Yesterday we chose to explore a bit more of Maui, the weather was a bit more overcast so it seemed quite a good day for doing this. Most people take the drive around the south coast of Maui, known as the Hana Highway. Not wanting to follow the norm we decided to go around the more rarely travelled road around the north side of the island.
Directly north of the town of Lahaina is an area which is protected by the West Maui Mountains and is primarily beach side vacation resort complexes. As you progress further along this road the landscape changes from beaches to a more rugged, cliff lined coastal area. Here the trade winds blast the shore line with heavy seas and the rains provide a continuous deluge of warm soaking rain, resulting in dense, lush vegetation. Off to the north-west is the neighbouring island of Molokai. The road here is paved and good for driving on. We stop briefly at Nakalele Point, where small piles of stones are stacked up, which appears to be more to do with modern passers by rather than any ancient dwellers of the area. To mark the threat that this rugged section of the coastline posts to passing shipping there is a lighthouse. On this exposed cliff we are buffeted by the Trade Winds, blowing away any cobwebs we may have had. Moving on from here the road narrows to barely a single carriageway, this combined with steep hills, hair pin bends and no barriers on the road side preventing falls of several hundred feet was enough to set Karen’s nerves on edge. Helpfully there are plenty of signs saying “narrow roadway”, in case we had not noticed. The route seems to be very popular with cyclists; actually it feels more like a cycle route than a road. We are passed several times by the same group of cyclists along the route. The most exciting parts are where you meet traffic coming the 
other direction, here you have to pull into tiny passing pull-ins and squeeze past each other. It is really hair raising – although the locals seem to think nothing of it. We see some signs for a road side stall that claims to sell the world’s best banana bread, we stop without question as much to get some relief from the journey as to try the cake. Onwards and upwards – we don’t immediately tuck into our latest acquisition but instead use this as an incentive to get further along the road. A few miles later we find a larger enough area to safely pull off the road, with views through a lush valley down to the sea – an ideal place to eat banana bread! From here the road continues its winding passage for another mile or two, but thankfully we get on to a “normal” highway. After the “thrill” of this ride we need something to calm our nerves so we take the Hana Highway a few miles out of Kahului to the beach at Paia. Here the waters are a blue-turquoise and the surf is high. Jack, Emily and Laura have some fun in the crashing waves, Unfortunately the wind is blowing hard and whipping up the grainy sand and acting like a sand blaster on anyone around the beach. We don’t stay too long.Sunday was also our 12th wedding anniversary – who thought we’d be here in Hawaii for this. To celebrate we went down the Lahaina to the Aloha Mixed Plate, which is next to the Old Lahaina Luau. Here we go to watch the sun go down whilst drinking Mai Tai. It could have been romantic apart from the children being there.
Today is our last full day in Hawaii. We decide to go out to Iao State Park in the West Maui Mountains, a lush valley a short distance away from the port town of Kahului. The weather in the mountains can be unpredictable, with frequent rain but today we were lucky! Ancient Hawaiians named this valley 'Iao (Supreme Light) in honour of the god 'Io, and people came to the site to pay tribute to this important deity. A rock pillar that rises out of 'Iao Stream, and is now called 'Iao Needle, was once used as a natural altar.
The Iao Valley was an important political centre in ancient Hawaii, it was the site of many battles and the bones of hundreds of warriors were scattered here. For hundreds of years, Hawaiian chiefs were laid to rest in secret burial sites along the walls of the valley, and one of the most important battles of Maui's history was fought here. From the car park there are a steep set of 
stairs climbing up to a vantage point where you can see the Iao Needle very clearly. From here we descend to the creek; there are some pool areas where you can get in and enjoy the cool mountain spring water. We find one pool that is easy to access although when we arrive it is full of a school party of teenagers from Washington State. Today’s teens are not too hardy so they are not up for hanging around in the cool waters for too long so after a few minutes we are alone to enjoy the pool all to ourselves. Truly wonderful to in fresh water for a change after months of being in the sea or chlorinated pool water…. a bit chilly though! This is a fantastic way to end our week here in Maui and all there is left to do is to go back to our vacation home for one more sunset down on the beach.
stairs climbing up to a vantage point where you can see the Iao Needle very clearly. From here we descend to the creek; there are some pool areas where you can get in and enjoy the cool mountain spring water. We find one pool that is easy to access although when we arrive it is full of a school party of teenagers from Washington State. Today’s teens are not too hardy so they are not up for hanging around in the cool waters for too long so after a few minutes we are alone to enjoy the pool all to ourselves. Truly wonderful to in fresh water for a change after months of being in the sea or chlorinated pool water…. a bit chilly though! This is a fantastic way to end our week here in Maui and all there is left to do is to go back to our vacation home for one more sunset down on the beach.
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