Day 10: Whale watching and Little Beach sunset ceremony

Aloha!

We wake up to a beautiful Maui rainbow over the ocean.

Of course, there would be no rainbows without rain and so it's raining on and off all day. Still it's warm outside and a few sprinkles here and there aren't going to keep us from going out and having a good time. We go for a walk around the grounds of the neighboring sister-property, the Royal Lahaina Resort, and spent some time chilling on the beach in front of the hotel. 

Not without some trepidation we down some bonine seasickness pills and drive to Lahaina for a whale watching tour with the Pacific Whale Foundation. Many people recommended taking a more personal tour on a smaller vessel, but we're hoping their double deck catamaran will offer additional stability so we can hang on to our breakfasts.

Leaving the harbor

I didn't get a picture of our own boat, but here's one of their other vessels we met out on the water.

February is prime whale watching season in Hawaii and it's amazing to see them up close. Unfortunately, we don't run into any territorial males duking it out, but there are lots mothers teaching their calves new tricks.

Mom in front, baby in the back

Baby pectoral fin waving goodbye

Towards the end of the tour they lower the hydrophones into the water and you can listen to them sing!

After that it's back to the harbor. Neither of us got seasick even though some poor Asian lady got a little green around the gills and spent the trip hugging a bucket. Phew.

I've been wanting to try Coconuts Fish Café since we first visited Maui, but it's already a bit late when we reach Kihei, so we let Tripadvisor guide us to an Italian restaurant called Fabiani's. I think I got a pepperoni pizza and Sandy some kind of pasta? It's ok, but nothing special.

On the way out we stop at the bakery counter and pick up a cannoli, a few meringues and a lilikoi (passion fruit) cookie for the road. Then it's time to get going because the sunset ceremony at Little Beach won't wait.

It's a bit of walk from the road, but we've timed it perfectly.

View of Big Beach

The free-spirited sunset ceremony is one of my favorite things to do on Maui. I love the happy-go-lucky attitudes and watching the dancers spin inside the drum circle.

Some dancers take their fire balls out into the shallows for a different effect

There's also someone with a kinetic LED hula hoop and while it doesn't have that flirting with danger sexiness, the psychedelic freeze frames are captivating.

There's also a guy with a propane tank blowing great balls of fire that light the entire area. I don't know .... that's just a bit scary to me and I miss the artistry of the dancers.

The party is still in full swing when we leave, but we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow as we plan to tackle the Road to Hana!

It's a bit tricky getting back down the cliff in the dark, but this time there are people with torches stationed near tricky sections to help everyone get back to the parking lot, which makes a huge difference.

Breakfast: ABC store?
Dinner: Fabiani's

Accommodations: Ka'anapali Ocean Inn