Waves, Whales and Celebrations

Sunday, December 22, 2024

I was going to post this yesterday evening, but after starting to write on our return I was just too tired to finish it. So I’m completing it on the day after. I’ll leave the post in the tense fitting of my initial draft.

We are back home, washed and refreshed after a lovely day - our 17th Wedding Anniversary - surrounded by some of the natural wonders of Maui….though a little worry and tension started the day off.

The Waves

On the way out this morning we stopped to look at the waves breaking on the north shore. This swell continues to amaze me. While I thought that it peaked today, I have since heard that that will now be on Sunday. The roadsides are packed with cars parked up as people walk across the fields to take in the site of the waves.

A grassy area overlooks a rocky shoreline with waves under a clear blue sky.

We had to a couple of errands to do before heading over to the south shore, our destination for the day, when Melissa realized that she had lost her wallet. That set nerve endings popping despite my best attempts at trying to be calm as we drive back to the cliffs where we had been watching the waves - credit cards, etc potentially going missing; telling myself the wave loving, Aloha spirit embracing general public would have held it safely if they found it (while fearing the worst). Back where we parked, we scuffed through the undergrowth. Melissa found it…yeh!

We slowly came off the boil as we crossed the island.

The South Shore

We drove over to Wailea on the south shore of Maui and parked up with the intention of walking along the costal path that runs in front of the big hotels there. The idea was that when we felt hungry we would turn off into one of the hotels and grab a bite to eat.

The weather has been quite beautiful over the last week. No wind, which means hot, and clear days. The sun beat down on us as we walked between the hotels, circling past beaches and the lava cliffs.

A winding path lined with palm trees leads to a beach under a partly cloudy sky. Some buildings are just off the left.

A detailed sand sculpture of a sea creature wearing a crown is displayed near a resort sign with palm trees and a hotel building in the background.

At the Kea Lani we stopped to have lunch. Although the pool areas were busy, the bar restaurant inside was quiet. I guess everyone was making use of the poolside catering facilities? The bar was very much inside/outside situated, and afforded views out to the ocean. We ate simply, but took our time enjoying this change of scenery from our day to day. Towards the end of our meal I glanced towards the ocean and through the palm trees thought that I caught sight of a water spout from a whale.

During the winter months humpback whales visit the waters around Hawai’i to calf. I and I think many people look forward to their first whale sighting of the season. The south shore is always where most can be seen from Maui.

The Whales

We start the walk back along the coastal path. It was brutally hot, though beautiful with it.

A scenic ocean view features lush green vegetation in the foreground, lava rock shores, and a distant mountain with wind turbine going up its side in a line, all under a clear blue sky.

I kept looking out to sea, scanning the ocean for a sign, perhaps a fluke, perhaps a water spout…and then there it was, a whale breaching. It was a long way off, no details, but that was definitely a breach. For me that is as good as it gets. We continued looking out for signs of these big mammals and then saw three water spouts. There were three whales together out there. Again, a ways into the distance a fin came out in the water, was splashed down and came out again as if to wave.

We had seen our first whales of the season.

We stopped for a selfie. The island just visible to the left is Kahoʻolawe. To the right, under the clouds, is Lana’i. Somewhere between the eastern edge of Kaho’olawe and Maui was where we saw the whales.

A couple wearing sunglasses smiles at the camera in a lush coastal landscape with the ocean in the background.

By the time that we got back to the car we were tired and our feet were hurting. Walking 2 to 3 miles on concrete in our flip flops did not help. We stopped for ice cream and then headed for home, glancing at those waves as we drove past one of the breaks.

The day had been a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary.