Kahului, Maui, Hawaii

Grand Princess Roundtrip San Pedro 16-Night to Hawaii

March 6, 2025, Maui, Hawaii

Our last port in Hawaii on this cruise was Maui. We did not have far to go to get our rental car but we still wanted to get out early so we were not going to be in a long line waiting to be served. I did book a rental car from Budget which is again at the airport, but later found out that there is an Enterprise just across the street from the cruise terminal. Naturally, we canceled and booked with Enterprise so we won't have to deal with the shuttles or Uber between the airport and cruise terminal. 

Heading out from the cruise terminal.

From the cruise terminal, it's a long walk to get to the main street.

We just had to follow everybody along the chain link fences to get out of the port area.

Did I say it was a long walk?

After we reached the main street, we just had to cross the street to the other side where the Maui Mall Village is with a Whole Foods Market and markets and some stores like Long's Drugs etc. and a little further was the Enterprise office around the corner. Very convenient. 

We picked up our car and then drove to the older part of town to the "Four Sisters Bakery" which is famous for their butter rolls. It was difficult to find parking here and we had to drive around a bit while a couple of us went and got the yummy pastries. The butter rolls was absolutely delicious. Soft and buttery melts in your mouth goodness! We were so into these rolls and totally forgot to take pictures! Four Sisters Bakery was on the way to Ion Valley State Monument, so it was perfect as Ion Valley was our first destination for the day.

Ion Valley State Monument

For entry to the Monument, we had to get online to pay for the entrance fee and parking, which was a little annoying even when they had a couple of people there at the gate. I have no idea why they won't take the money right there but asked us to go online. Again, it was $10 for parking and then $5 per person to enter the park. 

We were early enough so there were plenty of parking spaces available. From there we started our climb up to see the 'Needle'. 

Chickens/roosters running around in the parking lot.

Looking down at the river from the parking lot.

The Needle.

Imagine the river of blood when this was the battle field.

The battle that united Hawaii Islands.

Looking down to the parking lot as we continued our climb up.

The shelter is the highest we could get to.

After getting down from the top, we went to the river bank and walked around a little before leaving the park.

Maui Tropical Plantation

We came here the last time we were in Maui and I was very impressed by the atmosphere. I thought it would be a good idea to come back for more. We did not take the tram tour, and just walking around the grounds is free. I will just let the pictures do the talking and you will understand why I like this place.

We did purchase some souvenirs and fresh fruits from this farm market.

We had lunch here on our last visit but after checking out the menu this time around, we did not find anything we liked, so we skipped having lunch here. Instead, we went to...

Cupies, a local favorite that serves Hawaiian style plate lunch.

Roast pork

yummy, with crispy skin

I believe this was a beef plate. It was also delicious.

After lunch, we decided we had enough sight seeing for the day. We were tired after four straight days in port. As seniors, we needed our afternoon naps which we couldn't have when the ship is in port. We then went to Costco nearby to fill up the gas tank, did some souvenir shopping there, and then returned the rental car before 2:00. 

It was most welcomed to be back on the cruise ship and enjoy a relaxing afternoon. What else should we ask for with a wonderful dinner served after a long day!?

We will have four sea days before reaching Ensenada, our last port on this trip.

For video on this day, please click here.

"Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him; let all the upright in heart praise him."

Psalm 64:10

 

Nawiliwili, Kauai, Hawaii

Grand Princess Roundtrip San Pedro 16-Night to Hawaii

March 5, 2025, Nawiliwili, Kauai

Kauai has to be my favorite island in Hawaii! After spending a port day here, this island gave me the feeling that it is a well-planned, nicely developed island, very much like a huge resort with everything in it.

To pick up our rental car at this port, we went on shore as early as we could to find the shuttle that would take us to the rental car place at the airport. There was no sign or anything to show where the shuttle stop would be. After asking the security guard by the gate, he told us where to wait as we were the first ones there. Soon enough a long line was formed behind us as we waited for the pick up. The small bus soon arrived but stopped at a spot a few feet from where we were standing. Fortunately, everyone behind us respected our places in line and let us on first instead of rushing onto the bus. We needed to show our reservations to get on the bus which was fine. After about 10-15 minutes, we arrived at the Lihue airport car rental and picked up our car for the day.

When we travel on port days, we like to go to the furthest sight first and work our way back to port. In case we run out of time, we could get back to the ship easier and faster. On this day, our first stop would be Waimea Canyon State Park near the west side of the island. It was an easy drive with well-paved highways and nice sceneries. Since we started early, traffic was minimal as we drove up to the park.

After parking, we were instructed to pay for parking and entrance fees for each person using the machine there. I believe it was $5 per person and then $10 parking for the day.

"Grand Canyon of the Pacific"

Absolutely gorgeous!

Accessible walkway to the overlook.

Parking lot at the park. 

Funny thing was my memories of this park were the chickens that ran around the parking lot when we were here about 15 years ago. The chickens are still there just not that many.

After about an hour or so, we drove back down to the town of Waimea.

What else but to have some shave ice?!

We had to wait for them to open at 11:00, we were a few minutes early.

What a treat!

After enjoying the delicious shave ice (with ice cream underneath), we drove about 10 minutes to the town of Hanapepe, to see the swinging bridge.

Walkway to the swinging bridge.

Apparently, there's a lot of history in this little town other than the swinging bridge, including the Hanapepe Massacre that occurred in 1924 of an armed labor dispute involving sugar workers.

The many plantation style buildings on main street made this a popular filming location including The Thorn Birds, Flight of the Intruder, and others. It is also the inspiration for Kokaua Town, which is the fictional hometown of Disney's Lilo & Stitch. Many visitors and Disney fans come here just for this reason.

On the swinging bridge.

Such a beautiful town!

Not far from Hanapepe, there is a Glass Beach that we thought would be interesting. It turned out that there's nothing special about this place. It was difficulty to get to for one thing and there was not enough parking. It is hidden in an industrial area and we felt that it was a waste of time. There seemed to be some homeless set up their camps there too.

Our final destination for the day was Poipu Beach. What a beautiful beach this is! But, first thing first, we need to get the Puka Dogs that was recommended by Anthony Bourdain. Parking was easy here right across from the beach near the Puka Dog place.

Here we are!

but look at this long line outside, all the way to the back of the building. Well, we just had to get some...

after the long wait in line, we were finally inside the store and we could see the workers getting the dogs ready.

finally got to enjoy our Puka Dogs, not cheap, it think it was like close to $12 each, but I guess we just had to do it! What's special about these dogs were they hollowed the buns and then put the sausage and the special sauce that you picked inside. The tropical sauce that we had made it a delicious treat. Just having a nice picnic at the beach under the covered picnic tables with a view of the ocean can't be beat!

And what else do we need more other than these sea turtles resting at the shore.

We felt that we had done a lot on this day and by then, it was time to get back to the ship. We dropped our family off at the strip mall that is walking distance from the port and we returned our rental car back at Lihue Airport. We were able to catch the last shuttle back to the terminal, enough time before the all-aboard time.

Here are pictures of our dinner at the main dining room that evening. What a nice ending to a day at this beautiful port in Kauai. Tomorrow will be our last port in Hawaii on this cruise. Please stay tuned.

For video of this day please click here.

"Do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure."

I Timothy 5:22