Everyone was up and at 'em early this morning to soak up the last few moments we had to spend in Maui. Those who know me know that I would normally relish a few extra hours of sleep in the morning, but even I decided to jump out of bed early and move to a resting place on a hammock alongside the beach. Now, if only they hadn't decided to run the lawnmower and weed eater all around me, it would have been perfect!
No one was looking forward to gathering this morning because we knew it meant leaving the resort as it was our last day on the island. Fortunately, we had a lot to look forward to beginning with lunch and a visit to the Maui Ocean Center. We were amazed to see some of the most amazing and unique fish we've ever laid eyes on. I'm fairly certain we saw some things you won't see back in Ohio!
There was a small pool full of starfish and other creatures that you could even touch! We also walked through a tunnel that took us into the aquarium surrounded by sharks and stingrays. I have some pictures posted on ABN Radio's Facebook page for you to enjoy.
From there we traveled into the Iao Valley, which is far from the beaches into an area that is much more like a rainforest with lots of vegetation. The deep valley of 'Iao features the 'Iao Needle, a natural rock pinnacle that rises 2,250 feet to preside over the 'Iao stream and surrounded by the walls of the Pu'u Kukui Crater.
Those more adventurous group members (including me!) climbed the path up the side of the mountains and ascended nearly 100 stairs to the scenic overlook. Once there, we formed the human O-H-I-O while our travel companions below took pictures. Yes, our Buckeye Spirit is truly present everywhere we go! I'll have pictures of our O-H-I-O posted to Facebook soon.
As we left the Valley, we stopped at Kepaniwai Park's Heritage Gardens which are a showcase for Maui's diverse heritage with ethnic houses and gardens representing the Hawaiian, Portuguese, Japanese, Caucasian and Filipino cultures.
As you can imagine, after that climb up the mountainside, we had worked up quite an appetite. That was not a problem because our final stop was for our last group dinner, and trust me when I say that no one went away hungry! It also gave us a chance to celebrate another birthday of one of our travel companions!
And now, I sit at the airport finding it difficult to believe our first-ever Hawaiian AgVenture is drawing to a close. I can not put into words how neat this experience has been or how grateful I am to our travel companions for a wonderful trip. They were truly the best!
I would also be remiss if I didn't acknowledge Dave Lien and all of the folks at Holiday Vacations who did a stellar job from start to finish in planning our trip. We hope to travel with Holiday again in the future!
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