When I initially started planning for this cruise, I decided that I had to go to the top of at least one volcano while in Hawaii. It’s just one of those things that must be done, like visiting a sheep ranch in New Zealand or petting a koala in Australia. However, all the descriptions warn that it can be dangerous for folks with heart problems, due to reduced oxygen at high altitudes, and I had bypass surgery about eleven years ago. I had decided to do it anyway but, just to be safe, I chose to visit Haleakala which, at just over ten thousand feet, was the lowest of the volcanic excursions. And today’s the day! It was the first stop on an all-day excursion which included lunch at the Botanical Garden and a visit to Iao Valley State Park. Maui is reputed to be one of the most beautiful of the Hawaiian Islands and, after my disappointing excursion in Hilo, I was looking forward to a great day. I wasn’t disappointed this time!
We arrived early in the morning and dropped anchor around 7:00 am. Tender service is done very efficiently on the Volendam and we were ashore pretty quickly. Greg was also on this excursion and we boarded the tour bus around 8:00 am as scheduled. We learned very quickly that we had a chatty driver who never stopped talking. For a while, it was interesting hearing all the stories, facts and anecdotes. However, as the ride continued, it became more annoying than interesting. So we began to just tune him out as best we could. We saw Haleakala from a distance long before we approached the base of the volcano. Clouds were covering the top of the peak and we were concerned that the view wouldn’t be very good. By the way, it looked very high! Like any road that goes up a mountain, this one was steep and loaded with switchback turns. I’m still amazed that a tour bus can maneuver around some of those corners! We made one stop about a third of the way up (I believe that it was a bathroom break). I got some coffee and took a few pictures before we headed for the summit. On the way, we passed some gorgeous homes with fantastic ocean views (I believe the driver said that one of them was owned by Tom Selleck but I was only half-listening). We passed through the clouds at about seven to eight thousand feet and emerged into a beautiful, sunny day. Then we reached the summit….
Wow, what a view! It’s really strange to look out over the horizon and realize that you’re looking down on the clouds. I’ve never done that except from an airplane. And the landscape of the crater is simply amazing. One thing that I do remember the driver saying was that the astronauts trained here for the moon missions and I can completely understand. It looks more like a moonscape than a landscape. It’s also much colder at this elevation than at sea level.
We had been told that temperatures could vary by forty degrees from sea level to the summit, so I brought a sweatshirt along. It was a smart decision and I was very comfortable. We spent about an hour or more just wandering around admiring the view, then we started back down. It was just an amazing experience. What a great start to the day!
Our next stop was supposed to be lunch at the Maui Botanical Garden but our driver said that, since we were a little ahead of schedule, we would make a stop
at one of his favorite places. So we detoured to Makena Beach, an absolutely gorgeous stretch of coastline. People were participating in every water sport you can imagine – swimming, surfing, sailboarding, wind surfing, parasailing, whatever. It was a nice unscheduled stop but, as a result, we were late arriving for lunch. Not that it mattered, since lunch turned out to be the worst part of the day. We were herded into a large open area with row upon row of tables and directed to our seats. It seemed like forever before the food arrived. It definitely wasn’t worth the wait. I settled for the fresh fruit and several servings of dessert, passing up most of the entrée. Even though the lunch was sub-standard, the grounds of the Botanical Garden were beautiful. We wandered around for a while taking pictures of the flowers, plants and trees. Unfortunately, our late arrival and long lunch wait meant that our visit was cut short. I wish that we had more time to browse around the gardens but we had to leave for our next stop, Iao Valley State Park.
If you’re a fan of the original “Jurassic Park”, you’ll recognize Iao Valley. The scene where the helicopter descends straight down between the lush green mountains was shot in the park. I recognized it as soon as we drove down the road. There’s really not a lot to say about the park,
except that there’s just gorgeous scenery everywhere you look. The most famous landmark is the Iao Needle, a 2,250 foot monolith covered in green foliage. For history buffs, the valley is the site where Kamehameha defeated the Maui army in 1790 in his efforts to unite the Hawaiian islands. Just thought that I’d throw that out, in case anyone’s interested! We wandered around for a while, then boarded the bus for the trip back to Lahaina. Oh, almost forgot something! The driver had stopped talking a bit earlier and had been playing a CD of Hawaiian music. Before we left the park, he gave everyone a copy to take home! It was a nice touch and I’m sure it didn’t hurt his tips. On the way back, we were given the option of a drop-off at Hilo Hattie’s, a chain of souvenir shops. Greg and I decided to take this option, picked up a few tee shirts and made the short walk back to the tenders.
The captain made another strange announcement before we left Maui. The bird thing was weird enough but this time the subject was passengers. He announced that for the next five days we would be at sea, in the middle of nowhere, with no way to get help if it were needed. Anyone with a potentially serious medical condition was encouraged to consider whether they should continue on the cruise or possibly leave the ship in Maui. I can’t imagine that anyone in that circumstance would have booked such a long cruise in the first place. But I later heard that several people did disembark! Go figure…..
We arrived early in the morning and dropped anchor around 7:00 am. Tender service is done very efficiently on the Volendam and we were ashore pretty quickly. Greg was also on this excursion and we boarded the tour bus around 8:00 am as scheduled. We learned very quickly that we had a chatty driver who never stopped talking. For a while, it was interesting hearing all the stories, facts and anecdotes. However, as the ride continued, it became more annoying than interesting. So we began to just tune him out as best we could. We saw Haleakala from a distance long before we approached the base of the volcano. Clouds were covering the top of the peak and we were concerned that the view wouldn’t be very good. By the way, it looked very high! Like any road that goes up a mountain, this one was steep and loaded with switchback turns. I’m still amazed that a tour bus can maneuver around some of those corners! We made one stop about a third of the way up (I believe that it was a bathroom break). I got some coffee and took a few pictures before we headed for the summit. On the way, we passed some gorgeous homes with fantastic ocean views (I believe the driver said that one of them was owned by Tom Selleck but I was only half-listening). We passed through the clouds at about seven to eight thousand feet and emerged into a beautiful, sunny day. Then we reached the summit….
Wow, what a view! It’s really strange to look out over the horizon and realize that you’re looking down on the clouds. I’ve never done that except from an airplane. And the landscape of the crater is simply amazing. One thing that I do remember the driver saying was that the astronauts trained here for the moon missions and I can completely understand. It looks more like a moonscape than a landscape. It’s also much colder at this elevation than at sea level.
We had been told that temperatures could vary by forty degrees from sea level to the summit, so I brought a sweatshirt along. It was a smart decision and I was very comfortable. We spent about an hour or more just wandering around admiring the view, then we started back down. It was just an amazing experience. What a great start to the day!Our next stop was supposed to be lunch at the Maui Botanical Garden but our driver said that, since we were a little ahead of schedule, we would make a stop
at one of his favorite places. So we detoured to Makena Beach, an absolutely gorgeous stretch of coastline. People were participating in every water sport you can imagine – swimming, surfing, sailboarding, wind surfing, parasailing, whatever. It was a nice unscheduled stop but, as a result, we were late arriving for lunch. Not that it mattered, since lunch turned out to be the worst part of the day. We were herded into a large open area with row upon row of tables and directed to our seats. It seemed like forever before the food arrived. It definitely wasn’t worth the wait. I settled for the fresh fruit and several servings of dessert, passing up most of the entrée. Even though the lunch was sub-standard, the grounds of the Botanical Garden were beautiful. We wandered around for a while taking pictures of the flowers, plants and trees. Unfortunately, our late arrival and long lunch wait meant that our visit was cut short. I wish that we had more time to browse around the gardens but we had to leave for our next stop, Iao Valley State Park.If you’re a fan of the original “Jurassic Park”, you’ll recognize Iao Valley. The scene where the helicopter descends straight down between the lush green mountains was shot in the park. I recognized it as soon as we drove down the road. There’s really not a lot to say about the park,
except that there’s just gorgeous scenery everywhere you look. The most famous landmark is the Iao Needle, a 2,250 foot monolith covered in green foliage. For history buffs, the valley is the site where Kamehameha defeated the Maui army in 1790 in his efforts to unite the Hawaiian islands. Just thought that I’d throw that out, in case anyone’s interested! We wandered around for a while, then boarded the bus for the trip back to Lahaina. Oh, almost forgot something! The driver had stopped talking a bit earlier and had been playing a CD of Hawaiian music. Before we left the park, he gave everyone a copy to take home! It was a nice touch and I’m sure it didn’t hurt his tips. On the way back, we were given the option of a drop-off at Hilo Hattie’s, a chain of souvenir shops. Greg and I decided to take this option, picked up a few tee shirts and made the short walk back to the tenders.The captain made another strange announcement before we left Maui. The bird thing was weird enough but this time the subject was passengers. He announced that for the next five days we would be at sea, in the middle of nowhere, with no way to get help if it were needed. Anyone with a potentially serious medical condition was encouraged to consider whether they should continue on the cruise or possibly leave the ship in Maui. I can’t imagine that anyone in that circumstance would have booked such a long cruise in the first place. But I later heard that several people did disembark! Go figure…..
No comments:
Post a Comment