Parks, Farms, Food and Fish in Maui

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.