Pictures Worth a Thousand Words

It was my intentions to blog continuously while we were in Maui. Unfortunately we didn't have a stable WiFi source for the laptop! Our sneaky WiFi stealing from the neighbour only worked for a couple of days. After that, it crapped out on us, and we were internet-less.

Our week in Hawaii was very picturesque. As a result, I'm going to rely heavily on photos for the next few posts. I'm sure you won't be disappointed!

Sunday, July 11, 2010.

Our holiday started for "real" on Sunday after Jeff, Shauna and Billy joined Tom, Ashley, Steve and I at the house the previous night. After a good night of rest, we began the day with some early morning snorkeling.

Shauna, Jeff, Ashley, Steve and Billy gear up for our first snorkel.

We all swallowed a lot of salt water (the water was a little choppy). Unlike when we were in Australia, Jeff did not swallow enough to make himself sick. We saw a huge variety of fish, and some of the group also saw a turtle! No one drowned (i.e. I didn't drown), and neither Ashley or Shauna (formerly YMCA lifeguards) had to perform a heroic rescue or CPR.

By noon we were baked by the sun. Literally. Shauna and Jeff followed Tom in their pursuit of becoming full-on human lobsters. SPF 30 was no match for the intensity of the Hawaiian sun.

Our next stop were the lava fields near Kihei. The lava field formed millions of years ago when the island of Maui was still forming over the "hot spot" which is currently beneath the Big Island. The eruption caused lava to ooze down the slopes of Haleakala (the volcano) towards the ocean.

The sprawling lava field.

Lava field meets ocean.

Billy, Jeff and I documenting our experiences.

The obligatory group photo. After Tom ruined take #1 and #2, Billy was pissed for take #3.

On our way home from the lava field we stopped to check out Big Beach. This particular beach is known more for it's extensive length, and body surfing waves. None of us were properly equipped to enjoy the waves, but the sand was soft and fine.

Ashley and Shauna chase Tom's footprints.

From our seats in the sand, we watched tiny crabs pop up from their holes. They didn't like us much (we kept scaring them), but Jeff managed to catch one little guy in the act!

A crab emerges from his hiding-hole.

By the end of the day (and basically every day in Hawaii) we were exhausted from the heat and activity. We headed to bed early in preparation for our next day.

Monday, July 12, 2010.

Travelling convoy style, we spent Monday tackling the Road to Hana. The Road to Hana is a winding stretch of highway that accesses the east side of the island through narrow lanes, and approximately 45 one-lane bridges. The east side of the island offers a variety of scenery, which Billy declared to be "wicked awesome," including lush rainforest, blacksand beaches and waterfall after waterfall.

Jeff tails us in the Rubicon.

"Wicked awesome" views.

Along the way, we also stopped to take a tour through some underground lava tubes.

Daylight streaming into the underground lava tube.

Black sand beach in Wai'anapanapa State Park.

Three Bears (Waikani) Falls.

The day was not complete until we stuffed our faces with delicious (famous) banana bread sold at roadside stands along the road to Hana. Jeff and Shauna camped overnight in the state park, so Billy, Steve and Tom crammed into the backseat of the tiny Ford Focus. Why wasn't *I* in the backseat, you ask? Well, I was drugged up on Dramamine (motion sickness medication), so I got the coveted front passenger seat while Ashley drove us home.

Yet another day came to an exhausting close.

Stayed tuned for more photos!