Here we are on the Hawaii Super Ferry pulling away from Maui time to say Aloha to Maui until next time where hopefully we will chronoicle the famous road to Hana.  I hope you have enjoyed the Maui series we will have also one final look at Molokai followed by Oahu by sea.

Back from vacation… was that an exciting Superbowl or what?  Always good to be back home though.  We conclude our Maui series and with a few pictures and some stunning shots of Oahu as we returned on our Super Ferry voyage.  This shot is of one of the big cruise ships Pride of America as it docked on Maui.  Pride of America cruises through the state docking on several islands to give tourists and locals alike a chance to experience multiple islands. 

Here is the  sunset at Haleakala which can be spectacular in its own way.  While not as nice as the sunrise (see our sunrise photo) it is still a sight to see and feel as the temperature rapidly drops.  It also saves waking up at 3 or 4am to make sunrise.  Plus there is a better chance of a sunset view.  Hope you enjoyed our look at Haleakala.  The last couple photos are spread off since I’m taking a quick vacation and where do Hawaii people go for vacation.. Vegas of course.  We still have the spectacular Superferry ride back to Oahu which will complete our Maui series and I may even sneak in some Vegas pictures since some people do call it the 8th island.

Here’s another great shot of Haleakala near sunset.  It was eerie watching the clouds start to roll in across the caldera.  I have a feeling it was some of the same clouds we drove past on the way up to the summit which is 10,023 feet above sea level.  Plan your time accordingly for sunsets and sunrises as it does take about an hour or so from the park entrance to the summit depending on the conditions.

This is a picture from one of the scenic viewpoints near the summit of Haleakala.  Its actually not really a hike but a short walk I think total of less than a half mile roundtrip.  If you have time its a nice walk to casually do but we were racing sunset so I had to half jog to get to the viewpoint.   Well worth the view.  Interesting note on the Haleakala “crater” it is not believed to be volcanic in origin but scientists belive it was formed when the headwalls of two large erosional valleys merged at the sumit ththe volcano.

The sky and the clounds as seen from the slopes of Haleakala.  There is just something about high altitiudes thats brings incredible shades of blue into the sky that pictures just can not do justice.  At the summit Haleakala is 10,023 feet above sea level.  The road to the top is long and has many blind turns near steep dropoffs so be careful when driving up.  Also occasionally cattle might cross your path on the road.  We nearly hit one on the way down in the dark so always drive with caution.

We being our series of sunset at Haleakala which while not as spectacular as sunrise (see our sunrise set here) is still an awesome experience and as an added bonus you do not need to wake up at 3am in the morning to get there.  In the first pictures above the clouds rolled in on us.  It was actually quite spectacular to watch the could roll in while we were at the visitor center.  It wasn’t very good driving through it though and we kept our fingers crossed that we would eventually get above it for sunset.

The Haleakala Silversword at the visitors center at Haleakala.   This is an endangered species near extinction that is only found on the island of Maui at an elevation of 2,100 - 3,000 meters.  These amazing plants remain in a spherical formation that is adapted for extreme temperatures for sometimes more than fifty years.  Then the Silverswoard produces a flowering stalk usually in June or July that can have up to 600 heads of 40 outlying ray flowers and reach up to two meters in height.  The flowers then dry to seed ending the life of the Silverswoard and spawning a new generation.

Here is a Protea flower seen in the garden at the Ali’i Kula Lavender farm.   The garden is created by Agricultural Aritist and Horticultural Master Mr. Ali’i Chang who can be seen on any given day nuturing the lavender and also the other plants and flowers in the garden.  If you want to learn a lot more about Ali’i Kula Lavender and the uses of lavender I recommend this book below.

The Maui Book of Lavender

Fields of lavender at the Ali’i Kula Lavender farm on Maui.  At an elevation of 4000 feet nearly 55,000 lavender plants and 45 different varieties of lavender, olive trees, hydrangea and protea are on these 10.5 acres.   Another “green” travel alternative walking tours of the farm and garden are available as well as tea, lunch or even weddings.  Also you can experience many of the products made with the lavender grown on the farm