The only thing on the books for today was whale watching after lunch, so we hopped in the car this morning and headed north for a road trip. We drove past Honolua Bay where we snorkeled yesterday, and made our way to the north end of the island, to Olivine Pools. Highway 30 winds through some beautiful territory -- very lush and remote.
The Olivine Pools are basically tide pools that are big enough to swim in. The trail down the cliff looked tricky, plus there were several warnings about being swept out to sea, so we just observed from above. I think one thing coasties know is that the ocean is powerful, and can't be underestimated!
After the Olivine Pools we headed back south and stopped at the turn out for the Nakalele Blowhole. The guidebook indicated the the trails were confusing, and difficult to find, and yes -- that was true! We didn't have time to hike down to the blowhole, and really struggled to find the viewpoint. Part of the issue was that we were looking for a "decrepit lighthouse". Hmmm.... Lighthouse means something different in Oregon that it does on a cliff in northwest Maui! Despite not seeing the blowhole, the views were awesome.
And then back to the hotel to get ready for whale watching. This was our second tour with Trilogy. We got lucky and were on the Trilogy III again which is their brand new boat.
I don't know what I was expecting, but I wasn't expecting what we saw. We started out watching a mom and baby -- blowholes and a few tail flips. That seemed like more than we could have asked for, but it was just the beginning.
As we were cruising to another location, a mom and baby went right under the tip of the catamaran where we were sitting. I don't know why I was looking at the water, but I saw them swim right under, close enough to see the barnacles, close enough to see the actual markings on their bodies; the baby was tucked right close to its mother. It literally took my breath away. They are so big, and so beautiful.
And that wasn't even all of it! Later we saw another mom and baby, and the baby jumped out of the water at least half a dozen times. It was so unreal. Just like the turtles, it is so amazing to be able to watch these magnificent animals. The ocean is so big!
No, there are no pictures. We just soaked the whole thing in. I'm not sure a picture could have captured the actual feeling we had. The Trilogy crew impressed us again with their whale knowledge and the care they took in getting us off the boat. The surf was pretty big on Kaanapali beach when we returned, and they were amazing in getting us all off safely, even though it took a little more time. Book them if you are coming to Maui!
Tonight we ate at our favorite restaurant in Kaanapali: Leilani's. Like last time, we ordered the special, even though it was a fish we had never heard of. I don't much like fish, but everything is always amazing at Leilani's. Tonight we had au over a bed of lobster mashed potatoes. Crazy right? So delicious. It's a treat, but a must on this beach!
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