This was the day to knock out some of the things on our itinerary that we still hadn't done.
First stop: Komoda Bakery for malasadas and donuts on a stick and various other delicious pastries to enjoy at...
Ho-okipa Beach Park, or Turtle Beach. Everyone said this was a place we had to see. This beach is where giant sea turtles lug themselves up on the beach to sun themselves all day and then return to the ocean to eat all night. It is also a very popular place for local surfers...
Tatum was surprised at how few turtles were there, possibly it was still too early in the day??? But it was fun to watch them swim in, get battered around by the waves and then clumsily lumber up onto the sand. So different than when you are swimming with them and they sometimes move faster than you can see...
I could have watched them much longer but we were itching to go swim at Twin Falls. We knew parking filled up quickly and we didn't want to miss out again. But when we got there, parking was full and they were flagging people on by.
Zack turned around and tried again, only to be turned back once more. We pulled over onto the shoulder, disappointed and debating on what to do. I suggested we try one more time and if it was still a no-go, then we would take it as a sign and move on.
God was good and we got front row parking!
It had changed and grown quite a bit since Zack and Tatum has last visited and it was much more crowded. But it was a lovely big swimming hole with a fantastic waterfall for jumping from into the pool below. Unfortunately it wasn't nearly as cold as the first falls and was much more enjoyable. I didn't get many pictures but I did get a video of Chris jumping but missed the chance to get one of Tatum. Zack and I just had fun watching...
In our rush to get to the falls, we hadn't noticed all the lush tropical plants and fruits on the walk. Some of them were so huge!
We ate lunch and then stopped at the Kahaului location for guess what??? Yup. You can't have too much Ululani's shaved ice. This was a tiny location and not very busy. But also not quite as good as Kihei...
Fueled up, we went back to the condo, grabbed our snorkeling gear and headed out to Honolua Bay. It was getting later in the day but we were kind of surprised to see a quite a few parking spots and run into a lot of people heading back to their cars.
When we got to the bay, we were all alone. There was no one in the water. But we hurriedly got into our gear and headed for the water. Zack was first in and it didn't take long before he popped back up and said not to bother. He said the water was so murky, he couldn't even see his camera in his hand. The poor guy got pretty beat up by the surf ramming him into the rocks we couldn't see.
Disappointed, but not deterred, we stripped off our gear, got back into the jeep and went to try Kapalua Bay. It was the same. Rough surf and murky water made for terrible snorkeling. We played in the surf for a bit and then went back for dinner just as the sun was starting to set...
We even got to see the last bit of the sunset after we got back...
Since we were all dressed up, Zack snapped a quick pic of Chris and I on the deck before we left for dinner...
Chris and I had walked by the 5315 Restaurant and Tiki Bar on our way back from Kapalua a few days before. The menu looked good but we were wet and sandy and decided not to stop. But it seemed like the perfect spot for our last dinner on Maui. We were not disappointed. The food was delicious and authentically Hawaiian...
It was with sad and heavy hearts that we went back to the condo and packed up our bags to leave the next day...
