Maui

Our first shore excursion was “The Road to Hana”, a 9 hour trip along the coast and through the centre of Maui. We boarded the 20 seater bus driven by our tour guide Larry. We have discovered the importance of a good tour guide before and we hit the jackpot with Larry. He first came to Maui at age 15 and fell in love with the island, returning many times to finally settle there. He is passionate and very knowledgeable about the flora, fauna and history of the island. The long trip was lightened by his sense of humour, though a couple of the puns drew groans.

The area around Hana is an idyllic location that has been spared by the effort of its residents, the development that spoils many places. Among its residents are many celebrities. Larry named about twenty on the tour including Willy Nelson, Oprah, Pat Benatar, Kris Kristofferson, Weird Al Yankovich, and Woody Harrelson.

Early residents imported a diverse range of plants to improve the ecoculture so that with every turn into a new valley or gorge there would be a different species of plant.

The contrast between the windward, wet side of the island and the leeward side is staggering with a change from the lushest rainforest to semi-desert as you will see from the photos below.

The trip was made more enjoyable by chatting to fellow passengers.

 

Rainbow Gum

South Wailua Falls

 

Banyan Tree

 

Haleakala National Park

 

 

    

One of the 7 Oheo Gulch pools

 

Leeward side of Maui