Island Drive & Luau..

The forecast rain rang true.  It rained and rained and rained.  But when it was time for us to leave (rain or shine), the rain stopped and the day proved to be another truly beautiful one.

Awesome foliage....

 In the morning, we headed to one of several plantations on Maui.  Always a worthwhile visit, just being on these beautiful grounds, surrounded by so much foliage and green, made for a nice morning walk.

'Hey....no rain....."

Jeanette was telling some sort of story......but I was too far back to hear what she was saying...!  We spent a fair bit of time enjoying the grounds here.

This plantation made good use of sugar cane milling wheels and gears in their restaurant and shops.

Nice to just sit here and enjoy listening to the birds.

We journeyed back towards the airport city of Kahului before heading  further north and west on Highway 340.

Highway 340 is, more often than not, a one lane highway.  Driving speeds average between 15 and 20 MPH.  Often, one had to stop on the built in shoulders to allow an oncoming vehicle to pass by.  If one is in a hurry, one should not travel these roads.  But what sights we saw...in spite of the hair pin turns!

Example of a slight pull out for a car to pull over to allow another to pass by.

Navigating our way on Highway 340

This is but one of the many view along the 340 route.

We stopped often to take in the fabulous scenery.  We drove along some nice cattle farms and often dodged chickens and roosters on the side of the road.  They free roam here.

The topography changes quickly. 

We had given ourselves plenty of time to complete the west side island drive.  By late afternoon, we had reservations to attend the Old Lahaina Luau.  And by the time we returned to our condo, we freshened up before making the 30 minute walk to the Luau.

This bird must have been intrigued (or bored) by us because he/she did not move while I attempted several photos.

Farms and grasslands dominate the area along Highway 340

Pastoral and very pleasing sight.  One would not tire of sitting here for a long period of time.

Our view from the Old Lahaina Luau

 We arrived at the Old Lahaina Luau on time.  Having purchased our tickets long before our arrival to Maui, we learned that the venue was completely sold out for weeks to come.  Having heard that it is wise to book long in advance, we were sure glad we had done that.  And what a treat it was. 

Waiting to be seated at our table.

We were quickly handed a Mai Tai on arrival.  Hmm, those tasted so good after a long walk from Old Town Lahaina.  Once inside the area, we were treated to some great views, wonderful music, interesting chatter and more. The aromas from all of the food preparation had us looking forward to the dinner.

These Hawaiians hand made these figurines.   Some of them were our servers too.

The food choices were numerous.  All local Hawaiian fare, the highlight was the pit cooked pork.  And it was delicious.  The entertainment was first rate. And the service?...First class.

Collecting the Emu roast from the pit.

Fun night at the Luau

That colours our island drive and the Luau.  

The sun is shinning a bit more today; albeit intermittently between clouds. To say that the weather has been great would be an overstatement.  By and large, the clouds have dominated since our arrival.  But the daytime (night time too) temperatures have been most pleasant in the mid-70's.  The humidity hovers near 100% with all of the rains.  That said, the rains held off whenever we were outdoors.  So, no complaints.

We are planning our outing for today....so I'll sign off and get the caucus together.  Decisions need to be made.

Thanks for dropping by.

Mahalo