Hawaii: Day 9 (Maui)

Started out our last day in Maui with a vegan brunch in Upcountry hosted by Moku Roots, a farm that had premises in Lahaina. They made a coconut yogurt and macadamia nut ricotta that were both fantastic with the toasts they made. And the view can't be beat...

Upcountry Maui

After that we started on the road to Hana - I was iffy on it and others have given mixed reviews (one local called it overrated, my Colby donor said it was a highlight of Maui for her on her honeymoon). Dave really wanted to do it because he hadn't done it last time. It's basically a windy oceanside road similar to 101 in California, but more windy and lush.

Road to Hana

Lots of rain means lush rainforest...and moss!

Mossy rock wall on the road to Hana

We were lucky to have a nice day, not just for the views but the turns really are kind of scary sometimes and I was glad it wasn't slick.

Road to Hana

When we got back, we stopped by the beach where surfers like to ride the waves. It was fun to watch them; Dave might try it someday. 

Watching surfers in "the jaws," Ho'okipa Beach

We had time for dinner prior to our flight, but we didn't have reservations and weren't sure what to do. On the one hand, we had heard good things about the poke at the Foodland grocery store. On the other, I wanted some tasty old school Hawaiian fare, similar to Ken's in Hilo. 

Dave suggested trying to walk into Mama's Fish House, one of the most popular restaurants in Maui where I'd failed to obtain a reservation earlier in the week. What do you know - if you go early enough, there are usually seats at the bar! Dave had what he said were the best shrimp of his life, and I had a fish curry (not normally my thing, but it was very tasty). We split a sweet apple banana crisp. Part of the reason we stuffed ourselves is that there is no meal included on our red eye flight. And we did stuff ourselves.

What a great trip. I would come back to Maui if only to do the Upcountry again, but Kauai was our favorite and there were lots of hikes Dave didn't get to do. Everything worked out great, including all the intra-island flights, and if my plane crashes after I finish this post from the airport, you can all laugh at me.

Aloha!