Occasionally Adventurous: Day Seven

We had an off and on rainy day with periods of sunshine. We lingered over breakfast on the lanai, watching tiny drops fall and big clouds move overhead. Decided to postpone the beach till tomorrow. We did pack all of our beach stuff just in case, but didn't use any of it. We drove south to Kihei, Wailea, Makena and on down to the nature preserve. We stopped and walked the length of Po'olenalean Beach. Lots of very rich looking hotels and estates along this stretch of road.

We spent the afternoon at the Maui Ocean Center. We had lunch at Seascape, overlooking the Ma'alaea Harbor. The food was wonderful, and it was fun watching the morning diving expeditions returning. After lunch we toured the aquarium. We got to the turtle tank just as a naturalist was beginning a talk and feeding the turtles. At the shark tank, the afternoon feeding was just getting underway. Two men in full scuba gear were feeding sharks, manta rays and a variety of smaller fish. Somehow the diver was able to converse with the narrator outside the tank. The aquarium has a tunnel through the shark tank, similar to the polar bear tunnel at the Detroit Zoo. The sharks were interesting, but both Pat and I were more fascinated by the giant rays. Those guys are HUGE! We wandered the gift shop, bought postcards, and headed back north.

We ran into a thunderstorm just as we reach Lahaina. In no time, a river was running along the road. The downpourt lasted only about fifteen minutes. By the time we got back to Honokowai, the rain was over. Our lanai was completely dry, though the parking lot pavement was damp. We had a snack and read the Maui Times on the lanai. Pat took a nap and I caught up with mundane recordkeeping.

We decided to stay close to our apartment for dinner. Our trusty guidebook mentioned a local bar/restaurant called Java Jazz & Soup Nutz. It's a small bar in a strip mall, decor as funky as it's name. But the food was outstanding. Just don't order a pina colada, which was tasteless and short on rum. A local singer/songwriter accompanied herself on the piano, and was pretty good. We had a table next to the bar, which seemed to have a regular clientele who all knew each other. It was a fun atmosphere, and the best part was the two minute drive home.