Beaches and History

I haven't posted in the past few days because we've been so busy, and it's really hard to sit down with a laptop when I'm in a place like Maui! On Tuesday we spent the day wandering beaches and whale watching. My mum is completely fascinated with them, and they pop up literally every glance you take at the water. Right now is calving season, and the mothers and their babies like to stay close to shore. Which gives us the perfect opportunity to be whale watching. It has become a tradition that my parents and I wake up at around 6 a.m and walk down to the beach, where it's quiet and beautiful. Early in the morning is prime time to be whale watching. We walked down many beaches, including Makena State Park (which had a beautiful and rather quiet beach) and my brother and I indulged ourselves in a local classic of shave ice. Its delicious, refreshing, and perfect for this climate. Tuesday was a beautifully sunny day. We drove down the coast to Kaanapali beach, and then ventured to the famous Whaler's Village. On the way home, we stopped in Lahaina, an old town in this area. We walked along the wharf and saw the catch of the day, and I wandered into the local museum, reading up on the history of the town. It's been around since the 1800's and was the Kingdom of Hawaii in its early years. In front of the museum is Banyan Tree Square, where a huge banyan tree sits, planted on April 24, 1873 by Williamm Owen Smith. This was in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the arrival of Christian missionaries. While wandering through the streets of town, I happened across a local carver, who was making beautiful wooden statues. The cultural influence in his pieces was evident, as they had a polynesian look to them. We ended the day, driving back home along the coast and stopping at lookouts on the way. We saw hundreds of whales (no exaggeration there) and also saw a beautiful sunset.

We're off on more adventures, bye for now!

Shave Ice

Makena Beach

Morning Walk on the Beach

Morning Walk on the Beach

Morning Walk on the Beach

Makena Beach

Banyan Tree

Fish on the Wharf (Lahaina)