Oct. 8, 1998

It took a little bit and I wrote a _lot_, but I did a lot.  Here is my
trip report of what I did and what happened while I was in Hawaii.


My Hawaii vacation.
 
As you may have heard, last May I came across an incredible airline deal 
from Dallas to Hawaii that was just way too good to pass up.  My sister 
and brother-in-law also got in on the deal and we scheduled our trip for 
late September.  After several long months, the time for the trip finally
came Wednesday September 23. The flight from Dallas to San Francisco to 
Honolulu was uneventful, but long.  We arrived in Honolulu about 2:00 pm 
local time (Dallas is 5 hours ahead).  We were going to be on Oahu for one
day and spend the rest of our time on Maui - leaving for Maui about 5:00 
pm the next day.  We got our luggage and car and decided to see if we 
could hit Pearl Harbor right away (one of the few things we wanted to do 
on Oahu).  Amazingly, we were able to catch the last boat out to the 
Arizona Memorial without a wait.  It was a somber way to start our 
vacation, but definitely worth the visit.  We then took a drive up to the
North Shore and drove along the north coast and down the east coast.  The
waves were pretty small, so there were only a couple of surfers along 
famous surfing areas.  The east coast was very green, mountainous, and 
pretty.  We then headed to our hotel on Waikiki (and eventually found it 
after looping around on the many one-way streets), had a semi-quick 
dinner, and crashed.
 
I got up early and did one of my favorite things: walking the beach.  At
the end of the beach I came across a surprise - there was the old War 
Memorial, which was occasionally used in Magnum P.I. (if you didn't know,
I'm a huge fan of the show).  After over an hour, I went back to the 
hotel (which was right on the beach, but our room was 17 stories up - 
Waikiki was definitely not my kind of place) to see if Jack and Pam were 
up yet.  They weren't, so I went back out and had some breakfast.  When I
returned, they were up and getting ready.  We packed our stuff and headed
over to Diamond Head.  The three of us hiked up to the top of the 
mountain and had a great view of Waikiki, the ocean, and the old World 
War II defensive bunkers at the top.  The hike up wasn't that bad, all 
three of us were in pretty good shape, until the annoying 99 steps near 
the top - which were tiring.  After a quick, early lunch, we then headed 
over to where they filmed the outside of the estate in Magnum P.I.  It is 
a private residence that is not open to the public, but all beaches in 
Hawaii are public even when properties have shoreline access, so we 
parked at a near by beach and I walked along the shore and through the 
water to get to the area behind the estate.  I played peeping-Tom and 
peered over the wall and through the fence to look at and take pictures 
of the estate.  Going along the shore also meant that I got to walk in 
the turtle pools (a long time ago the natives used to raise turtles there)
behind the estate.  Cool.  I then dropped Pam and Jack off at another 
beach and headed off to see another Magnum thing - the Valley of the 
Temples.  The Valley of the Temples is a large cemetery on the east shore 
at the base of a mountain that contains a number of temples, the largest 
of which is the Byod-In Temple which is a replica of a Buddist temple in 
Japan. It was a very quite, calm, and pretty place that would be worth a 
visit for even non-Magnum fans.  I rejoined Jack and Pam at the beach for 
a little bit and then we headed off to the airport and our short flight 
to Maui.  We rented separate cars as we knew that I and they would be 
doing different things during our stay.  We rented a condo in Maui from a 
friend of our mom's that was great.  We had a view of the beach from the 
balcony and a very short walk to the beach.  Despite the very reasonable 
price we paid, it was also in the ritzy vacation area of Maui (Wailea) 
with the Four Seasons, The Grand, and many other luxury resorts just down 
the road.  Unfortunately, we did just miss watching the sunset.  After an 
exciting dinner of pizza, we came back to the condo and I crashed as I 
had an early start the next morning (well, it wasn't too early when I 
went to bed as we tended to eat late).
 
I got up before sunrise to start my long drive to Hana.  If you haven't
heard about the road to Hana, it is a very curvey narrow road with 54
one-lane bridges.  It is also very gorgeous as it goes through a rain
forest with many waterfalls and beautiful coastal views.  There are also
a few areas where you can pull over and go on some small hikes.  Mother
nature decided to demonstrate just why it is called a rain forest as it
drizzled or rained almost the entire drive.  But it didn't stop me from
pulling over and doing a couple of the hikes.  I pulled over at the
first stop and hiked for about 45 minutes before turning around after
figuring out that there wasn't a waterfall along the trail as I was on
the ridge of the hill and hadn't yet found a fall nor could I hear one
(I had read about trails along the road leading to falls, but had no
good guide for what was where - and I later found out that there was
indeed no fall along that trail).  I drove on and continued to enjoy the
sights and pulled off to snap a picture wherever I saw a waterfall.  I
pulled into a one of the two waysides along the road and sat in my car 
for a bit to consult the maps and guides I had and to let the rain calm 
down.  I then got out and took the small walk to the fall.  It was a 
small pretty fall, but the little trail going up on the far side of the 
stream is what caught my eye.  I was in an adventurous mode, so I crossed
the steam and headed up the trail.  I was quickly pass the small fall and 
shortly came across a 4-foot wide water trough that spanned about 20 feet
across and 10 feet above the small valley where the waterfall stream
was.  Not having any good guides, I never found out the purpose of the
trough nor the destination of the water it carried.  On the other side
of the valley I could see a clearer trail than what was ahead of me on
my side of the small valley.  However, getting to it would mean walking
on the wooden planks in the middle of the trough and acrophobic me wasn't
that adventurous.  So I continued along the trail that slowly disappeared
on me.  I could hear a waterfall ahead to my left, so I continued on
despite there being no true trail.  I reached an area where I could
barely see part of the falls and realized that I would not get a good
view of it from this side of the valley.  To see it, I would have to
cross the trough.  My subbornness kicked in as I decided that after all
that effort I had to go see the fall.  I went back to the trough and
crossed it.  I did stand in front of it for 5 solid minutes before I
could psych myself into taking the first step.  The pretty fall was
a short distance ahead on the trail and I was rewarded with a sight that
few people took the effort to see.  Of course, I also had to go back
across the trough again, but I made it.  I returned to my car soaking
wet and muddy - one pair of socks down.  I continued my drive to Hana,
enjoying the scenery and falls as I went.  After finishing the road to
Hana, I continued passed Hana to the Haleakala National Park at Kipahulu
which had a 2 mile one way trail up to the Waimoku Falls with the
Makahiku Falls along the way.  It was a very pretty trail that followed
the stream past several impressive falls and then entered a bamboo
forest.  While walking through the forest, the wind would rustle the 
bamboo stalks and they would make natural clicking music.  I also got my 
first glimpse of the impressive 400-foot falls.  The trail continued 
through a stream which was a challenge to cross without getting wet.  
But all my effort to remain dry (the rain had stopped some time ago) was
for nought as the trail then went through another stream that did not
have big rocks to step across - but the base of the falls were just ahead
and I had to continue on.  Standing in soggy socks and shoes, I looked
up at the falls and said, "Wow."  At the other end of the park where the
stream fed into the ocean, there were some smaller falls with small pools
of water between them.  I had been looking forward to swimming in those
pools and under the falls, but I wasn't able to as the stream was
overflowing due to the earlier rain.  Dang.  I returned to Hana where I
had rented a studio condo for the night that was right on the beach.  The
beach was a black sand beach and I quickly learned to be weary of those.
They may look pretty, but before you hit the black sand, you cross the
small stones and there are stones in the water - not something to walk
around barefoot on, and I love walking around barefoot.  Hana is a small,
isolated town where everything shuts down in the evening.  The only
restaurant is associated with the only and expensive hotel in the town.
So I opted for pizza bagels from the grocery store and called it a very
early night (I was tired).
 
I got up very early to watch the stunning sunrise while sitting on the
beach.  I then headed over to the Red Sand Beach that I had heard about.
It is an isolate beach that you have to hike a small trail along a
cliffside to reach.  The trail wasn't as bad as I feared (the article
talked about wanting to get on hands and knees and crawl, but I never got
that level of fear) and I was rewarded with an awesome sight.  The red
cliffs form a cove with a red sand beach and the gentle blue water (there
is a rocky barrier in the water at the head off the cove, so the water in
the cove is calm).  I went down and swam for a while in peaceful
isolation.  I also found out that red sand beaches have the same problem
that black sand beaches do, but I had my water shoes with me.  After less
than an hour, I head for my next destination.  I hiked a somewhat short
trial in the Hana bay that went out near the unmanned lighthouse.  It was
a pleasant little trail.  I then packed up my things and went down the
road to Wai'anapanapa State Park.  In the park, there is a series of caves
formed from old lava tubes with a stream running through them.  And you
can go swimming in them.  They looked very neat, but after getting knee
deep I discovered a couple of problems: the water was ice cold and once
you move around a little bit, the lovely smell of sulfur arises.  I
snapped a couple of pictures and continued on.  Also in the park is part
of the old King's Highway Coastal Trail, which used to go around the
entire island.  I hiked that a ways to the southwest and was memorized by
the many gorgeous coastal views with the green of the plants, the
harshness of the cliffs, and the blue of the water.  After returning to my
starting point, I hiked a short ways along the trail to the northeast.  It
was a rough, hot trail through a lava field.  I then soaked my feet in the
water at the park's black beach for a little bit.  My adventure continued
as I headed off to try to find a local swimming spot.  I turned off the
main road and headed down a little one-lane road (and one-lane in Maui
means that when a car approaches from the other direction, the two of you
pull over to the right as far as you can and pass each other slowly) for a
couple of miles.  I eventually came to the Blue Pool.  I had to walk
through a stream and over some rocks and there it is.  A good size pool of
water at the base of a small waterfall.  I was in heaven.  I swam around
in the pool and got under the fall.  There was another couple there and
the lady told me that there was another swimming area under larger falls
at the end of the road and a short walk down the shore.  They also pointed
out the land based trail to take back to my car instead of having to
trudge through the stream.  I thanked them and swam around a little longer
before going to the place they told me about.  I got to the end of the
road and started walking across the large bolders of the shore.  The area
did not appear right away and I nearly turned around before I looked up to
the left.  There were three very tall falls coming down up ahead.  I got
to the pool under the falls and had it all to myself.  It was amazing -
the highlight of my trip.  I really can't describe the experience.  I
didn't stay too long, though, as I needed to start my long drive back to
the other side of the island.  The road from Hana was a pretty drive back,
but I only stopped a couple of times to snap pictures.  I returned to
Wailea in time to watch the sunset with Jack and Pam.  We then went and
had I nice dinner.  They had taken the bike ride down the outside of
Haleakala volcano that day and laid-out.  I was surprised to hear that
they had done the Hana road the day before (Jack has a bad back and they
weren't sure he could take that long of a drive).  They didn't enjoy it as
much as I did - Jack called it the road from hell (they went later than I
did and did rain hard on them).  After dinner, I came back and crashed.
 
I got up early on Sunday morning and walked the beach and the walk way
for where there was no beach for two hours.  I had scheduled the day for a
day of rest, but I wanted to do something.  So, I decided to do the 2 mile
section of the King's High Coastal Trail that went through a lava field to
the south side of the island.  Jack and Pam went scuba diving and said
they'd be back around 10 am.  I got to the parking area where the road
turns to dirt (rentals aren't allowed on the dirt roads and the trail was
about a mile ahead) and found that there were a lot of cars and people in 
the area.  I was wondering what they were all doing there (it was an out 
of the way place), when a guy with a kayak rack asked me if I wanted to go 
swimming with the dolphins.  I said that I was there for the trail and
started walking up the shore.  I saw a couple of boats and kayakers a
little ways out in the water and then saw something pop out of the water.
And then another with a spiral spin.  So, I stood and watched the dolphins
for a little bit.  I thought that Jack and Pam would enjoy this and it was
almost 10, so I went back to the condo to wait for them.  They had not
returned by the time I got back to the condo and I went down to the beach
for a little bit.  Unfortunately they didn't get back until 11:30.  We had
a quick lunch and then headed back to where I was earlier (in separate 
cars).  Everyone was gone and, sadly, so were the dolphins.  They headed 
back to snorkel some and lay out and I went on and hiked the trail.  I was 
very happy that the sun went away for my hike as lava trails get very hot 
and there is no shade (and I had a small burn from the day before).  It is
not often that you are happy to see clouds in paradise.  The trail went 
through the lava flow that was the remains of the last volcano eruption on 
Maui in 1790.  Despite the fact that there was no change in elevation, it 
was a rough trail to hike due to the trail consisting purely of fist size 
or larger lava rocks.  After 2 miles I reached the end of the flow and a 
small beach.  There are no paved roads on that side of the island.  I 
could see the two volcano mounds of the big island of Hawaii off in the 
distance.  I headed back and arrived at the condo with about an hour to 
clean up and rest before we needed to leave for the luau.  Not 
surprisingly, the luau really wasn't to my tastes - it was very kitschish.
We received a shell necklace as part of our admission and they started off
with a coconut opening demonstration.  The guy who did the demonstration 
was very funny; he said that he had been a comedian for about 12 years.  
They then had a short demonstration of Hawaii games and then the dinner 
buffet.  The food was not very good.  The dances were interesting to 
watch, but they were spaced apart by a poor lounge singer, who was the MC 
and he would occasionally burst into song.  I got up and walked over to 
the beach during one of his songs.  When we returned to the condo, I 
crashed as I had to get up at 3 am for my drive up the volcano.

If you think that 3 am sounds bad, Jack and Pam had to get up at 1:30 am
for their bike ride.  The ride up the volcano in the dark was not a
pleasant experience.  You go up 10,000 feet on a road full of switchbacks.
I got up to the top and walked up to near the observation deck (my
flashlight came in handy).  I sat outside for a bit and just looked at the
many wondrous stars.  I've always liked star gazing and it is not
something you can really do in a city.  I then went and sat for an hour in
front of the observation deck facing east.  I was very greatful to Pam for
her suggestion of bringing a blanket.  It was freezing.  A crowd had
gathered for the sunrise and we watched the clouds, which we were above,
turn pink, then orange, then yellow.  The sun slowly appeared and then
everyone left.  I could again see the two mounds of Hawaii in the
distance.  I went down to the visitors center parking lot and dethawed for
an hour.  Now I was ready for my big hike.  There is a trail that goes
down to the volcano floor and a series of trails that lace the crater
floor.  The trail itself wasn't that exciting as it was a sandy or
gravelly trail which isn't that fun to hike on, but the scenery was
stunning.  With the desolate floor speckled with a number of large cinder 
cones, it seemed like I was on an orange moon.  It took me and hour and a
half to get down to the floor of the crater with a change of elevation of
2,500 feet.  I knew it was going to be a struggle to hike back up to the
top.  I hiked around the floor for two and a half hours and enjoyed the
different landscapes.  The volcano wall to the south was green with plants
and there was small lava flow that a section of the trail went through.  I
hiked around several of the cinder cones and saw the "bottomless pit" - it
was actually 60 feet deep.  The hike back out was as bad as I expected.  
After almost three hours of going up and occassionally resting for short 
bits, I finally reached the top.  The clouds had started rolling in during
my climb and the last half mile was done through the base of a cloud.  The 
volcano had one more surprise for me as I saw a several ne'ne birds along
side the road.  The ne'ne is state bird of Hawaii and they only reside at 
the volcano.  I had hiked 10 or 11 miles during the day.  I returned to 
Wailea and took my needed shower and found out that I had been fried and 
had some interesting burn lines.  Midway above my thighs and my ankles and
feet are white.  The rest was red and now is peeling.  I went to a store 
in town and bumped into Jack and Pam (they had gone scubaing again).  Jack 
discovered that they sold the shell necklaces like the ones we received at
the luau and was peeved to see that they were selling for 39 cents.  We 
went back and watched the sunset.  Dinner turned out to be a major event.
A friend of theirs had recommended Mama's Fish House for lunch.  Jack 
decided that we should go there for dinner - be careful when letting Jack 
choose restaurants.  We arrived and Jack said, "I think this is going to 
be expensive."  Well, we were on vacation, so what the heck.  That was 
the most expensive meal I had ever had.  Our total bill beat out the luau.
The food was very good, though.  The pineapple that came with my chicken 
was heavenly.  [Neither restaurant I went to during my visit served 
shrimp or crab.  The only seafood I had was the first night at a hamburger
joint.]  I found out as we were leaving that I had eaten at my first 5 
star restaurant.  Upon arriving back at the condo, I did my usual 
crashing.
 
I got up early and did my last walk along the beach.  It was supposed to
be my day of rest following my big hike, but laying out on the beach or
swimming in the water wasn't really an option with my painful burn - it
hurt whenever the sun touched my legs.  Jack and Pam spent the day
snorkeling.  I decided to visit the scenic Iao Valley, drive around some,
and do a little tourist shopping.  Iao Valley is a very green valley 
with mountains on three sides.  It was beautiful.  Unfortunately the 
road only goes a short way into the valley.  If I ever return to Maui, I 
would suck up the guts and take a helicopter ride through the area.  I had
promised my body that I wouldn't, but I just couldn't help myself.  I came
across a trail I had read about and just had to hike it.  It was a little
one-person width dirt trail going up into the valley and it was the kind
of trail that I love.  Ground ferns were along part of the trail and their
stiff little twigs kept brushing against my very sensitive legs.  I had to
turn around after 45 minutes due to being tired, in pain, and hungry.
Hiking that trail would be at the top of my list of things to do if I ever
return.  After an exciting lunch at McDonalds, I drove around the west 
side of the island for an hour or two.  It wasn't anything worth talking
about.  I then went to the Lahaina shopping area.  It was your typical 
seaside tourist area - lots of t-shirt shops and interesting little 
nick-nack shops.  I enjoyed strolling along there for an hour and treated 
myself to homemade coconut-macadami nut-fudge ice cream.  Mmmm.  I 
returned to the condo and we packed up and headed for the airport around 
5:30 pm.  Our flight to Honolulu left at 7 and then our flight to San 
Francisco left at 9:45 pm.  After changing planes in San Francisco and 
Denver, we finally arrived in Dallas at 1:30 pm local time - 8:30 am 
Hawaii time.  Gag.  I don't sleep well on planes and only slept 4 or 5 
hours.  I finally caught up on my sleep last Friday when I went to bed at 
5:30, woke up for 30 minutes around 9:30, and then woke up at 7:30 am.  I 
was tired.

So, there you have the details of my gorgeous, restful Hawaii vacation.
Okay, how about my gorgeous, exciting, eventful Hawaii vacation.  
What?  You're supposed to relax on vacations?  Isn't that what work is
for?


patricia