Best Of

Yup, been back for a few weeks now! Better late than never!

Day 9, Tuesday, Sept 30

Our brief visit to Kauai ended early today with a 6:45 departure for Lihue Airport and flight to Maui.

After landing we boarded a bus for a short trip to see the 'ʻĪao Needle and nearby waterfall. (It was interesting but somewhat of a time killer) The 1200 foot tall volcanic pinnacle is a famous landmark known for its "unique" or symbolic (male) shape and as the site of the historical Battle of Kepaniwai, a decisive battle fought there in 1790 where the forces of King Kamehameha I fought and defeated the Maui army, a key step in his campaign to unify the Hawaiian Islands.

Speaking of volcanic activity- as most of you know, the Hawaiian Islands were formed by volcanic activity but, you may not know they were formed over a tectonic plate "hot spot." The islands are slowly moving to the northwest and as they move farther from the hot spot a new island is formed. The Big Island is the youngest of the islands, but an even newer island is slowly forming at the site of a volcanic seamount southeast of Hawaii.

Next up was a guided visit to the Maui Ocean Center (small aquarium) and lunch (preselected choice) at the adjacent Seascape Restaurant. Following that we traveled southeast along the coast to an exclusive area of the island where hotel, the Fairmont Kea Lani, was located. All rooms were suites! From our balcony we had a beautiful view of the islands of Lanai and Kaho'olawe the tiny island (partial caldera open to the sea) of Molokini, a popular snorkeling and diving site. This area and further north between Maui and Lanai and Molokai is popular for whale watching In season December - April (peak: February and March)

Factoid: Larry Ellison, entrepreneur who co-founded the software company Oracle Corporation, owns about 98% of Lanai. He purchased the majority of the island, including its two resorts and golf courses, in 2012. The remaining 2% is owned by the state of Hawaii or individual homeowners.

Two notes about hotels on this tour. They were all excellent, especially the last three, however-

Except for the Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki, and to some degree, the hotel on Maui, the tour hotels on the other islands were not located in resort 'areas' so engaging in any off-site activity or dining could require significant travel.

Except for the Royal Hawaiian, hotels on other islands are all 'low rise' since Hawaii code restricts their height. To get enough rooms for anticipated guests, these hotels were built outward with multiple adjoining wings. What that means is you must be prepared for long hikes to the lobby, dining areas, pool, etc.

Dinner on Tauck tonight was in KO's or Nick's Fish Market. (in one tonight and the other the following night). Reservations were taken at an earlier time, like most dinners.

Day 10, Wednesday, Oct 1

Today was a day of leisure (yes, there was plenty of leisure time or time to do your own thing, on this tour!! With one exception, I'm not sure what we did, but whatever it was it wasn't picture-worthy. We did have one optional and interesting activity- we met Maui Artist and Sculptor Dale Zarella for a tour of his sculptures on the hotel lobby (mostly around the atrium). He had some incredible large samples of his work on display. He has worked on and sold commissions to quite a few rich and famous people. He is best known for his statue of Saint Damien of Molokai, created for the Damien and Marianne of Moloka'i Heritage Center in Waikiki. A second copy of the statue, done in bronze, was later presented to Pope Benedict XVI in commemoration of Father Damien's canonization. He was a very interesting person the talk to- check him out.

Day 11, Thursday, Oct 2

The best laid plans . . . Today we were supposed to ride to the top of the Haleakala volcano summit, but the government shutdown got in the way. Technically the park was 'supposed' to be open, but not the bathrooms nor visitor center, and there would be no Park Ranger. Since there was ample warning, our TD and Tauck HQ were prepared. (we had been to the summit before so were not disappointed)

Tauck substituted a very interesting visit to the Maui Gold Pineapple Company, one of the last operating pineapple plantations in the islands, located on the north slope of Mt. Haleakala. I am not a fan of most fruits, I rarely eat them, and have NEVER knowingly eaten pineapple- it would be the last thing I would eat if stranded on a desert island- I literally hate it. That being said, while on a short excursion into the fields, our docent sliced and offered us small samples of fresh Maui Gold pineapple. I was very hesitant to say the least, but gave it a taste. It was amazing, incredibly tender, juicy and sweet!, and nothing like any pineapple I had tasted before. Because of lower labor costs, most US pineapples are now imported, so to last longer during transit and in stores, they are often not ripe when picked and sold. However . . . unlike many fruits and vegetables, pineapples don’t ripen any further once they’re picked!!!! This small plantation barely survives on pineapple tour ticket sales, souvenir sales, pineapple sales to locals, tourists and limited exports. They also sell various by-products to a local brewery, candy makers, and farmers for cattle feed, etc. Nothing is wasted. We were each gifted a boxed pineapple to take home. By the way, it takes 18 - 24 months for a planted "crown" to grown into a pineapple that is ready to harvest.

Tonight we had a private luau with buffet, music, hula dancers, and a fire twirler.

The yellow color is artificially induced and not a reliable indication the pineapple is truly ripe!

Day 12, Friday, Oct 3

Homeward bound. Flights on smaller planes with standard 1C seats leave from Maui for the mainland, but to get to our destination on the East Coast, we would need to stop at LAX, SFO, etc. Instead, we booked a Hawaiian Air flight back to Honolulu where we caught a Delta flight with lay-flat seats in business class that took us non-stop to Atlanta. I picked the 'correct' (left) side of the aircraft to get parting shots of Honolulu, Waikiki, Diamond Head, and Mānana Is. ("rabbit Island) and Kāohikaipu Islet Seabird Sanctuary at the southeast end of Oahu.

A few parting remarks. This tour only provides a brief look at the Hawaiian Islands and its people. It may not be for folks who have been there before, unless, like us, you have a special attachment or a reason to go (or go back.) We honeymooned there 50 years ago and have visited two times since. At least five other couples on our tour were celebrating anniversaries!! - almost half of our small group of 26. The tour also gives a deeper dive into and appreciation for the Hawaiian culture, history, and some sites, than you might get otherwise. We truly enjoyed it. It has changed over the years, but we love Hawaii and it will always have a special spot in our hearts.