Fish Tales

The following day, we were up with the birds. An interesting aside: there was a bird that I heard early mornings who had a call like a car alarm. Here is a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir6PTumd6dE Probably annoying to those who wanted to sleep in, but I loved it.

We rented a car at 6 am and drove north to Maalaea Harbor, where we boarded a boat to go whale watching with the Pacific Whale Foundation. It was incredible! January through March is prime time for whale watching in Maui. The humpbacks make the journey from Alaska to Hawaii to give birth and mate in the warm waters. The whales can lose 30,000 pounds while migrating, and they are fasting the entire time because there is nothing for them to eat. We learned many interesting facts while on the two hour tour. Then there were the small children on the cruise who saw the first whale and then stated, "I'm done!"

Once we were out in open waters, we were instructed to look for a spout of water as a sign that a whale was there. The captain would drive the boat in a parallel direction with the whale, but legally you can only go within 100 yards when you spot one. Of course, the whale can do whatever he wants and many times will come up right next to a boat.

Using the bow of the boat as 12 o'clock, you called out a location when you saw something, such as 'four o'clock.' We saw a few whales breaching, but that was impossible to catch a photo of. I was lucky to get this photo of a peduncle arch (reason they are called humpbacks).
 

This whale gave us quite a show with about 60 fluke (tail) slaps on the water. The white markings are unique to each whale, similar to a human's fingertip.
 

My favorite was the pectoral slap. I like to think the whale was waving to us!


Next, we headed further north to a state park called Iao Valley. I've read that portions of Jurassic Park were filmed there. I found the entire place to be prehistoric. The parking was extremely limited, like 30 spots. You had to pay $5 to enter the parking lot, but they did not take cash. Of course, we paid and then there were no empty spots. It was ridiculous, as you could not even circle around without leaving the entrance where you paid. We got lucky and saw someone pulling out, just as we were nearly around the circle.

The Iao Needle.  It was here in 1790 at the Battle of Kepaniwai that King Kamehameha I clashed with Maui's army in his quest to unite the islands. Even with Iao Needle serving as a lookout point, Kamehameha defeated Maui's forces in a ferocious battle that ultimately changed the course of Hawaiian history.

What a view!

Paved path and a bridge made the park accessible to all. There were also off-path hikes for the more adventurous that were quite muddy, as you are in the middle of a rainforest in Central Maui.

 Afterwards, we stopped by the Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens, which honor the different cultures that call Maui home.


For lunch, we drove south to Coconuts Fish Café in Kihei. USA Today ranks their 17 ingredient fish tacos as one of the Top 10 Foods in America. This is one order and I had no trouble finishing it. Betty, you may like to know that they also have two locations in Scottsdale. Now I have another reason to visit you!

We spent the rest of the afternoon driving along the southern coast. The road winds right along the water. We ended at Ahihi-Kinau Nature Reserve. Here is where you will find lava rock from the last eruption of the Haleakala volcano.

 My husband and I were blown away by this place. There was something both eerie and beautiful about the location. We spent time exploring separately and together. I sat there and contemplated my life. Like why I don't live somewhere as beautiful as this!