The photos below are what we saw.
En route to the pools
at Kipahulu we stopped at a view point and saw a small island
just offshore. The winds were strong creating large
breakers that were pummeling the shore of the island and the
main coast.
From the
shore looking north along the coast we spotted this sea arch
being given the full treatment by the brutal surf.
The
beach was idyllic but signs warned against getting into the
water due to the strong undertow; we heeded those signs.
Note the striations in the cliffs or the far side of the bay.
A
bit further south we reached another beach overlook point.
Across
the road was a particularly nice house, likely a rental because
it looked way too clean to be lived-in.
Craig
was nice enough to take a photo of Kathleen and I.
Further
along the road to the pools we came upon this nice waterfall
with swimming pool.
Kathleen
was the only one of us that got into the pool.
The spray from the pool created a faint rainbow that is barely visible in the photo above.
The
so-called "Sacred Pools" are within the Haleakala National
Park. We parked and changed into swimming attire and
headed out on the trail. Along the path we came upon this
Banyon tree putting down a huge root system into the surrounding
area.
As the
trail came to the canyon that contained the pools, we got a
clear view of the shore. The wind was howling and the
walls of the canyon funneled the wind further increasing the
speed creating blowing clouds of sea foam carried far from the
actual shore.
We had
to cross the stream to continue to the pools.
The
temperature of the water was cool, but not frigid.
Just to prove that they actually exist and are visible on this island, this gal was quite buffed.
Both
ends of the human spectrum were in the pools at Kipahulu.
The road bridge is visible at the top of the photo above.
From
Kipahulu we continued west along the south shore road. The
road was narrow and rough but really no challenge. It did,
however, present some awesome views of the rocky headlands as
they met the surf.
The
waves on the south shore were strong and attacked the cliffs
with relentless intensity.
As the
trail wound its way along the mesa we got a clear view of the
stark south side of Haleakala.
The
flanks of Haleakala flow right into the ocean.
While
this coast is in the rain shadow of Haleakala, it DOES rain from
time to time. These rains carve deep canyons into the soft
lava rock.
We
spotted another sea arch that was created by the relentless surf
on the south shore.
A bit
further to the west we could see the observatory at the peak of
Haleakala.
The
girls wanted to stop at the Maui Winery. This is what they
do with old trees here.
We
tasted the wine, but did not purchase any.
Our
objective for the afternoon was to complete the loop on the east
side of the mountain and do dinner at Mama's Fish House.
From the parking lot at Mama's we could see the kit surfers
exploiting the strong trade winds.
The
beach cove provided picture-perfect background.
This is
a very popular restaurant and we had to get reservations many
days in advance. The food was pricey but excellent.
The
obligatory end-of-day photo.
| Previous Adventure | ||
| Trip Home Page |
Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2016, all rights
reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.