Island #3 - Maui

I had arranged a one-day car rental, so on arrival in Maui we were on our way to explore the island. Our plan had been to drive to the summit of the Haleakala crater but it was obvious that the top was in thick cloud, possibly fog, so we abandoned that plan as it apparently is a treacherous drive on a clear day. Instead we drove to the North coast to Ho'Okipa Beach Park to check out the surfers, windsurfers and kiteboarders. Not as exciting as the action on the North Shore of Oahu but still amazing. From there we drove Upcountry around the base of the volcano. This area was so lush and green. We went to the end of the highway to visit Maui Wine for a free tasting of 3 of their wines, which we enjoyed so much that we bought a bottle of their Maui Splash (similar to a pinot grigio with a splash of pineapple juice!). The grounds were beautiful. Several cypress trees had been damaged by a hurricane so they hired a carver to create interesting sculptures from the remainder of the trees. The huge banyan tree was so smooth it almost didn't feel real.Read more