Today is the day we have all dreaded, the day we had to say goodbye to Maui and head back to Minnesota. Luckily, we had all day to still explore before our 9pm flight home. We decided to say goodbye to the beaches & head into the mountains. Josh had wanted to check out the Kula Botanical Garden since we arrived on the island, we figured better late than never. Driving into the mountains, the drastic temperature change, it was gorgeous. It was like being in a rainforest, tucked under the rainforest canopy & then within our turn you were exposed & could see the entire island. It was like you were looking down from the sky, it was breathtaking. We could see the beach that we had just traveled from, I swear there is no bad spot on this island.
The Kula Botanical Gardens had undergone a lot of damage in the December storm that rolled through the island, however still lots of beauty still remained. We checked out a few markets/local stores. Grabbed some ice cream that we ate in the parking lot because I didn't want the girls spilling all over the cloth interior of the van the day that we had to return it. Good thing, Lenny chose a push-pop & it was EVERYWHERE on her...livin' the dream.
We wanted to check out the Ocean Vodka Distillery, but with it being a Sunday, it was closed. We wanted to also check out the Kula Goat Farm, but because it was Sunday that was closed as well. It's funny how this was the 2nd Sunday we had been in Maui for and just realized now how so many things were closed, we didn't notice it before because we were busy exploring the land. We grabbed our drive thru McDonald's, as nothing else was open in the area, and headed to the surfing spot. We had stopped at this spot on our way back from Hana & it was packed with people grilling, hanging out, drinking & watching all the surfers. It was once again PACKED. We found a little spot to park, watch the waves crash in, let the girls get out for a bit & then it was time to head to the airport.
It was a bittersweet day. We didn't want to leave, but when you are just trying to kill time before you have to fly out, it almost gets to a point where you're like "let's just fly out already". Every night that we were in Maui, I don't think we were up past 9pm, we were all so exhausted each day. But there we were 9pm flight out, tired adults, tired kids sitting on the airport floor, just waiting to board.
We had contemplated extending our stay almost daily, because it was pure "magic" there. The feeling that you can't simply explain, it can only be felt. The problem being, Maui doesn't have hotels, they have resorts and timeshares. We couldn't simply find a Holiday Inn and book fora few nights...could we have made it work, yes I'm sure, but I am a strong believer in, if its meant to be it will be, without all the hassle and headache that is required to make it happen. Until next time, Maui will be a definite stop again, but our next Hawaiian adventure will be exploring a different island, I'm thinking Oahu!
What we noticed in Maui, the islanders lifestyle is EVERYTHING that we never knew we needed. They live life in the present, they appreciate the land, they are free-spirits, they aren't rushed. Before we even landed in Maui, my entire plan was explore the island, enjoy the scenery, enjoy vacation. Mission complete. We saw the entire island. We explored. We enjoyed the scenery. We enjoyed our vacation. We all agreed this was hands down the best vacation!
If you ever have the opportunity to travel to Maui, don't hesitate. You will instantly fall in love!
Did I ever mention that travels with our crew...well we never have dull moments! From my crew to yours...Thanks for coming on this journey with us!
That's all for now.
XO- KK
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