Views from the Volcano

At our second port of call we stopped in Kahului on the island of Maui. We had arranged for a bus tour even though I'm not great for large group excursions. We thought it was the best way to see some spots of interest and understand what we were seeing.
We began by driving through sugar cane fields, which are rapidly disappearing due to the high cost of production. We saw some areas being burnt off before harvesting with large clouds of smoke rising from them.

We headed up the side of Haleakala Crater to over 9,000 feet. The crater is not active, but not extinct....It was very interesting to see the different climate zones, from very warm and tropical to a very cool sub-arctic. We saw the famous aptly named silversword, a surreal plant deserving of some design considerations.....hmmm!




Our next stop was in the beautiful Iao Valley which was lush and steamy by comparison with the crater top. The Needle is a famous landmark and the sight of a famous historic battle where in 1790, at the Battle of Kepaniwai, King Kamehameha clashed with Maui's army in his quest to unite the islands. Kamehameha defeated Maui's forces in a ferocious battle that ultimately changed the course of Hawaiian history.

We are also beginning to see some rich vegetation and flowers we only see in the florist shops at home.