An Easy Day in Lahaina on Maui

What is this strange sight? A Coast Guard helicopter which plucked a passenger off our moving ship at night. When you hear a "bing bong" indicating a message is being broadcast in your cabin in the middle of the night, you know it isn't something good. While I was wondering if we were about to be given a command to abandon ship, the captain announced that he was sorry to disturb us, but a passenger was being evacuated and we were all to stay off our balconies while the operation was in effect. You could hear the helicopter circling the ship several times, before successfully dropping a line and basket to bring the person on board the helicopter. As we listened to the helicopter disappear into the darkness, the captain came back to say the successful evacuation was over. Go back to sleep? Not for a while.

It turns out the woman passenger had a stroke and could not wait until we docked in Lahaina in the morning. I hope she had a full recovery.

After that excitement, we sailed into Lahaina on a cloudy morning.

The clouds were looking a little ominous in this direction, as the tender boats were brought out to transfer passengers to shore.

They did a few runs before passengers were allowed on board. At one point they were gone so long, we were sure something was amiss, but eventually tendering got underway.

Heading ashore...

A beautiful "God sky"...

Safely ashore with no plans for the day...

We wandered toward the famous banyan tree, which had so amazed us on our last visit. We went by the courthouse...

And here is the magnificent tree. It was planted in 1873 to mark the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first Protestant mission. It has grown to a height of 60 feet and has rooted into 16 other major trunks.

Jim and Kim at the banyan tree...

Some pretty impressive trunks...

Trying to get a panoramic of it. This is all from one tree!

Boat Day! Somehow I have a feeling this sign never comes down.

We watched an artist...

And wandered down the main street past this old motorcycle...

Margaret and Mike have learned to put up with my "just one photo..."

I took a picture of this house for no reason other than it was very different from anything around it. Turns out it is Wo Hing Museum, which began as a meeting place for Chinese immigrants who were brought in to build tunnels and irrigation systems though the mountains. They needed a place to socialize and this house was built in 1912. In 1983, recognizing the need to preserve this part of its history, Lahaina restored the house and turned it into a museum.

We decided to have a snack and a drink. Pretty! Cruise ship days are crazy for the local restaurants and bars, as is evidenced by the multi-tasking bartender in the background.

After hearing so much about shave (not shaved) ice, we decided to give it a try. We were sort of disappointed as it really just seemed like a snow cone. However, in checking this place on-line afterward, he gets many great reviews, so I think we were expecting too much.

Drink it with a straw at times or eat it with a spoon. I think Jim was wondering how he got finagled into holding mine!

It was getting pretty choppy now and we decided to head back to the ship. Not a short ride in the tenders...

After a bit of a rough ride (up and down and crashing on the waves), we arrived back on board, slightly damp and happy with our little tour.

I was walking around the deck when I spotted two tour boats and was pretty sure they were watching a whale. I ran back to the cabin to get my camera and sure enough...just in time to see it.

Amen for the super zoom on my new camera...

We watched the last of the tenders arriving...

These passengers were looking pretty relaxed and happy. The tenders can hold 120 passengers. You'd be very cozy with each other!

With our four visits to different islands over, it was time to head back into sea days. Jim's favourite place on any cruise...

The sun going down...

I'm guessing this was most likely after a bottle of wine. We look quite giddy, but happy!

Sea days ahead and our last stop, a mandatory port of call in Ensenada, Mexico.

The Beautiful Island of Kauai

Sailing into Nawiliwili (I love saying that name!) on Kauai to a beautiful sunrise and start of a new day.

Past the outer islands...

Around the breakwater...

Another skinny panoramic...

The port looks so tiny with these mountains as a backdrop.

This looked like a veil covering the mountain...

Aloha, Kauai!

Today we were taking a tour to the Waimea Canyon. Margaret and Mike had opted for an 8 hour tour that would take them to Fern Grotto and a bunch of other sites. Having done most of those on our last trip, we opted for a more leisurely 4 hours. A beautiful golf course...

So clean...

Our route for the day with a detour down to Spouting Horn Park...

There were lots of buses, but I was more interested in these beautiful azaleas...

Not too crowded considering how many buses were there...

That's cool! The waves are forced under the lava shelf and up through an opening. Depending on the tide, the water can spout up to 50 feet!

I might have taken a few (wink!) photos...

Our transportation for the day...there were 8 of us so it was very comfortable and our lady guide was excellent.

Past another golf course...(or it might have been the same one!)

And a stop at a lookout...

Waimea Canyon is called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific...

It's about 3000 feet deep...that's a deep canyon!

Back in the bus as we headed to a more scenic part of the canyon. We went past this Zen temple, a place for those to escape the busyness of life and learn more of the teachings of Buddha.

Beautiful farmland as we started uphill...

This yellow tree was stunning, not done any justice by this photo.

Climbing higher...

A girl hiking up. Go, girl! This red soil reminded me of PEI. Waimea is Hawaiian for "reddish water."

Getting there...

Our driver was very good and appreciated how hard it is to drive the big buses on these hilly, windy roads.

At the official lookout...

Chickens!

Oh my...look at that view and look at the colours. Spectacular!

So this crazy guy is standing on the very edge and decided to sit down and scoot further.

I think he gave himself quite a scare, because all of a sudden he was scooting backwards as fast as he could. Seriously, there was nothing to stop him from falling. Our guide just shook her head. He dusted off his hands like it was nothing, but I bet his heart was pounding. His girlfriend just kept talking on her phone...

Our guide asked who had been to the Grand Canyon and which we liked better. They are both pretty dramatic.

The canyon is 10 miles long and about 3000 feet deep.

A lovely, relaxing day...

The photos never do it justice...

Oh course, I took a million photos, which all looked alike!

Erosion...another reason why that guy was particularly lucky not to start an avalanche and disappear.

Nature is...grand!

The many faces of the canyon...

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I mean...parking lot...

A family! Come on...that's cute!

Heading back down as our guide told us how they reacted when there was a recent false missile alert. They were really scared and, until the second message 38 minutes later saying it was a false alarm, they were pretty much in panic mode calling family and friends.

Beautiful farm land...one of their biggest crops is seed corn, which is exported to mainland United States.

The neat architecture of the Lihue Civic Center...

The museum...

And the county building which dates back to the early 1900s...

Our tour was over and it was time to leave Kauai. The tugboat escorting us out of port...

Great work if you can get it!

Picture several hundred people on their balconies watching you as they sail away. What do you do? Mug for the cameras!

A plane arriving...

A wooden sailing ship...

Awww...people on shore waving.

This guy...not so much!

Sailing out past the golf course. These people are brave. Maybe those waves aren't as close as they appeared.

Wow...now that's a club house! It also includes what looks like condos...

Beautiful backdrop for a golf course...

The tugboat was finished its official duty of escorting us and began pulling 360s...

Whee!

Past the lighthouse...

And out to sea...

Tomorrow we'll be in our last Hawaiian port...Lahaina on Maui.