Hi, everyone!
Before Moose-san and I left Kauai, we had more adventures! First, we got some shave ice for Nancy-san, because she had never had it before. The banana, mango and lilikoi syrup was yummy! On Super Bowl Sunday, we took another walk to Shipwreck Beach. We saw the same seal that was napping the week before on Poipu Beach with a sandy face. She had a sandy face again! Then we saw a baby seal on the rocks by Brennecke’s beach, too! Moose-san and I watched the Super Bowl football game. In Hawaii, it was on right after lunch! The next day, it was time to leave Kauai. Our church friends had just arrived in Kauai, so we gave them our leftover groceries! We took a picnic to Akuhini pier, which is right down the road from the airport. Joe-san and Nancy-san and Moose-san took a flight back home, but Grandma and Grandpa and I flew to Maui, instead!
We are staying in a resort in Kahana, close to the places we’ve stayed before. We eat breakfast on our lanai and there’s a nice beach right in front of the resort buildings! Some afternoons, Grandma and Grandpa and I just sit next to the beach. We can watch the surf and the kite surfers and even watch whales jumping in the Molokai channel! The sunsets are pretty, too!
We don’t sit on the beach all the time! Grandma and Grandpa are taking me back to some of my favorite places on Maui. We had a very sunny day with no clouds right after we arrived, so we drove up to the top of Haleakala volcano. We hiked up the White Hill Trail, then I made more silversword friends at the summit. It was so clear that we could see Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island, over 70 miles away!
On our way down Haleakala, we turned north and went to Paia. I saw a truckload of protea flowers driving through town, then we had pesto pizza for lunch. After that, we stopped at Hookipa Beach to see the surf. The waves were so big that nobody dared try to ride them!
The next day, we took a hike on the Kapalua Coastal trail, just north of us in West Maui. There’s a lava flow along the path with lots of bubbles and sharp edges, called Dragons Teeth. I got stuck in the teeth, but Grandma got me out! There was heavy surf along the Kapalua coast, too! The north end of the Kapalua Coastal Trail ends at D.T. Fleming Beach park. The jet skis the life guards use have special heavy surf attachments!
Yesterday, we went back to the central part of Maui to visit Iao Valley State Monument. This is the site of the final battle when King Kamehameha of the Big Island conquered the warriors of the king of Maui. It’s a very pretty place, but there are a LOT of steps for a little lion to climb to get to the best viewpoint for the volcanic cinder cone, the Iao Needle! The native garden isn’t being tended, but I did manage to make a sugar cane friend. Grandma says this may be my last chance to have a sugar cane friend, because the last sugar cane mill in Hawaii is about to shut down!
On the way back from Iao Valley, Grandma and Grandpa took me to a place I haven’t visited before — the Kealia Wildlife Refuge on Maalaea Bay. This is an area of ponds right by the beach, but a sand plug keeps the water from just draining out with the tide. There is a boardwalk along the ponds, so it was easy to see the birds living there. This Hawaiian stilt has VERY long legs!
Today, we drove down to Lahaina to walk around the old town. There was a craft sale under the banyan tree in the town square, and Grandma found a Christmas ornament she wanted to buy. I liked looking at all the art! We walked up and down Front Street. There were lots of people in town because it’s Boat Day! The liner Queen Victoria is in port and all the passengers are finding things to do ashore. We stopped at my very favorite place to have shave ice in Maui, and maybe anywhere! Grandma got me a banana, mango and lilikoi shave ice, just like we got Nancy-san in Kauai. It was yummy! Guess what? Just as I was finishing up my shave ice, I made a new friend from Great Britain! Hedgehog’s grandma was looking for an aloha shirt for Hedgehog and asked Grandma where I got mine! Grandma told her where to look on the internet to get one. I hope they’re still available, so Hedgehog can have one, too!
Love,
Lion-san
It looks like you are having a great time on Maui! Nancy-san really liked her shaved ice. It is a good thing Grandma rescued you! The stilt did have really long legs and pink ones at that! Enjoy the nice fine weather and it should be warmer when you get back than it has been these last few days!