Maui #11 - Lava Rocks!

Today wasn't a very active day. We started a bit late with a visit to the beach across the street. There were no red flags this morning, so we played in the waves a bit. It's quite easy to get past the breakers and bob about in the rollers where the water is still quite shallow ... except when a big wave passes. Hilary lasted about 20 waves and then we headed in and back to the pool. She can dive and do somersaults endlessly in the water there, with regular visits to the hot tub. I even had a little time to read my book.

Later, dry once again, we headed south of Kihei to The Shops of Wailea, a very upscale shopping centre. After cruising the very expensive shops, we decided to keep going south to see where it would take us.

The road south along the coast here quickly leaves the beautifully manicured and watered lawns of Wailea and enters some of the most harsh and rugged land I've ever seen. As soon as the irrigation ends, the scrub brush and prickly trees/bushes begin. Then you reach the lava flow.

This last firey breath of Haleakala happened several hundred years ago, prior to about 1700 most think. At first, we thought the black stuff we started driving through was very roughly ploughed earth. Then we realized it was nothing of the kind; it was solid lava. I've never seen such rough, forbidding countryside.

This is a protected area, so the road is largely unimproved and you aren't allowed to park or leave the road. The road is very narrow in spots (I pulled to the edge a number of times to allow others to pass) but fairly straight and low.

It looks as if the lava escaped from a spot partway up the mountain and just oozed down to the ocean. I can just imagine the heat as it ate up the countryside and then the hissing and steaming as it reached the ocean.

Once it had cooled, some Hawaiians built a village on top of the remains of the lava flow. The ruins of the stone foundations and walls can still be seen at the end of the road. The stones they used were, of course, volcanic rock. Stone walls made of this black material can be seen all over the island. Most are of a newer vintage, but they look the same as the ancient ones, so you never know how old they are.

After all this lava, we decided we needed some more personal time in the hot tubs and pool ... that's how we ended our day!