Although I was feeling quite a bit better today, we nonetheless opted for something fairly local and low-key – a trip to Lahaina!
We got up around 8 and started in on the groceries we’d purchased yesterday for breakfast. After rounding up our hats, sunscreen and tourist amenities, we headed out to our car and mapped out our route.
The day was another sunny one and we had a nice drive along the seaside. Just as we got to Maalaea we passed the Maui Ocean Centre, which our travel guide had recommended, so we found then first available lookout to turn around and head back.
The Maui Ocean Centre – also known as the Hawaiian Aquarium – is a very well-presented set of exhibits and aquarium displays that give an overview of the Hawaiian ecosystems, history of the local relationship to the ocean. The focus is on education, conservation, and stewardship of the local marine systems. They have an extensive collection of meticulously managed live coral ecosystems (including some they are rehabilitiating), and have signed agreement with the County of Maui not to capture and display cetaceans which are regarded as higher life forms.
There are two main buildings for exploring the centre. The first of these is the Living Reef which is organized according to the depth at which you would see various things in the ocean if you were to dive nearby. This is where the extensive coral displays are maintained, and at various stages you will see all kinds of colourful tropical fish and other exotic sealife. The giant aquarium tanks and comprehensive display notes make this a really rich experience
The second building is the Marine Mammal Discover Centre which is largely devoted to displays and and an understanding of how the whale and dolphin populations work in the area, but also elaborates on the relationship Hawaiians have had with the sea since they arrived here several hundreds of years ago. There are also additional displays for some of the more spectacular sea life, including a variety of sharks, jellyfish and seahorses.
There are additional outdoor displays which are also fun to explore – one whole area is devoted to the hammerhead shark; another to the green sea turtle. And of course there is a gift shop, which in this case has a huge variety of items from t-shirts and magnets to locally produced artworks. We also stopped by the snack shop for a quick bite before carrying on to Lahaina, but didn’t stay long as it had become quite windy here.
We continued our drive without incident and arrived in Lahaina in the early afternoon. One of our to-dos on this trip was to find a plate lunch, which is a traditional Hawaiian meal that typically consists of a scoop of rice, a scoop of a macaroni salad, and a scoop of protein (usually meat). We found a highly recommended outdoor restaurant – the Aloha Mixed Plate – which fit the bill perfectly. Offering a wide menu and huge portions, we found we couldn’t get around all of our delicious food. The tables are set up on a patio that is located right next to the beach and the breeze blows lightly through the dining area. Heavenly.
We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and exploring Lahaina. This is the traditional capital of the islands and used to be the seat of the tribal chiefs. In many ways its historical buildings and narrow road make it feel like an historic site and the mix of commercial buildings which have clearly been around for many decades amplify this sense of being out of time. Mixed in are some very prominent art galleries and a repetition of it legacy as a world whaling capital in the 19th century.
But we started with the outlet stores at the north end of town to try and find some souvenir deals and do a little exploring. We started at Hilo Hattie where we found a very extensive selection of Aloha shirts, which was my main souvenir option for the trip – I found what I was looking for 🙂 . We also found outlets for a number of other Hawaiian and big name store which we perused, picking up a cute pair of pineapple decorated shorts for Mimi, a belt for Ross, and a beach towel at the omnipresent ABC sotre.
Next we wandered the length of Front Street, which it proudly proclaims has been recognized by the American Planning Association as one of the top ten “greatest streets” in the United States. The mix of small shops, restaurants and coffee and shave ice shops, entertainment, and gallery spaces make the walk along the street eclectic, but keep you looking and wandering in to discover what hidden treasures might be inside.
We stopped first at Sargent’s Fine Art and Jewelry where Mimi spotted Pandora-style charms that would work with her bracelet. We picked up two turtles – one each for Mimi and Sharon – that were crafted by Kathleen Bunt (Charms of Aloha). We also wandered through the rather larger Whaler’s General Store, and eventually found ourselves down at Local Boys Shave Ice, where we picked up some treats on what was now a rather warm afternoon.
We enjoyed our bowls of tropical flavour at the edge of Canal and Front streets, which is the corner of Lahaina Banyan Court and home of the largest tree Banyan. This is a really odd tree that branches out in many different directions and reminds you of the “haunted forest” type of tree from the movies. In several places the branches split off in directions that don’t make sense, and long draping vines give you the sense that you could be tangled up at any moment. But with all of the people selling crafts and kids playing on and around the tree, the sense of the court was less ominous and more celebratory – still, I wonder what it’s like at night!
We wandered back down Front Street, this time stopping in at many of the galleries along the way, and picking up some nice small pieces at Village Gift and Fine Art. We also stopped at the Peter Lik gallery, the Diamond Head gallery, and De Rubeis Fine Art of Metal where we saw pieces similar to some we’d seen two years ago in Las Vegas.
As we returned to the car, it started to rain very lightly despite the sunshine – but just enough to give us a real Hawaiian rainbow.
We arrived back at our room in the early evening and made ourselves sandwiches and snacks, and read for awhile before deciding to finish off the day poolside. Refreshing! We read for awhile, considered our day tomorrow, and after a little curation of photos and notes on the day, we retired.
