H is for Haleakala: hiking the crater

We headed out early on Sunday morning to the summit of Haleakala Crater, Maui, to hike the Sliding Sands trail. The day was perfect, clear big blue skies, the rain stayed away and there was much anticipation as we drove the switchbacks to get to crater rim to start our hike.

The scenery was magnificent and it was 12 miles of some of the best walking I have ever done. Shapes, colours, vistas that left us in awe....these photos try to capture some of the magic of this place.

Haleakala Crater from the start of our hike at the Visitors Centre.

Alpine cinder desert.

Pele's Paint Pot - named for the Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes

Paint Pot colours, such a wonderful surprise !

S is for Silversword: a high altitude find

A unique sighting on Haleakala Crater walk.

Another fascinating Hawaiian find - the striking silversword which glistened against the barren volcanic landscape high up on Haleakala Crater. 

I was thrilled to see one of the plants in flower too - really dramatic, they stand tall above the rosette of narrow silver pointed leaves and the flowers have small, purple heads.

Quite remarkable colour and form.

I is for I'iwi: an endemic honeycreeper on Maui

I know when I buy a new bird book which birds become a target. 

Here in Hawaii the common birds tend to be the introduced 'aliens' and hold little real interest to me. 

However, the section in my Birds of Hawaii by Jim Denny that draws me is the endemic forest birds - obviously the most sort after too - and Hawaii's isolation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has created a high degree of adaption and a whole new subfamily, the honeycreepers!

Of these, I wanted the I'iwi, apart from its cool name it is fabulous with its deep red colour and the contrasting black with a hint of white. It is the long, deeply decurved bill with its funky salmony red colour that makes it a rock star here on Maui.

We landed early from Big Island this morning and the John's drove us out to Hosmer Grove on Haleakala with I'iwi's as the target and we were treated to a spectacular birding fest. 

Most happy with this lifer.

O is for Ohi'a lehua: a special tree in Hawaii

The Ohi'a lehua is an evergreen flowering tree in the myrtle family and it is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It grabbed my attention as soon as we landed. The red flowers are beautiful as are the fruits which look like woody capsules and contain numerous tiny seeds. The leaves feel leathery with an oval shape and the bark becomes silver grey, a quite wonderful tree indeed.

We have seen these trees in the high altitude tropical rain forests where they grow huge as well as small shrubs starting life on a lowland lava flow!

I read that these trees probably evolved here in Hawaii from plants that originally came from New Zealand, they are from the same genus and look similar. And I also fell in love with the New Zealand pohutakawa!

Even more important is this tree in the higher altitudes, is the source of nectar and insect prey for the Hawaiian endemic birds. Fred has captured some beautiful images of the tree and some of these birds.

Maui Amakihi, an endemic honeycreeper.

Juvenile Apapane

D is for Devastation Trail: Volcano National Park, Hawaii

Pu'u Pua'i created after the 1959 eruption of Kilauea Iki.

A late afternoon stroll along the Devastation Trail was a stark reminder of both the power and the impact of an eruption.
It's 57 years after Kilauea Iki erupted and the is landscape is still barren with only a hint of recovery.

Reamrkable devastation after Kilauea Iki eruption.

PS - a D at last on my travels....

K is for Kilauea Caldera: smoking hot

Afternoon at the Jaggar Museum viewpoint, our first view of the vast Kilauea Caldera with its smoky vents.

Dusk and we can see the glow off the lava lake deep in the caldera.

Amazing sight, the Kilauea Caldera glowing.

Watching for lava spatter.

Smoking hot!
Amazing evening, as mesmerising as watching a fire.

L is for Lava: Volcano National Park, Big Island, Hawaii

Sitting on 'fresh' lava, flow from the 1980's

A remarkable first visit to the Volcano National Park on Big Island, Hawaii. Seeing the two types of lava - a'a and pahoehoe. A'a is rough and chunky and pahoehoe, which was hotter and more fluid at the time of eruption, is smoother and ropy. 

Colour varied too, from shiny black to dull brown.

All other worldly indeed.

As far as the eye can see!

Landscape being formed by lava flow, from mid-60's onwards.

T is for Turtles: Napili Bay, Maui

Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles!

We had been told that Napili Bay in West Maui is a good place to swim with sea turtles. So we made our way across the island to find a swimming spot and to hopefully find the sea turtles too.

I did see one as I was floating in the ocean - a huge, hard shell turtle just glided past me.

The south side of Napili Bay has a rocky ledge and we sat on the rocks and watched the turtles playing and feeding in the shallows.

So wonderful.

Fred up close with the sea turtles

Afternoon swim at Napili Bay, Maui

B is for Banana Bread and a Blowhole: driving the north loop of West Maui

Julia's Roadside coffee and really good Banana Bread!

The roads are good on Maui and lots of traffic too.

Except when you drive the north loop of West Maui beyond the hotels and tourists, it feels rural and unspoilt. 

The road becomes a narrow, twisting, one lane track that hugs the steep cliff sides. Great driving until another car comes around the bend and then my heart flip-flops. 

The scenery is a treat. It was end of day so we only made two stops, one to watch the blowhole and even from a distance it was spectacular. And to stop for banana bread and coffee. The hot pink caravan with white trim was an eye-catcher.

The banana bread here on Maui has been delicious!

Nakalele Blowhole en route

L is for Lava flow: walking King's Highway, Maui

Beyond the Maui South Coast route 31 with its hotels, manicured golf courses, beautiful lush gardens and palm trees is an area where we went walking to explore a 'recent' lava zone - from an eruption in 1790. 

Haleakala had erupted from a side vent in the south west part way up the volcano.

The road takes you across this rough lava flow. We then parked at the end point, at La Perouse Bay and walked what is known as the King's Highway.


Not an easy walking trail but fascinating. Hot and dry too, such a change from the rain of the last days.

Lava flow down the side of Haleakala, south west Maui.

K is for Kapa: Hawaiian bark cloth

Would have liked to feel the texture of this Hawaiian Kapa bark cloth. Remarkable that pieces survive.

Bailey House, built 1833, situated at the mouth of the Iao Valley near where we are staying.

W is for a wild side walk: Waihe'e Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Refuge

Impressive drift-wood sculpture.

Our morning walking along the beach and into the wetlands of Waihe'e was interesting, a little of what Maui would have been like before development.

Bird watching was productive too, Northern and Red-crested Cardinals, small flocks of Chestnut Munias and Orange-cheeked Waxbills, all alien species except for the Stilts quietly feeding along the stream.

I particularly liked the drift-wood 'sculptures' along the narrow beach which we clamoured over before heading up and over the dunes into the wetland.

We got caught out by the rain again on the way back, the day had started with a promise of blue skies but the trade-winds continue to bring the rain.

As I sit here blogging it is pouring with rain in the Iao Valley.

Coastal and wetland walking

U is for Ulalena: a Maui show

A 'u' for my alphabet of travels.

John recommended we take in a show called Ulalena and I am so pleased we did.

The musical score was very special, the singing haunting and the drumming moving. The show was a window into the Hawaiian culture over a 2000 year period.

We have been road tripping around the island of Maui, mostly finding drier places while the rain has been bucketing down.

And while on the road we have bought banana bread from a road seller, found Grandma's coffee in a quaint wooden building, spent a sunny few hours on a beach, Fred swam and we had our deli sandwiches while watching the sea.

Finding little gems on the road around Maui - banana bread and coffee.