Parks, Farms, Food and Fish in Maui
The Best of Maui from a Polynesian Tour Bus
21.06.2010 - 21.06.2010
View
Summer, 9-11-2001 - and then the 2nd time down the ICW
& 2010 Yellowstone and Hawaii
& Bermuda
on greatgrandmaR's travel map.
The tour is the Best of Maui and it is a fairly long tour. The bus driver gave us a map of Maui and explained how to see the face of Maui in the map.
Maui's head is upper left - crossed arms above the Haleakala Visitor Center
21 June 2010
Again we had breakfast in the buffet and got to the tour early and were allowed to board and sit in the front.
Pride of America, and Other cruisers lining up for tours (from the bus)
This time I picked to sit on the right where there is a better view. We had the same bus driver as yesterday, but my grandson was much happier today.
Town and Gas prices
Road to first stop
Angel's trumpet - not used in leis because it is poisonous
First we stopped at
Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens
which is a state park which has sections and architecture that represent the varied cultures living on Maui - the traditional buildings of the people who came from Portugal, China, New England, the Philippines, Japan, and Korea.
My grandson did the whole circuit and took photos.
Grandson walking off with the tour group
Throughout the gardens are small waterfalls and ponds all fed by the Iao Stream.
In addition to the Hawaiian house

An early-Hawaiian hale (house)
there was

Korean Garden

Japanese Garden and Teahouse
Garden
Stone pagodas
Bridge
Water garden
Bahay Kubo (Nipa Hut) -Filipino house
The bust immortalizing Dr. José Rizal -Filipino Exhibit
Water garden plants


Portuguese House


Portuguese oven
He missed getting a photo of the New England saltbox (missionary) building.

American missionary salt box house
And he also missed the Hawaiian house.
I contented myself with taking the photos that I could from near where we stopped.
Garden and gate
Rubber tree
I did use the bathrooms which were unlovely

Handicapped bathroom toilet
Rubber tree and bathroom building - leaving first stop
Then we went up to
Iao Valley State Park
where there was a volcano tube core like a needle, called Kuka‘emoku
The 'Iao Needle, a natural rock pinnacle
(the rest of the volcano has eroded away and left just the tube with the solidified lava), and a stream and some waterfalls.

Iao Lava tube with the outside eroded off
Kuka'emoku
The Living Waters of Kane

Dry waterfall
My grandson did the paved 0.6 mile walk to the scenic viewpoint of the Iao Needle, which abruptly rises 1200 feet from the valley floor.

Grandson climbing to the overlook

Io Valley sign
Looking down on the parking lot
Flanks of the volcano from the trail
Iao Needle from the path
and I just walked up to the bridge and back
Walking up to the bridge
Iao Valley State Park
Non-functional bathrooms
Functioning toilets
Flowers
Do not go beyond this point - Rocks may fall without warning causing serious injury or death

Sun shining through the leaves

Sign about the Battle of Kepaniwai
This valley is rich in cultural and spiritual values and is the site of the battle of Kepaniwai where the forces of Kamehameha I conquered the Maui army in 1790. (6.2 acres)
Sacred Place of the Chiefs
The Four Waters of Maui

Warning sign


Creek
He also took a short walk through the garden area where there was someone to explain about the plants brought by the Hawaiians who settled in Iao. There was a school group there singing.

Plantation as old Hawaiians would live


School group singing

Hawaiian interpreter



Path
We left the park.
Churches
Street
Maui Tropical Plantation
Our next visit was to a working plantation where we had a little trolley ride to see how various things grew. But first I bought some things and had them shipped.
Maui Plantation sign from the tram
Tram ride
Our trolley time was 10:40.
Bird of Paradise flower

TI (pronounced Tea)



Orchids
Heliconia
Travelers palms

Taro

Malabar chestnut

Macadamia nut
Jade flower
We saw the Jade Flower at Fairchild Gardens in Miami
Duck and another bird

Avocado
Royal Poinciana Tree
Bananas
and had a coconut husking demonstration which intrigued my grandson.

Coconut husking area


Coffee growing area

Coffee
After the trolley ride they gave us lunch.
Restaurant
This consisted of a cup of pineapple (I ate my grandson's as he does not like fruit or sweet things in general), a fried shrimp (I gave mine to my grandson), Hawaiian chicken, and rice.

Plantation lunch
There was banana cake and coffee at the end. I got the cake and he ate the cake part (he said he had never had banana cake before) and I ate the icing on his which he didn't want.
Sugar cane
US flag and Hawaiian flag
Our last stop was the
Maui Ocean Center.
Approaching Maui Ocean Center
Ma'alaea Harbor sign

Maui Ocean Center map
This was a marvelous aquarium with just Hawaiian fish. It is a good place to go before you go snorkeling.
I got a wheelchair - my grandson doesn't have enough mass to push me in a wheelchair up an incline, but the wheelchair had wheels that I could push too. We mostly concentrated on the Living Ref section but there was also a marine mammal section,
Turtle sculpture
a shark area,
Open water tank
tide pools, and a turtle lagoon.

Sea urchin in Touching tank
Ray's Cafe

Angelfish

Grandson taking photos

Yellow tang


Coral and fish
Coral reef
Ray and reef sharks

Worms and Banded shrimp

Black coral


Shrimp and coral

Octopus
Jellyfish

Upside down jellyfish

Luminescence
Sea anemone with tiny fish
Grumpy fish
Big eyed soldier fish
Red angel
We got some really good photos. We left there about 2:30
After we got back on the ship, my grandson went up to the sports deck and I went down to the cabin to take a shower. I was trying to figure out how to work the shower. I did not see that the temperature control was on the side, and I was only turning the water pressure knob, when the hand held shower head came off the stand and sprayed all around - which since I was standing half out of the shower and had the bathroom door open also, that meant that the bathroom mirror and the closet doors also got some spray. Anyway I had a nice shower when I finally got the temperature turned down.
Chicken Piquante
I edited and posted some of our photos for the Ocean Center. My grandson went to the Second City show which he LOVED, and he came back and recounted the complete show for me - he was wired.
Towel animal
The towel animal tonight was an elephant which he also liked
We moved overnight to the Hilo on the Big Island.
Posted by greatgrandmaR 20:59 Archived in USA Tagged park garden heritage maui hawaii aquarium kahului wailuku lava_tube ioa_valley kepaniwai