On our last day in Hawaii we traveled to Wailea in south Maui and rode in an Outrigger canoe. We had a guide with us who took lots pictures, for which I was so grateful! He shared with us the history of the outrigger and how the Polynesians had paddled their way across the ocean and to the beach of Wailea to first come to the island. We paddled our way out into the middle of the ocean in search of whales and turtles. We saw a spray from a whale spout about 200 yards from us and the head of one turtle before it retreated back into the ocean. There had been a lot of rain the week before we arrived which drove the turtles away from the area.
Our guide had a radio that was able to pick up the sounds of the whales around us. They were communicating with one another, perhaps attracting a mate! The whales sounded like Chewbacca from Star Wars. Our guide told us that there were probably 20 whales within 80 yards of us. Too bad they didn't make themselves known above the water, or maybe that was OK. I can't imagine being so close to such a large creature, inside such a small vessel! Being on the outrigger was so peaceful, with the waves lapping gently against the side of the boat. Nick was at the front of the boat, leading us with paddling. We did our best to paddle in sync with our guide telling us which side to paddle on.
The coast line was beautiful to see, too. Half way up the mountain our guide pointed out approximately where Oprah Winfrey owns a home and farm.
But first, a Hawaiian sunrise. We faced west, the entire sky was lit up this morning.
After the outrigger we went back to the car and got our beach chairs, books and boogie boards and hung out on the beach for a couple of hours. The waves were just right for boogie boarding! Ben used his Go Pro and had a blast taking videos on his board.
Ben's perspective!
Burying your brother in the sand is always guaranteed to be a good time!
We grabbed lunch at a local fish taco joint after our morning on the beach. The fish tacos were delicious! After lunch we headed back to our condo to shower and get ready for family pictures on the beach. The photographer recommended a quiet beach that was just down the coast from the outrigger excursion, so off we went! We spent a lot of time in the car that day as it was an hour away.
I'm excited to see the pictures!
Later that night we had a "clean out the refrigerator night" for dinner.
