Maui Day 4 - Pure Beauty

Thursday (January 30th) dawned bright and lovely.  Bryce and I packed up the convertible, and left for Hana early.  With the warm air blowing through the car, and lots of sunscreen slathered on, we started down the famed road.  Before we left for our trip, we had people tell us we didn't really need to drive the road to Hana - that it was just a road.  Those people are idiots.  This is the closest we came to experiencing the real island.  Now, that being said, I won't say that the narrow, winding road - one lane in spots - isn't a tad nerve-wracking.  But the stops along the way?  Exquisite. 

One of our favorites was the black sand beach we stopped at about half-way there.  The combination of blue water, black rock, and green leaves was so striking and stunning.

We continued our way down the road to the Pipiwai Trail and Waimoku Falls.  I'm not going to lie - this part got a little tricky.  It became pretty warm, and we were running out of time before our luau started.  I also had not really broken in the shoes I wore on the trail, which was pretty muddy because of the rain.  I may or may not have become whiny like a small child.  "Are we there yet?"  "My feet hurt."  "I'm TIRED!"  Despite my complaining, the trail was incredible, especially the section leading through the bamboo forest.  I have never experienced anything like it - the bamboo was so thick, only a little sunlight filtered through.  As the wind blew, the bamboo knocked together.  It was so lovely. 

We rushed back down the trail, and hopped in the car.  We blazed through the unpaved section of road and came out on the south side of the island, which is flanked by rolling lava fields and waving grasses.  It was so stunning.

We raced back to Lahaina and made it back just in time for our luau.  I had pictured myself in one of my flowing maxi dresses, make-up perfectly in place, with my gorgeous luau around my neck.  Instead, I flopped down in my seat in my stinky clothes I had worn hiking and in the car all day; my swimsuit underneath digging uncomfortably, and my hair greasy and flat. 

Not the most romantic of moments.

However, the luau was so beautiful...and blessedly dark...that no one noticed.  This luau was not a buffet - instead servers brought the food to our tables.  We had courses from the various islands represented in the performances - Hawaii, Tonga, Samoa, and New Zealand.  It was so much fun to try different foods and watch the dancers. 

We certainly appreciated the sun and enjoyed every moment of time we had!