Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Maui in April, part IV

Kihei cove is an excellent spot for beginner surfing, and that's where we headed one morning, with our nephews Ben and Todd in tow.
I have to say, my husband was a champ this trip. For a surfer, he was very unfocused on finding his own surf (and he loves surfing in Hawaii). He drove up to Kahului one day and rather than choosing his preferred type of board, he rented one that would be good for his family to use--those of us who are rusty, and those of us who had never tried before. He then spent the entire morning teaching his nephew, Todd, to surf. After a quick tutorial on the sand about how to stand up after catching the wave, they were out in the water. Jeremy helped him time the waves just right and get the speed to catch them, but this boy stood up and rode a wave the very first try! He rode tons of waves! We were thrilled for him.


And then Jeremy watched me surf for the first time since Finn's birth. It was pretty fun even though the waves could have been mistaken for ripples. It was a perfect reintroduction, and I honestly don't think I could have caught bigger or faster waves at this point.

And then he took Finn out to see what he thought.


I think he had more fun getting his legs buried in the sand by his cousin Ben, and later having a naked romp in the sand and water.



A little later that morning Todd went out again to wow his parents with his new mastery (they had been on aforementioned snorkel trip earlier in the morning). Again, he caught wave after wave.
After Finn's nap we caravaned over to Lahaina where we had seriously the best shave ice ever.
We waited in a fairly reasonable line, you know, throwing gang signs like you do...

Oh boy.

We walked over to the water's edge to dig in. Perfection. Again, I got the mochi and sweet cream with mine. This time my flavors were mango and passion fruit. A. mazing.


Our next stop was the Ka'anapali area where our destination was Black Rock for cliff jumping. Finn had a bit of a meltdown back at the beach since we had gone off to sea without him.
Jeremy mid-air, as Liz prepares
Air-borne Liz
Such a fun day.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Maui in April, part III


We highly recommend going on a snorkel trip to Molokini crater. The water had amazing visibility. We could see all the way to the bottom, and as such, saw and followed two sharks! We also saw an octupus and a few eels. The fish were, of course, plentiful and vibrant. Jeremy and I chose this day and the Maui Dive Shop's (S. Kihei Road location) trip out of Kihei because of my propensity for sea sickness. The boat trip out of Kihei was much shorter than a lot of the trips that go out of Lahaina. Jeremy checked the surf report and buoy readings to get an idea of when the ride would be the least choppy, and that's why we went this particular day. I didn't feel the slightest bit sick--it is nice to have a sea watcher on my team. The Maui Dive Shop tour ($60 per person) lasts 3 hours, includes stops at Molokini and Turtle town. The 7 am trip was perfect--we were the first boat of snorklers there and were gone before the droves came in from Lahaina. We were lucky enough to go on this trip with Jeremy's dad, whose enthusiasm made it even more exciting. It is a great memory for us.



Our next stop was turtle town. I love sea turtle (honu, in Hawaiian). Watching them glide through the water just fills me with peace. We saw three different turtles. Glenn was so enamoured that he followed one almost to the next bay. The captain's assistant had to go retrieve my father-in-law, who hadn't even realized how far away he'd gone.


We returned to find that Finn had slept in till almost 8:30. What?!? That's 11:30 CA time! Anyway, it was great because we packed up and joined the rest of the family at a nearby beach that was wonderful for kids (I believe it was Mokapu beach). The waves were super gentle.


We ate lunch there and then headed home for Finn's nap. When he woke up we were eager to introduce him to Hawaiian shave ice. We went to Local Boyz, in Kihei. We picked some awesome flavors (coconut and melon) and got mochi and sweet cream with it. Ugh. Want some now.

Finn is a kid who loves eating plain ice cubes. We went lolo for shave ice!

We spent the afternoon and evening playing at the pool and having BBQ burgers poolside. We found one situation where Finn will relax and kick back...the hot tub! His lounging cracked us up.


After the pool we followed Glenn out to the water's edge to catch the sunset.

I am so very glad I captured this series documenting Glenn and Finn's relationship as these are their last photos together. I only wish the lighting had been better.


I should point out that Finn rarely lets me hold his hand. I have to force him when crossing the street. I love that he willingly took his grandpa's hand and followed him.


That night we all gathered in one of the condos to have a family night. Glenn taught his grandsons an important life lesson and we just hung out together. Pretty special.



Monday, July 25, 2011

Maui in April, part II


That afternoon we packed up a picnic lunch and headed up to Iao Needle State Park. This area has a very short hike to good views of the Iao Needle and surrounding steep, green peaks. The whole hike is on stairs and paths. It really is quite beautiful. The hike is great because people of all fitness levels can enjoy it, and little kids have no problem either.



There is a little area that shows how native Hawaiians did some farming, planting their taro root in pools of water. All in all, this was a pleasant hike and perfect for our big family group of all ages.





Of course Finn mostly just enjoyed being with all those people who love him.

Afterwards we hopped back in the car and drove the ~1/2 mile distance to some botanical gardens that had a big picnic area. We ate our lunches and the boys had a blast running around the grass and rock area. Finn took in the sights, like a dog doing its business.



It was a super hot day. I think Finn was about to have heat stroke from all the running around, and as soon as we figured that out (cue: beet red face, sweat-drenched, lethargic) he drank about 12 oz water in one breath. It really was a lovely place, and I wish we'd been able to explore more of it with everyone else, but Finn needed a breather.


We took our leave and headed back to the condo to attempt another nap. The condo next to ours was being cleaned and with all the noise, Finn just wouldn't fall asleep. Nor would he fall asleep in the car on the drive we took. So we stopped off at Ka'anapali and cooled our sweaty selves in the ocean. Well, at least Jer and Finn did. I, alas, had forgotten my suit.

We found that spray sunscreen makes great hair product.

The day finished nicely with dinner and a walk at the beach back at the condo.