then there was the honeymoon

2005-09-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

thanks for checking out our honeymoon blog! we highly recommend a trip to maui. we had an incredible time. if you struggle with envy, we apologize in advance for the temptation offered here...

[note: the pics are loaded in reverse chronological order, with our last day appearing first and so forth.]

2005-08-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

a quick flight to oahu and a 10 hour layover gave us the chance to visit pearl harbor. it was powerful. we were facinated by the oil still leaking from the ship that has been dormant for so many years, and were sombered by the wall marking the memorial of so many men who lost their lives.

we also visted the national cemetary there and walked among many grave sites marked "unknown soldier, pearl harbor." sombering.

our flight home seemed even longer than our flight there. it was hard to leave paradise and return to reality, but such was our plight. here's hoping we get the chance to go again.

2005-08-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

the arizona memorial at pearl harbor

2005-08-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

courtyard at the maritime museum

2005-08-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

chris on the u.s.s. bowfin

2005-08-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

friday was designated as haleakala day. the morning in the lowlands was beautiful, but as we made our way up the 10,000 foot dormant volcano the mist and clouds settled in. by the time we reached the national park it was downright chilly and wet. even though the clouds lingered, we still got an idea of the size of the crater at the top and had a good time with the scenery on the way down.

friday was our last evening on maui, so we had a nice dinner out and took a final evening walk on the beach. if not for the fact that we had to leave the next day, it was the perfect evening.

2005-08-19T20:46:00.000-07:00

the crater at the top of haleakala, approximately 10,000 feet up

2005-08-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

our last sunset on maui

2005-08-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

one can't visit maui without experiencing the road to hana, or so we were told. they were right. this was probably the best day of our trip. we started out early and made a day of it, taking our time up the hana highway and stopping off at the sights. we hiked to waterfalls, trekked trails through bamboo and eucalyptus, climbed lava rock, ate fresh banana bread, explored caves, and much more. and, chris had a great time driving the winding road as jenn popped the dramamine pills!

2005-08-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

a view of the hana highway from the other side

2005-08-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

us at the lower fall of twin falls

2005-08-18T20:53:00.000-07:00

a sign of life on the ke'anae peninsula

2005-08-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

chris climbing around lava rock

2005-08-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

the view of an ocean cut out at waianapanupa state park after a bit of a hike

2005-08-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

more waterfalls

2005-08-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

more waterfalls

2005-08-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

most of the sights along the road to hana were deep in rainforest areas. it was wet, humid and very beautiful.

2005-08-17T23:45:00.000-07:00

on wednesday we took the opportunity to check out the maui ocean center. we had heard about it's massive tunnel aquarium, but the whole center was really impressive.

we did a little bit of shopping in lahaina town, and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for that evening's luau. the tickets were a bit overpriced, but the food wasn't bad and the hula dancing was fun. perhaps the most impressive thing of the evening was the fire dancing.

2005-08-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

palm trees everywhere

2005-08-17T22:02:00.000-07:00

chris the explorer

2005-08-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

we stopped off at a scenic lookout and lighthouse. chris climbed around - eventually all the way down the cliff to the water's edge - as jenn stayed safely at the top taking pictures.

2005-08-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

chris taking it all in

2005-08-17T21:01:00.000-07:00

some of the locals at the aquarium

2005-08-17T21:00:00.001-07:00

maui ocean center

2005-08-17T21:00:00.000-07:00

a sea turtle at maui ocean center [note: we did actually see a sea turtle while snorkeling, but the picture wasn't near this clear!]

2005-08-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

the massive aquarium at maui ocean center

2005-08-17T20:58:00.001-07:00

in lahaina town

2005-08-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

just before the luau started

2005-08-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

a tiki god at the luau

2005-08-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

hula dancing at the luau

2005-08-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

the fire dancer at the luau

2005-08-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

on tuesday we cashed in our free parasailing, but first we did some snorkeling and sunning at kapulua beach and the mokuleia and honolua bays. it was fun to explore the beaches beyond our hotel. there are many types of beaches on maui - lava rock, white sand, rocky, and even black sand.

2005-08-16T20:42:00.001-07:00

parasailing

2005-08-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

the view from 800 feet up

2005-08-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

when we got our snorkel gear on sunday, we were talked into sitting in on a timeshare presentation in exchange for free parasailing. it was a good trade. an hour and a half of our time (with a salesman who insisted on calling himself skeeter) in exchange for 10 minutes 800 feet in the air over open ocean with maui on the left and molokai and lanai on the right was a good trade.

after the presentation, we headed to the iao valley - a lush valley in west maui. we made a couple stops along the way, including the tropical gardens of maui. the gardens were small but colorful. we also stopped off at kepaniwai park (aka heritage park) and walked around the exhibits and statues, and explored the iao stream.

2005-08-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

more flowers

2005-08-15T21:05:00.001-07:00

in a gazebo at the tropical gardens

2005-08-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

more flowers

2005-08-15T21:04:00.001-07:00

more flowers

2005-08-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

water rushing over rocks in the stream

2005-08-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

we found a stream at kepaniwai park and took the opportunity to do a little exploring

2005-08-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

the needle in the iao valley

2005-08-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

we weren't quite prepared to the price of food there, so after a $50 breakfast, we decided to take the morning and run errands - the supermarket for cereal and milk among those errands. then we headed to lahaina and rented some prescription snorkel gear for the week and made our way back to the hotel for some snorkeling near black rock.

each night, the sheraton had cliff diving from black rock. it started with a story about a native islander's journey and his desire to test his will. it ended with the diver leaping about 60 feet into the surf below as tiki torches lined the cliff.

2005-08-14T20:43:00.000-07:00

snorkeling near black rock

2005-08-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

we arrived in maui at about 4 p.m. in the afternoon. we were a little exhausted from the very long plane ride, but we couldn't help but take time to enjoy the view. it was a relaxing evening, and a welcome rest from the stress of the wedding.

2005-08-13T21:09:00.001-07:00

the scene

2005-08-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

our first stop once we were in maui was at a scenic pull off on the way to the hotel

2005-08-13T21:08:00.000-07:00

hanging out on the terrace of our ocean view room

2005-08-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

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