Maui Trip Report #5 - Paia

One of our best days was the day we went to Paia. Hubby and I had no desire to go all the way to Hana because of the required time commitment. But we did want to drive part of the famous, or infamous, road. My hope was to make it as far as the Garden of Eden, the Maui Botanical Gardens and Arboretum. I also wanted to see the rainbow eucalyptus trees.

We got to Paia in time for our second breakfast, which we ate at Cafe Mambo. (Most mornings we had a small first breakfast around 4:00 A.M., never fully adjusting to Maui time.) I had the Breakfast Quesadilla; hubby had an omelet; and we shared a Lanai Smoothie. We enjoyed everything, especially the smoothie.

Then, with bellies full, we set out on the road to Hana with Ho'okipa Beach our first stop.

I had read that seeing sea turtles at dusk is a sure thing on Ho'okipa Beach. In fact, part of the beach is called "Turtle Bedroom" because it's where many turtles come ashore for the night. But we decided to make a late morning stop just in case there were some turtles sleeping in. Eureka!

All of the above photos were take from the observation lot, but we did walk down to get a closer look and that's when I took this video. I used my iPhone so I could easily share the moment with family, but I'm thrilled with the result. Please know we kept a respectable distance as did all the people enjoying the beach that day. The experience was so incredible we had to drag ourselves away to continue our journey on the road to Hana.

But I'm happy to report we made it to the Garden of Eden without incident. By the time we arrived, however, we both had more than enough of the road to Hana. The winding road gave hubby a headache; and I found it extremely stressful due mainly to all the crazy drivers on the road.

But I'm glad we at least got as far as the Garden, which was beautifully tranquil. And I was thrilled to find the Garden included rainbow eucalyptus trees. We saw them on the side of the road, but it was impossible to stop and get a picture much less touch them.

Other highlights of the Garden were. . .

. . .the view of the opening sequence
of the film Jurassic Park and. . .

. . .a double waterfall.

After our leisurely walk through the Garden of Eden, we carefully drove back to Paia for a late lunch. Based on TripAdvisor recommendations, I picked the Paia Fish Market which turned out to be an excellent choice. Hubby is still talking about how good the "grilled to perfection" mahi mahi was!

We then decided to go back to Ho'okipa Beach, this time hoping to see surfers. And, again, luck was on our side. It was an early Friday evening and there were many windsurfers. We just sat in our beach chairs, watching windsurfers and sea turtles ride the waves. Heaven.

I can't believe I forgot to take pictures. I guess I was truly enjoying the moment. But here's a video of Paia and Ho'okipa Beach by one of my favorite YouTubers, who I actually got to meet the next day!

Maui Trip Report #6