Whirlwind Tour of Maui - Day 4

Day 4 - Sunday

Another action packed day. Today is my last day here and I’m having waaay to much fun to think about leaving.

Leann took us to a “local” place for breakfast called Fran’s Island Grill in Wailuku.

This place was hopping. The super friendly staff took care of everyone though. The Pulled Pork Hash Browns were awesome! If you ever go to Maui make sure to check this place out.

Then we drove up to ‘Iao (Ee-ow) Valley and the Cultural Heritage Gardens. This was set in the West mountains and was an absolutely beautiful area. The Gardens had areas dedicated to each of the nations who had a large amount of immigrants in the late 1800’s early 1900’s who came to work the new Sugar industry on the islands. Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Tongan, Portuguese each had their own building and gardens dedicated to their people.

We then drove up higher near the sacred burial areas; in the 15th century, the remains of chiefs were buried in secret hiding places throughout the valley. Leann was full of great information about the history and folklore of the island. In 1790 this site was where the Battle of Kepaniwai was waged for the unification of the Hawaiian islands. There is some very interesting history to this place!

Next we drove to Lahaina (La-hi-na) on the West side of the island and walked and shopped on Front Street. The Peter Lik Gallery was my favorite on Front Street. This part was fun, but much more “touristy” than other parts of the island. This town was supposed to be a whaling town in the old times, and I was hoping to see some of the old buildings like Cannery row in Monterrey, but there weren’t many vestiges of it left.

Next we went back to Black Rock Beach for more excellent snorkeling. This time we saw two Honus! Now we are 4 for 3!! I love the Sea Turtles and can’t wait to tell my daughters about them when I get home.

Then we went back to the Hula Grill and enjoyed a nice dinner in the evening breeze. Ahh, this is the life!

Then, back to Leann’s place where I had to pack, and to the airport in Kahului. When I went through the agriculture check they took away my Lei - they said it had something in it that couldn’t leave the island. Darn!!

I can’t believe how much we packed into four days. I couldn’t have asked for a better, more interesting tour of the island, food, culture and recreation. We had such a great time - we really hated to leave. Thanks for everything Leann!! We’ll be back!

Here is a link to complete photo album

* Official Hawaiian pronunciations provided by Leann