Tuesday morning we had planned on taking a snorkel trip with the Pacific Whale Foundation to Molokini and the Turtle arches, but they were fully booked so we moved that to Wednesday morning. Instead, we decided to visit the Alexander and Baldwin Sugar Museum. A small museum, detailing the history of sugar production on the island and showing living conditions as well as the tools of the trade and the history of the Alexander and Baldwin company. It is a small museum, but worth a visit if you have a couple of hours and any interest in the island’s main crop; in 2001 the single sugar mill opposite the museum produced 5% of the US’ cane sugar, and 7% of Maui’s electricity.

Our first day of snorkelling, just off the beach at Kapalua Bay. We rented snorkel gear from the hotel’s beach activities store (right on the beach), and before you’re even waist deep in the water you are surrounded by fish. The reef extends down both sides of the bay, although the right hand side (looking out to sea) was much better. Also, the further out you go, the more impressive the corals get – inshore they seem to be suffering a little from human contact.

There are also sea turtles in the bay, although we did not see them; talking to people around the pool in the evening, several had seen them that day. Keep your eyes open if you swim there!

Mid-afternoon we took a break from the snorkelling, and went down to Whalers Village to pick up the marathon certificates and DVD (which we had not been expecting), then back up for some more snorkelling. I think we spent about three hours in the water total, and saw a lot of different fish, including Hawaii’s state fish, the Humuhumu-Nukunuku-Apua’a, or reef triggerfish.

Finally, a relaxing evening around the hotel’s pool area, waiting for the sunset and testing out the hammocks, which is where the photo of the sandals came from (oh, and our feet in them of course).

Sunday evening, just as the marathon award ceremony (complete with free beer and pizza) was ending, the sunset over Ka’anapali beach was perhaps the best we saw while in Hawaii. Of course, there was a mad dash to get photos of it, but I managed to sneak out the back way and walk through the Westin‘s pool area to get this shot from a relatively uncrowded area.

Sunday morning, marathon morning, we were up early. The bus from the finish to the full marathon start left at 3:30am. Since I was only doing the half marathon, and that started at the finish line, that left me a couple of hours at Whalers Village with nothing much to do. Starbucks turned up just before the start with large containers of hot coffee though, which was very welcome; Starbucks and Jamba Juice were sponsors of the event, and both were handing out free drinks to finishers.

The photo is the sunrise over Lahaina harbour. I stopped to grab a few photos of it using my girlfriend’s Canon S500 (she banned me from carrying the larger camera in case I spent too much time taking photos!). It was full moon the weekend of the marathon, and that is the moon you can see in the photo, not the sun.

… at the same park as the Waianapanapa caves there is also a black sand beach. The sand is not as soft as the regular sand on Maui, and there are a lot of pebbles higher up the beach, but it is black sand for sure.

On the outskirts of Hana, almost at the end of the famous road to Hana (where else is the journey the attraction and not the destination?), is a small park with a trail down to a cave with a story:

Once upon a time a Hawaiian princess named Popoalaea fled from her cruel husband, the chief Kakae. She hid on a ledge just inside the underwater entrance to this cave. A faithful serving maid sat across from her fanning the princess with a feather kahili symbol of royalty. Noticing the reflection of the kahili in the water the chief discovered Popoalaea’s hiding place and killed her. At certain times of the year tiny red shrimp appear in the pool, turning the water red some say it is a reminder of the blood of the slain princess.

But that’s not all there is to see at this park…

Beautiful Wailea beach (this section outside the Four Seasons resort). We took things a little easier on day 3, heading down to Wailea after a slightly later start. We had intended to go to Hana, but decided that we would wait a day on that, and instead check out the Wailea resort, Kihei and then in the afternoon drop by the marathon expo to pick up our registration packs (including the number bibs).

While my girlfriend took advantage of the beach walk to get in her final training run for Sunday’s marathon (around 3 miles), I strolled along the beach walk, starting at the Four Seasons resort which was next to the beach parking lot we had chosen, taking photos.

After her run, we spent a little time on the beach and had our first swim in the ocean; although the red flags were still up, plenty of people were in the water at Wailea and for the most part it was calm. Every now and again though a big wave would come roaring in just to remind you that the sea is in charge on the beach.

Lunch was at Cheese Burger Mai Tais & Rock N Roll in the Shops at Wailea shopping mall. Then we drove back through Kihei to the marathon expo at Whalers Village.

After Iao Valley, we headed back towards the hotel, but rather than taking the main highway (Hwy 380 to Hwy 30), we went up the north-east coast road towards Kahakuloa.

Not far into the journey the road becomes a single lane with passing places. It is also switchbacks around the edge of the cliffs, and frequently small bridges making it slow going.

About two thirds of the way there we came across the Kaukini Gallery. Stopping there we bought a t-shirt (“I survived the drive to Kahakuloa, Maui”) and looked around the local art and crafts available.