Category Archives: attraction

An Event of a Lifetime

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I had my sister and me booked for an event that was billed as “The Event of a Lifetime”.

Located at the foot of the West Maui Mountains is the show Na Lio.

Promptly at 5 pm 2 shuttle buses would pull up to the front of the resort to take us to the ranch. But which resort? I still had not met our coordinator. All communication had been by phone, text or an itinerary left for me at the front desk.

I finally got an actual address but them I couldn’t find it. Driving around I spotted a post man. Surely he will know where this address is located.

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Turns out he did and the “Pink Pyramid” strikes again. The address I’d been searching for belongs to that big pink resort right next to the Ka’anapali Beach Shores! Once inside we found the ping pong tables and settled in to wait. It wasn’t long.

After being given a lei and  the courtesy photo we all climbed aboard for the short ride to the location where tables were all ready set up and waiting for us.

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After an excellent dinner the show began. Slack Key artist, George Kakumoku, Jr started the action off .

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The show is the story of horses in Hawaii.

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The story is told in song and dance (Hula)

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and with the horses. The 2nd story line is the story of young love that triumphs in the end.

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I’m not sure which was more amazing, the dancers or the horses.

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At the end of the show the riders brought their mounts to the edge of the stage and we were invited to meet them and say hello to the horses. We were given carrots to feed the horses.

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One of the horses liked my lei better than the carrots. He got a big bite of it before I could get it out of his reach. As it was just flowers there was no harm done and the rider and the others standing with me joined me in a good laugh.

Then it was back on the shuttle buses for the return to the resort.

Maui Ocean Center

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One of the “perks” of attending the resort orientations is that they gave nice discounts if you sign up that day.

We knew we wanted to go to the Maui Aquarium so when they gave us a 2 for 1 price and it was valid for a week we jumped at it. Plus they gave us coupons for a gift at the aquarium. With passes in hand we hopped in the car and headed down RT 30. The Aquarium is right on RT 30 next to the Coast Guard station.

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This Aquarium has the world’s largest collections of live Pacific corals. There is a mix of indoor and outdoor displays covering such diverse animals as sharks, turtles, stingrays and other rare marine life found nowhere else in the world.

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Outside there was live entertainment while we looking at the outdoor exhibits and later enjoyed some ice water from the refreshment stand.

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We plan on going back when Kathy gets here but this will be a preview.

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Inside there are great exhibits, from the octopus to the white and black tip reef sharks.

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There are benches strategically placed where you can sit in front of the huge viewing window and relax.

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As we turned one corner we found a crowd sitting in bleachers. They were watching a diver and another employee was narrating. It was really geared to the children who were sitting mesmerized. But as an adult  I can say I enjoyed it too.

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Then it was on to the “Tunnel” which is just a big plastic tube running through the huge tank. Fish, sharks and rays along with the colorful little fish swim over you under you and beside you.

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Gives a nice perspective. The Maui Aquarium is one of the top 25 Aquariums in the US according to trip adviser.

Haleakala

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Leaving the Banyan tree behind we started for Paia. But sitting at a stop light we saw a sign for Haleakala National Park. You guessed it…diversion #2. It was about 10:30 am by now and we thought it would be a just a quick side trip. After all, we weren’t going at sunrise or sunset, the 2 most popular times to visit.

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The airport shuttle driver in Albany had told us that we should make the drive because we could see the whole island from the summit and it would be worth it. As we entered the park a sign warned that there was no gas available in the park. I looked at our gas gauge. It was 1/2 full so I figured that should be enough. The sign also said it was 22 miles.

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Haleakala, aka “House of the Sun”, is a dormant volcano that is famous for its sunrise and the people that take the bike tour to see it. They take a van to the summit and after they watch the sunrise they  bike down the mountain.

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The operative word here being “down”. They really fly! All along the road were warning signs to watch for bikers. There were a few hard core bikers that were going up. I guess there are always going to be a few people that have to do it the hard way!

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We made it to the first check point with no problem. Sandy had a National Park Pass so we only had to stop at the gate to pick up our brochure and show the pass. The entrance fee without the pass is $20.00 per vehicle in 2016. The price is scheduled to go up in 2017  to $25.00.

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2nd stop was at the first visitor center.

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Here we made a rest stop and chatted with the rangers. We learned that the park is home to the Nene, the Hawaiian Goose and state bird. There is a pair that lives near the station but they only come out when it rains to play in the puddles. We didn’t see a Nene but we did see some little birds that seemed to be hunkered down.017

Still we were cautioned to drive slowly. We wouldn’t want to be responsible for the loss of a goose when it’s so endangered.

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Gas check…It looks like we’ve used almost 1/4 of our gas. All this uphill driving must be taking a toll.

 

It’s Just a Little Tree

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We started out to visit the  valley between the west mountains and Haleakala. Then we planned to stop at Mama’s Fish House in Paia. A friend said to have lunch and watch the surfers. On the map it looked like quite a drive so we figured it would be a full day.

Of course we didn’t stick to the plan. Why should we? We’re on vacation.

Our first diversion came in Lahaina. We’d driven through there but didn’t see the huge Banyan Tree. Now I was determined to find it. How can you hide a tree that is said to be 60 ft tall and takes up .66 acres! It’s a whole block! And we didn’t see it??? Maybe we’re blind.

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I found a map with the location of the Banyan Tree and it was right where were were the day before so before we headed out to Paia we headed to Lahaina.

We turned down Prison St so named because there is an old prison built in 1882 to lock up rowdy sailors.

Some of the original rules posted on the prison wall are:

  • Tobacco, opium, or intoxicating drinks may not be used by prisoners unless the physician determines they are necessary for health.
  • Prisoners must not spit on the walls or floor.
  • Singing, whistling, and laughter are prohibited.
  • Prisoners who violate the rules may be flogged, or have their food reduced, or their head shaved.

But back to the Banyan Tree. We parked at the bottom of Prison St. As we left the parking lot on foot we turned right. We walked about 1 block and spotted the tree. Its in a park at the corner of Front St and Canal. I remember driving right past it but I was busy looking at the restaurants and shops to my right and missed the tree all together.

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I’m glad we found it now as it is quite impressive. Planted in 1873,  the tree now has, in  addition to it’s main trunk, 16 secondary trunks of major size. The canopy spreads over more than 1/2 acre.007

It only takes a minute to visit the park unless you get caught up with the vendors who set up stalls in the shade so be sure to add this to your Maui Bucket List.

Mystic Aquarium Part 2

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Yes, I know this has taken me awhile but here it is. How we spent the 2nd half of our trip.

Lunch was at the Penguin Cafe.

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Although there were a few tables inside in the air conditioning they were all taken. Most seating was outside under the big umbrellas. Lunch was simple fast food, hot dogs, fries or onion rings, hamburgers, chicken fingers etc. I think we filled up on drinks because we were all sweating so bad.

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After lunch we headed inside the Aquarium. Here the lighting was subdued. It was crowded. There was a shark/ray touch tank, a jellies display, a large variety of different tanks showcasing the various environments such as river, pond, rain forest etc. All enjoyable and all pretty much the usual fare.

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The Sea Lion Show was  a bit different from the ones I’ve usually seen. It started with a seal being paraded around right in front of the audience and then the show itself seemed to concentrate more on natural behaviors than the contrived tricks you normally see. It was both educational and fun.

From there we went back outside to cross to another building where there was a special display about Frogs and the theater. We watched the Angry Birds short movie (15 minutes) in 4 D so yes, we felt the wind blow and water sprinkled over us while the action on the screen seemed to jump out at us.

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After the movie we exited into the special exhibit area where a shark cage was predominantly displayed so you could take pictures. There was a reptile section with american alligators and the special frogs exhibit. Getting photos of the frogs was hard because of the crowds around each display. I tried to get a picture of the poison tree frogs , both tiny and brightly colored, but it was very difficult through the glass of their terrariums.

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Following the Frog Exhibit we headed back outside, through the marsh again. The frogs and turtles were still hanging out but we didn’t linger. We were headed for the penguin display.

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I made the mistake of going into the air conditioned lower level to see the penguins as they swam underwater. When I came back out the heat and humidity fogged the camera lens. As far as I know there is nothing to do but wait when that happens. Wiping it off doesn’t seem to work.

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Sadly it was still fogged when we went past the Northern Fur Seal exhibit and Mr. Seal was posing and grooming on a rock.

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It made it impossible to get  clear photos. I was surprised how big Mr. Fur Seal is. For some reason I always thought they were smaller animals.

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One last stop at the Beluga exhibit and it was time to leave. I think everyone was tired from the heat but it was a good, relaxing day. Well worth the drive.