfully dramatic, but slow and rough, especially as the tarmac keeps giving way to gravel.  Still, it’s fantastic to find such a large slice of rural Hawai’i in glitzy Maui.  We pass through lush jungle, lava-strewn coast, fertile valleys with cattle grazing and into dry goat country.  I’m intrigued by the Jacaranda trees – I can’t help but associate them with Pretoria, which seems about as far removed from Maui as you can get.  We’re deposited back into civilization just in time to top up our gasping fuel tank. 

Janet adds: tomorrow we’re off to Kaua’i – woo hoo!  I can’t get enough of Hawai’i.

Hawai'i (Big Island)

Saturday 11 May

We’re up bright and early to get our flight over to Kona this morning.  The flight is 5 and a bit hours, but Hawai’i is 3 hours behind, so it’s still mid-morning when we land.  We’re greeted by a blast of tropical heat – aahhh, even sunny California was a bit too chilly for my liking.  Kona has a fantastic, laidback, open-air airport.  We pick up a car and set off driving across the island.  The landscape changes rapidly, from sunny but barren lava fields to rain to high altitude volcanic moonscapes.  As we start to descend into Hilo things turn sunny and wildly lush again.  The plants are so vivid, the grass so green that I keep thinking they must be fake.

We’re starving so we stop at a bakery for some lunch and have a stroll around downtown Hilo.  It’s a sleepy and slightly rundown town set in a beautiful bay lined with towering palm trees.  Our hotel is a weird one.  It’s set right on the waterfront on beautiful Banyan Drive, but from the outside it looks like the building might be on its last legs.  I’m nervous taking the lift up, but our room is big, bright and clean with views out onto the bay.

It doesn’t take us long to change into our swimmers and cross over the footbridge to tiny Mokuola island.  The island is a county park and is packed with families bbq-ing, picnicking and swimming.  We join the shrieking kids for a splash about and then dry out in the sun.

We’re not in the mood to be out tonight, so we grab some supplies for our room and head in for the evening.

Sunday 12

We wake up early to the soothing sound of tropical rain.  We’ve got plenty of time to relax into the day and by about 9am the rain has stopped anyway.  After breakfast, we drive north of Hilo a little way for a scenic and wildly overgrown route along the coast.

Coming back south we stop at a couple of beach-parks along the way.  It’s a Sunday (and mother’s day) so they’re all busy.  Although it’s nice and warm, it’s still a little overcast and so we’re putting off a swim.

Our next stop is the Lave Tree State Monument – this was a forest, until lava flowed in, burning out the trees and leaving black tree-moulds in their place.  It’s a good spot for a little walk around.

Back in the car we continue south – and here it gets a bit hazy.  We spend a good half hour or so trying to find places the guidebook mentions (but which don’t seem to exist).  Eventually we give up and head to Kapoho Tide Pools.  We’ve been here before, so we know they exist.  They’re a series of natural pools cut into the volcanic rock, perfect for snorkeling. 

Once we’ve had our lunch and a good snorkel it’s time to head over to Kalapana: we’ve booked a lava hike for tonight.

We’re loaded into a van and introduced to our guide, Primo.  A short drive takes us to our trailhead and the walking begins.  We’re hiking over lava fields.  It’s barren, but beautiful at the same time.  Primo keeps us occupied with tidbits of information and Hawaiian mythology.  In the distance we can see a big plume of smoke where lave is entering the ocean, and smaller plumes indicating the flow of the lava downhill.

In all honesty, we’re not expecting much from this hike – maybe a distant glow of orange on the horizon – but almost before we know it we’re watching lava drip into the ocean, with the sea broiling and exploding all around.  It’s mesmerizing, beautiful and humbling.

As if that weren’t enough, we’re then lead a short way up hill to see the surface flow.  Here, lava is making its slow, steady drip towards the sea. 

We’re able to stand right in front of it, watching it twist and flow and, yes, poke a stick in it.  This is a lifetime’s ambition for Nick and you can tell by his face that he’s in fire-prodding heaven.  The new, glowing lava is soft and infinitely prod-able, but within a few minutes it hardens – our guide reckons we could walk on it within 20 minutes.

Before we know it darkness has fallen and the stars are out in their full glory.  We have a final prod at the lava, then walk back to the cliff’s edge for another look at the ocean entry, before tackling the hike back to the parking lot.  It’s after 9pm when we get back to the car – exhausted but elated.  Another 40 minutes’ drive gets us back to Hilo for a quick beer and a snack before bed.

Monday 13

After our late night last night we’re quite happy to take things a little slow and easy this morning.  On the plus side, we’re awakened by bright sunshine and birdsong.  It’s another beautiful day in paradise.

We take our time checking out, then waste a bit more time at the local sports shop– I didn’t bring any running shoes with me and thought I wouldn’t need them, but the American portions are proving me wrong.

We’re driving over to Kona today, but take the scenic route around the south coast.  Our first stop is Punalu’u beach – a black sand beach dotted with resting turtles.  It’s a lovely spot to relax and enjoy our lunch, but the water is looking a little rough for a swim.

Next up we decide to hike to green sand beach.  It’s a 2.5 mile hike along the windswept south coast.  It’s nice enough, but the beach, when we get to it, is definitely on the olivey-brown side of green and not overly impressive.

The day is getting away with us and we’ve still got some driving to do, so we crack on and get up to Kona.  We’re staying in a not particularly fancy hotel in the town centre and are pleasantly surprised to find that we have a balcony and sea views.  Once we’re settled in we walk over to the Kona Brewing Company where we fill up on tasty local beers and then can’t quite manage our pizzas.

Tuesday 14

I’m up early this morning to take my new shoes for a run.  They hold up fine, but I’m a sweating, steaming mess within 20 minutes.  We have a cup of tea and some cereal on our balcony and then get packed up for the beach.

We drive south to Pu’uhonua o Honaunau, an ancient Hawaiian sacred site (http://www.nps.gov/puho/planyourvisit/the-puuhonua.htm ).  A short walking tour gives us a bit of insight into this place of refuge. 

As an added bonus, there is excellent snorkeling just across the way.  There’s a lava rock shelf here that drops snorkelers into 10ft water rich with coral and multi-coloured fish.  We tire ourselves out swimming out, across the bay and back again.  I remind myself, halfway across the deep bay, that this is the same ‘shark infested’ bay that Hawaiians used to swim across to reach their refuge at the pu’uhonua and swim a little faster.

It’s cloudy again today, so we skip the sunbathing and head a little further down the coast to Ho’okena beach – a lovely little black sand crescent.   There are turtles playing in the shallows, so we grab our snorkels and head in to join them.  Before to long we find this fella, getting a good old clean from his crew of fish.  We hang with him for a while and then head back to the beach.

We’re starving and there’s no food around here, so we head back to our hotel and take a wander into town.  It doesn’t take long to find some hunger-busting Mexican food.

We’ve booked a night snorkel tonight so at 6pm we set off to meet our tour.  The aim is to see manta rays.  Way back in the ‘70s the Sheraton hotel put some powerful lights up to illuminate the oceanfront rooms.  This had the inadvertent effect of attracting plankton, which in turn attracted manta rays.  Now, it’s one of the best places to dive (or snorkel) with mantas.  Still, we’re not overly optimistic.  Neither of us has ever snorkeled at night and there’s no guarantee that the mantas will show.

The boat moors right outside the hotel, so we’re barely offshore.  We get kitted up, jump in and then grab on to rafts so that we’re just floating on the surface.  The water is shallower than I’d expected and all the dive lights keep it well lit.

Before we know it a manta has turned up.  It spins and twirls beneath us before disappearing into the darkness.  We’re ecstatic – and then another one turns up.  This one is right up close to the divers and puts on quite a show.

Already it’s exceeded our expectations and we bask in a happy glow.  Until the next one shows up.  This guy is huge and he’s loving the plankton that has gathered in the torch light right in front of us.  He swirls up, cartwheeling with mouth agape.  And again, a little closer this time.  Then closer still until we’re sure his wings are going to brush against our bodies.  Then he’s gone.

It’s time to get ourselves back on the boat, dry off and warm up with a hot chocolate.  Before we know it we’re back at our hotel enjoying a beer and looking back over our pictures.

Janet adds: Thanks Big Island, you sure know how to show a gal a good time.

Nick adds: Prodded lava with a stick, nothing more to say.

California

Friday 3 May

Despite the late night we wake up relatively early and ready to get going.  First stop is the supermarket, and it’s a vegetarian’s dream.  I’m swooning over the fresh produce section, overflowing with local peaches, apricots, strawberries – and lots of mangoes from Mexico.  (I can’t resist the mangoes and end up eating them as I did when I was a child: ripping the skin off with my fingers and letting the juice run down my chin).

We’re driving south to do a hike in Big Basin Redwood State Park.  It’s a beautiful drive on slow, winding roads through hills and towering redwood forest.  I’m deep in a daydream, finding perfect spots to build my house and plant my vegetable garden.

We find the park and set off walking through the forest.  The giant trees tower up over us and the ground is lined with gentle, green ferns.  It’s wonderfully quiet and the air hangs heavy, but soft. 

We stop for lunch at the picturesque Berry Creek Falls. 

Pushing on we pass more falls before briefing breaking through the trees for some lovely views.  The last few miles are back through the forest and for these last few miles I am enduring the wrath of Nick.  I’ve picked the hike and it’s possibly not the best way to ease us in - it is about 11 miles long and not entirely easy going. 

We stay the night in Santa Cruz, and once we get checked into our motel we head out for a walk.  We’ve stayed in Santa Cruz once before about 7 years ago.  Our impressions this time are not entirely favourable.  There are lots of drop-out types playing drums and far too many street performers for our liking.  Nevertheless, we find a good brewpub for a few beers and tasty burgers.

Saturday 4 May

We give Santa Cruz a 2^nd chance this morning and it doesn’t let us down.  Yes, the beachfront boardwalk is very tacky, but the beach is gorgeous and echoing with the barks of the local sea lions, which provide hours of entertainment.

We’re heading over to Yosemite, but we’ve got all day to get there, so we take the drive slowly, stopping off for some shopping along the way.

We hit Oakhurst later in the afternoon and take care of the boring stuff (Laundromat to do some washing; supermarket to get some food).

Janet adds: just found out that the weird fruit trees I was admiring in Belize are in fact cashew nut trees.  Did I mention that it was pretty easy to buy property out there?

Sunday 5 May

It takes us an hour and a half to make the drive into Yosemite today.  Yosemite has a strange, larger than life kind of beauty to it.  Everything is over the top and doesn’t quite look real.

Instead of tackling something sensible, I persuade Nick to, once again, bite off just about more than we can chew.  We start off with the 4-mile trail.  As the name suggests, this trail takes 4 and a bit miles to climb from the valley floor to the valley rim, 3200 feet above, offering some gob-smacking views of Yosemite Valley along the way.

Glacier Point is our destination, and we stop here for more astounding views and some lunch. 

Taking the short way down would be too easy – instead, we decide to take the 8.5-mile Panorama trail back down to the valley floor.  All of this would be a heck of a lot more manageable if our legs weren’t already shot from Friday’s hike.  Still, it’s another spectacular hike, taking in 3 thundering waterfalls along the way.

By the time we make it (limping) back to the car, we’ve covered near enough 15 miles and our shattered legs are feeling it.  We’ll be crashing out early tonight.

Janet adds: Happy birthday Bronwen!  Wish I could celebrate with you.

Monday 6 May

We’re not too sure what we fancy doing today, especially as our legs are feeling it from yesterday.  We start off by heading back to Yosemite, this time to check out the giant Sequoias at Mariposa Grove.  The lower grove is crowded with people and while the trees are big, they’re not a scratch on the Sequoia giants.  Luckily, for those willing to put in a little more legwork, the upper grove offers solitude and some really big trees. 

The air echoes with the noise of woodpeckers and we even manage to get a glimpse of one (but we’re not quick enough for a picture).

We spend a lovely couple of hours with the big trees and then head back to the interstate.

We’ve decided that while we’re here, we may as well check out some wine-country.  We head north, arriving in Napa late afternoon.  It’s a lovely little city, with a charming main street running along the river.  We find a good brewpub for some drinks (drinking beer in wine country, I know…) and then an excellent Mexican.  

Janet adds: Gutted our timing is out and we're going to miss the Bottle Rock festival.

Tuesday 7 May

We’re having a lazy today and so take it slow this morning.  We start with another wander around Napa.  It’s just as charming this morning as it was last night.

Then we head up scenic highway 12 through Napa Valley.  Our first stop is Yountsville – a sleepy, scenic town with some good shopping.  We treat ourselves to a fancy chocolate from Kollars (http://www.kollarchocolates.com/Photo_Gallery.php) – it looks like a jewel and comes in it’s own fancy box. 

Next up comes St Helena, were we stop at a lovely café for more delicious Mexican food.  In the afternoon we pull into Krug wineries (not that Krug) for some wine-tasting.  On the whole I find the wine a little fruity for my liking, but Art, our charming assistant, provides good conversation and a few sneaky tastes of some ‘proper’ wines.

Our last stop is a quick walk around Calistoga, before heading down to Santa Rosa, where we’re spending the night.  Once again, it’s a great town and we find not 1 but 2 brewpubs. 

Add that to good weather and beautiful scenery – what more could you ask for?

Janet adds: we found out today that a man died in Yosemite on Sunday on the trail we were hiking back down L Looks like he slipped into a waterfall.

Wednesday 8 May

We’re on our way to San Francisco today, but first we drive over to the coast to do a bit of hiking.  We’ve picked a fairly gentle hike that winds its way along the cliff-tops, through some wooded areas and passed some lakes.  The last section is a bit of a scramble down an eroded cliff to reach the beach.  There we’re rewarded with views of the Alamere Falls cascading down on to the beach itself.

We’ve got the place to ourselves, and we spend a bit of time taking in the views, eating our lunch and watching a curious sea lion.

Once we feel rested we reverse the 4 miles or so back to the car.  The drive down to San Francisco is beautiful – sometimes following the water’s edge and sometimes winding it’s way far up above. 

To top it all, we enter the city by the Golden Gate Bridge.

We’re staying in a (relatively) city-centre motel.  It’s nothing fancy, but will do the job.  We’re pretty fed up with Mexican food (never thought I’d say that) and burgers, but Nick has found an Indian with a good reputation within walking distance.  It doesn’t disappoint.

Thursday 9 April

We start the day with a walk over to Fisherman’s Wharf.  We’ve decided to take the ferry out to Angel Island – it is, as the name suggests, an island that has been preserved as a state park.  It sits behind Alcatraz and the cruise out there is wonderfully scenic, taking in views of the Golden Gate Bridge,

the city

Alcatraz

and Angel Island itself.

Once on the island, we hire a couple of bikes for an hour.  There’s a 5-mile trail around the island, which offers more outstanding views.  Once we’ve dropped off our bikes we buy an early lunch and wander off a mile or so in search of a good picnic spot.  It’s sunny today and gorgeous when you’re sheltered, but chilly in the breeze.

Our return cruise takes us even closer to Alcatraz before depositing us back in town.  We’re in our hiking gear, so walk back to the hotel to put on something a bit more civilized.

We spend the rest of the afternoon walking the hills of San Francisco and taking in the sights.  We take the historic cable car around the waterfront and then make our way to Cow Hollow for supremely yummy Thai food.

Friday 10 May

We don’t really have much planned for today.  We start with breakfast in a nearby diner and then take a drive to Haight-Ashbury.  It’s not the tastiest of neighbourhoods, so we don’t linger for too long.  Next we drive over to Berkley and spend a couple of hours wandering the streets.

We’re flying out of Oakland airport early tomorrow morning, so we’ve booked ourselves into a non-descript airport motel.  We get checked in early so that we can get ourselves a bit sorted.  Once we’ve taken care of a few odds and ends we take a walk to the nearby Holiday Inn – it’s got a sports bar and is showing the basketball playoffs.  A few beers and some sandwiches, then it’s time for bed.