I always struggle with trying to make the beach chapters interesting. I mean, most people know what a beach day is like. You sit on the sand. You swim in the ocean. You play with the kids. You might bodyboard or surf or snorkel. Eventually youll get sunburned and dehydrated. We havent suddenly discovered some amazing unique activities that make going to the beach somehow different from any other trip to the beach youve ever taken (unless youre from New Jersey, in which case you go to the shore instead).
So, now that Ive spend that paragraph explaining why you shouldnt bother with this chapter because it will suck, lets dive in.
The kids really wanted to go to the beach. Wed held off long enough, and you really cant call it a Hawaiian vacation unless you spend some time on the beach. So we changed into our bathing suits, lathered up with sunscreen, packed up the boards and hit the road.
As I mentioned before, theres only one road up and down the mountain, so we had to take that highway back down to Kahului. From there, you have a
choice of two major roads. Highway 30 takes you around the West Maui Mountain to the west coast, the town of Lahaina and the resort areas of Kaanapali and Kapalua. Highway 31 takes you to the southern coast and the resorts of Kihei, Wailea, and Makena. Both areas offer miles of beautiful beaches and mostly dry, sunny weather.
My aunt recommended
Kamaole Beach Park II (Now Kamaole-ier!) just south of the town of Kihei, so thats where we ended up.
Because the road connections are so limited on the island, it took about 45-50 minutes to drive from Kula on the mountain all the way down to the beach. If only they would hire a road engineer to improve the travel options
There are three Kamaole Beach Parks, basically a group of three beaches close to each other that came across the desk of the
Hawaii Beach-Naming Committee while they were having a lazy day. Because we didnt get down there until 2 p.m. and the skies were somewhat overcast, we ended up bypassing the morning crowds and getting a parking space on the street right by the beach as others were packing up to go home. Score one for the good guys.
Looking northwest, we could see the West Maui Mountain.
And looking south, the island of Kahoolawe (and Molokini) was in view.
My past readers will remember that I enjoy the beach up to a point. I like spending a day or two there at most. I like relaxing, and I enjoy swimming in the ocean. But I get bored easily, and would have a really hard time spending an entire week just sitting on the sand. This was just an afternoon, and it worked out well. We spent most of our time in the ocean, enjoying the water.
It wasnt quite the bathwater-warm temperatures I remembered from my previous trip many moons ago, but it was certainly comfortable. Much warmer than the Atlantic. And there was another big difference between Maui and Delaware beachesthe water was actually clear. Its a bit of a shock to an East Coast guy like me to be able to wade in up to my chest and still be able to see my feet. As opposed to the Atlantic, where you can get in up to
.oh, about the ankles or so before you lose sight of them. But still, other than the ocean temperature, water clarity, mountains, views of other islands, palm trees, lava rock on the coastline, readily available parking, and multiple locations of beautiful beaches, it was exactly the same as Delaware.
I dont think kids ever get tired of jumping waves. That goes for big kids too. We did this for a while
and then Scotty happened. He decided he was better off surfing on land.
Me and my water-bug. Looks like someone is already turning red. Thanks to my Irish blood, I only come in two colors.
Julie was fooling around with the camera and found some flowering plants holding the dunes together.
And then, wouldnt you know it? Some idiot started torturing his poor kids.
Looking down the coastline:
We were trying to figure out in which direction the prevailing wind generally blew. Any guesses?
Here Scotty made sand models of the Hawaiian islands.
And when the boys were tired of the ocean, they decided to work on a drainage canal along the beach, proving once and for all that they are the sons of an engineer. I dont know if they succeeded in draining the Pacific Ocean, but Im sure they came close.
And thats about all I got to say about that. We had a very nice, relaxing afternoon on the beach before heading back to my aunts place for dinner and an evening with family. How often can you say you climbed to the top of a volcano and swam at the beach on the same day?
Coming Up Next: We conduct a dangerous exploration of a mysterious sacred valley, while trying to leave enough time for grocery shopping and snacks.
)
) if you want to be an engineer, vet, or farmer. Or textiles, so I hear. I majored in hospitality management, so I went to ECU. Cheapest school in the UNC system!!
