In Mid-October of 2004, Ben and Beth finally got to go on their Hawaii vacation. This trip took them for a 5 night stay on the island of Maui. They stayed about 7 miles north of Lahaina, in Kahana, and stayed in the Royal Kahana. What they thought would be a hotel room ended up being a condo, with a bedroom, living room, and kitchen. It was a pleasant surprise indeed.

Here's the view from the beach right behind the Royal Kahana. This is the island of Molokai during sunrise. Maui used to be a much larger island before the ice caps melted after the last ice age, and Molokai, along with two other islands (Lanai and another uninhabited one further south), were all a part of "pre-ice age Maui.".

What's a trip to Hawaii without a Luau? That's right, not a trip at all. Lots of good food, bare skin, and fire. Just watch out for the Poi. It's rather bland, ground up from an underground vegetable-root thing, and it's purple. Blaghk!

Here's a picture of beautiful Honolua Bay, about 5 miles North of Kahana. The water all around Maui was incredibly clear. Somewhere in this picture is a sea turtle, but Ben can't remember exactly where it was. It's probably pretty well hidden in with the coral. Beth and Ben did not go snorkeling here, but they did elsewhere, and this wasn't the only time a turtle was spotted....... bum bum dum bummmmmmmmmm........

One of the Maui "musts" is the Road to Hana. It's a 40 mile stretch of windy (about 600 turns) roads, that takes about 2 hours to drive (each way, keep in mind). Here's one of the many overlooks. The road is the zig-zaggy thing on the hillside.

This is Hamoa Beach, where Ben and Beth had a picnic lunch after their long journey to Hana.

Here's Ben frolicking in the waves. The waves weren't huge, but some were big enough to slam Ben into the sand. But the fun was worth the danger.

Here's a picture of Beth and Ben looking back at Hamoa Beach. It had been drizzling most of the morning, but cleared up just in time for their stay at the beach. The water was beautiful, and landscape was beautiful, and Ben just added to the luscious views. But seriously, this one stop made the long and curvy road well worth it.

Maui is home to some of the top wind-surfing spots in the world. Here's someone who may have had a lesson or two in the past. :)