I promised both of our kids a trip of their choosing upon graduation from high school. Brodie got his a little early (see https://pletzky.blogspot.com/2017/05/so-my-second-last-post-spoke-of-great.html), but even though Amy graduated years ago, the timing didn’t work out until recently. We finally managed to work out a trip to Hawaii.
I’ve always
thought of Hawaii as a beautiful place I’d like to visit someday, but also
BORING! I knew there was much to see and
do, but everyone goes to Hawaii.
I’d rather go places with fewer tourists. Well, it turns out Hawaii can be an adventure
too. Read on. 😊
The joy
began in Calgary on Friday, March 8. Our
flight was delayed twice: once before we boarded and then again on the
tarmac. We arrived in Maui at about
10:45 PM, waited for our luggage, and then took the shuttle to the car rental
depot. I do the vast majority of my
travel arrangements on Expedia, and the best deal for car rentals had been
Sixt. When we showed up at Sixt office all
the lights were out and no one was there.
I tried the lot and it, too, was devoid of humanity. I tried calling the “emergency” number and
was simply told “no, sir, we’re closed”.
There wasn’t even a hint of apology.
So there we were at the airport, exhausted from a long day of travelling
and a four hour time change, a forty minute car ride from our hotel, but with
no car! Fortunately, Budget was nearby, open,
and had cars. We eventually did manage
to get a car and make it to our hotel.
Our hotel on Maui was very nice. It was older and they were about to start renovating it, so that helped with the price. It couldn’t have been closer to the ocean. High waves would actually hit the sea wall of the hotel. We were able to observe whale activity from our balcony.
I was delighted the next morning to be able to stumble onto the balcony and see Amy playing in the surf. She spent considerable time swimming and body surfing throughout our stay. That first day we did a lovely drive along the north-west coast.
Amy had done a little walking and discovered a church she was interested in, so we attended Sunday morning. The lovely congregation consisted of mostly tourists and people who’d retired on the island, but there were also some native Hawaiians and others who’d been affected by the recent fire. After church we went to “Maui Ocean Center, The Aquarium of Hawaii”, where the highlight was an IMAX-like domed whale film (hard to describe but a little like being inside a snow globe watching whales all around us) and a tunnel through a shark/ray/large fish tank.
Monday we had an excellent whale watching tour
and then I drove the road to Hana (Amy opted to stay at the hotel). Sometimes doing things late can be an advantage, and sure enough I got to enjoy swimming beneath a waterfall all by myself.
Tuesday we took a flight to the Big Island (aka Island of Hawaii). I had rented an SUV because I knew there were some drives I wanted to do that require one. However, when I got to the rental counter I was told I’d paid for a 2-wheel drive and would need a 4-wheel drive. So, a few hundred dollars more and we were on our way. (For those that are unaware, Hawaii is EXPENSIVE!!!) We managed to find a relatively affordable hotel, but it was in Hilo – a significant drive from the airport. We did, however, get to see a black sand beach on our way.
The next day we checked out and headed back to Kailua-Kona, where most of our activities were centered. We spent a bit of time exploring Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and had lunch overlooking a volcano. The weather was not the greatest, but as evening approached the drizzle let up enough that we undertook a hike to the bottom of a volcano where we’d observed people earlier in the day. Again being late-ish was good because we were there all alone. The landscape seemed otherworldly, and especially magical with the dark lava, the mist, and the falling darkness.
However, it was getting later and later in the day, and it was completely dark before we arrived back at the car. We continued the drive back to Kona with an eye on the fuel gauge. I knew we wouldn’t make it all the way back, but I just assumed we’d find fuel on the way. Well, we found several gas stations, but they had all closed at 8. Sure enough, we ran out of gas ten or fifteen miles short of our destination. We were on a very twisty/turny road with no shoulders, but by God’s grace I managed to find a small spot I could get the vehicle off the road. Amy climbed into the back seat and went to sleep. I tried Uber with no luck and then began walking toward town. At one point someone driving the other way slowed down enough to ask whether I was ok. I managed to say I was out of gas, but he had a bunch of traffic behind him, so he kept going. I got a few hundred yards further before a pickup pulled over, ostensibly to give me a ride. The driver turned out to be the gentleman who’d slowed down earlier – it had taken him a while to find a spot to turn around. This is when I met my new friends, a lovely couple named Wela and Robin. They had AAA, so they made a call and were promised a tow truck would arrive shortly. We returned to the vehicle and waited. As it turned out, they were just returning home from Bible Study. Needless to say that piqued my interest, and we quickly confirmed we were fellow believers. That, of course, creates an instant bond, and we became engrossed in conversation, not even noticing the passage of time. I was getting quite hungry by this time, and they just “coincidentally” had some left-overs from their event that they generously shared with me. (Amy slept through it all.) While we were waiting, Robin also found us a hotel. (Hawaii isn’t made for travelling the way I do, getting a hotel when I’m done my day and know where I’ll be!) Robin told me about how bad the road we were on could be: just a week before she’d totaled her car less than a mile away. We waited probably about two hours when suddenly the same tow truck and driver that had helped her out happened upon the scene (no, it wasn’t in response to AAA – they texted her at 8 AM the next day to inquire if she still needed help). Fortunately this tow truck driver had fuel and we were on our way, but not before I asked which church Wela and Robin attended. When Amy and I arrived at the hotel (around midnight), we realized it was quite possibly the nicest / most expensive one in town!
Still, by that time we weren’t going shopping for a cheaper place! (Thank goodness for credit cards. 🤣)
The next day (Thursday, March 15) Amy spent some time with some newfound friends. I hung out at the swanky hotel until check-out, checked into a cheaper place, and then headed uphill in hopes of driving to the summit of Mauna Kea. After driving through a layer of clouds, I encountered a ranger station where 1) sure enough, they turned back non-4-wheel-drive vehicles, and 2) I had to acclimatize for at least half an hour. I then continued to the summit for a truly spectacular view. I happened to be there at sunset and could hardly believe the incredible experience.
Friday we got the chance to cross off one of the two items Amy was most interested in experiencing: we went parasailing. Yep, what a great experience! It was especially satisfying to be experiencing something new together with my daughter!
Saturday we decided to head for the green sand beach.
Most people, upon reaching the parking lot, take a shuttle or walk due to the grueling nature of the rest of the (approximately 3 mile) drive. But hey – I paid extra for a vehicle that could handle it, right? The road was nasty and gnarly – Amy was more comfortable walking – but nothing I haven’t done before. The problem was that we had a “city SUV” – not all that much clearance and highway tires. Still, I was managing until about halfway there when I heard a pop and immediately realized I had a flat tire. This was the beginning of the true adventure. Flat tire, you say? No big deal for this ex-farm-boy. I opened the hatch and, much to my surprise, there was no spare, no jack, no wrench – nothing but a small air compressor!?! I can’t even describe my thoughts at that moment – good thing I know so few swear words! Lacking any other options, I hooked up the air compressor which seemed (briefly) to inflate the tire a little, but not nearly enough.
Eventually a local man happened along in a side-by-side. We finally found the source of the leak – a compromised sidewall. I thought a new tire was the only option, but my helper was confident he could fix it. Well, he gave it a valiant effort, but no dice. He said he was sure he could fix it at his shop, so he took the wheel off and headed out. That was around 5:20 PM. I spent some time droning, but eventually the light faded. Surprisingly we had cell reception, but fatefully I hadn’t gotten the helper’s number and hadn’t given him mine. We hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and only had a few snacks in the car. It got later and later and still no sign of our helper or our tire. In the meantime, Amy had been chatting with one of her newfound friends, who said “hey – I just bought a new truck and enjoy driving. I’ll pick you up.” He was roughly an hour away from the parking lot. It was dark so I escorted Amy the mile and a half or so through the rough terrain. I kept wondering whether we’d eventually encounter our helper, but he still hadn’t arrived when Amy’s friend arrived. I couldn’t decide whether to return to the vehicle or return to town. I eventually decided, given that it was nearly 10 PM by that time, that the helper likely wouldn’t return until morning, so I hopped a ride. Fortunately I’d had pen and paper and was able to leave my phone number prominently displayed in the vehicle. At 2:45 AM I was awakened by a phone call: the helper was at my vehicle and I wasn’t. Well, there was not much I could do about it, so I returned to my slumber. I got up earlier than planned the next morning and hiked out to the highway – Uber was once again not going to be of much use. Coincidentally the church Wela and Robin attended was on the highway between town and our vehicle. I said “OK, God, whether I go to church or directly to the car is up to you” and stuck out my thumb. Well sure enough, when I got a ride the driver said “I’m not going quite as far as the church, but I can drive you there”, so church it was. I arrived early and the first person to meet me was the pastor. Apparently I’d made an impression, and Wela had already told him the “out of gas” story, so he knew who I was. I told him I’d been “exercising my faith” that morning, and that phrase triggered something and he asked me to talk about it to the congregation, to which I happily obliged.
Anyway, after church Wela and Robin offered me a ride to my vehicle. We stopped for a delicious lunch and then proceeded to the vehicle. Their truck had decent clearance, so they were able to drive me all the way to my rental. When I got to the rental, the helper was there. He explained that he’d stayed with the vehicle all night for fear it would be stripped or stolen – a danger I hadn’t really given much thought to. He’d had no luck fixing the tire, but had managed to find another wheel with a matching stud pattern. There was only one catch: to mount the wheel he’d had to take the brake caliper off. I was later told that it’s possible to take a brake caliper off and leave the other three wheels to brake, but that’s not how this had been done: I had no brakes!!! Well, I’ve done some crazy hairy/scary driving, but driving out of there with no brakes would certainly make my list of nasty drives. Fortunately the helper guided me through, but he would, on occasion, stop his quad in front of me and I’d have to remind him I had no brakes! One time I had to back up a little and… the vehicle wouldn’t stop rolling. I was 100% convinced I’d bend the vehicle on the hill (small cliff) behind me, but I managed to come out unscathed. Eventually, many very tense minutes later, we arrived back at the parking lot. (In case this isn’t making sense, a traditional tow truck wouldn’t have been able to make it to where the vehicle was, and a tow truck that could would have cost a small fortune.) We got back to the parking lot and I called the rental agency. They were going to send a tow truck (and send me the bill). Well, apparently there’s only one towing company servicing that area (coincidentally the same company as had provided fuel just a few days prior), so I called them directly. They were going to be even more expensive. Robin to the rescue: she worked magic with her AAA, and this time they came through. Fortunately there was room in the tow truck for me to hitch a ride back to the rental company. Things are sounding on the up-and-up, right? While we were waiting for the tow truck I received an email saying our snorkeling tour had been cancelled. Moments later I got an email saying our flight back to Maui was cancelled (cancelled – not postponed!). Needless to say, this did nothing to reduce my stress! Finally the tow truck arrived (by now it was dark) and I hopped in. The tow truck driver also had his lovely family (wife and four-year-old son) with him. I had a very nice time with them, but I also had to conduct a little business. The snorkeling tour had an alternative: go with another company at 11:00 PM, rather than the 9:00 PM we’d been scheduled for. I checked with Amy and she said “Let’s go for it”. As it turned out, this was a good thing because by the time I had exchanged vehicles and gotten back to our hotel, it was 10:10 and we had to leave for snorkeling at 10:15! Still, I had made it. Flight issues would have to wait.
Well, I’ve led a charmed life. I have travelled the world. I have done a lot of really cool things! Snorkeling at night with manta rays is very high on the list! I would run out of superlatives trying to describe the experience. We arrived at the dock, changed, and got into a small boat. Just a couple of hundred yards from the dock we were given snorkels and pool noodles, and told to “hop off”. There was a guide in the water, as well as a surf board with a rope all around the outside. The guide then shone lights through holes in the surf board. We grabbed the rope and tried to stay as flat on the top of the water as possible. (The pool noodle under our shins helped with that.) Then we simply looked down into the water and the magic began (or, as Amy would put it, the aliens showed up). The light attracted plankton, and the plankton attracted manta rays. Now words fail me. The first thing I saw was a manta ray that, they told us later, was 15.5 feet wide! It was coming straight at me with its mouth wide open (I don’t think they can even close them). The cavernous maw could, I’m sure, easily fit a human, and only head knowledge (1. they wouldn’t take us out here if it weren’t safe and 2. mantas eat plankton, not people) prevented me from freaking out, but to say it was initially intimidating doesn’t do it justice! The manta did large, vertical circles, and every time it was coming up and around I got to look right into that cavern. The light was very good and I could easily see everything inside! However, what truly blew my mind, was how spatially aware the manta must have been. The first four or five times it swam at and then beneath me I was 100% convinced it was going to hit me. (They’d told us in no uncertain terms not to touch them.) But every time it would turn at just the right moment and miss me by an inch or two. Then, as it swam away, I had a great view of its huge gills. It was a totally mind-blowing experience!!! (Sadly Amy, who had never snorkeled before, never quite got past the fear and intimidation, but maybe next time.) Once I got past the intimidation I was just entranced. I never took my eyes out of the water again, and eventually they had to hit me to get my attention when it was time to return to the boat.
When we got back to the hotel, I managed to get another flight booked. Unfortunately the timing wasn’t great, so we spent a good chunk of time Monday waiting between planes. Eventually though, after over 24 hours of travelling, we did end up safely back in Calgary, with a lot of memories that will last a lifetime. Thank-you, Hawaii, for exceeding my expectations in the “adventure travel” department, even if some of the experiences might not have been quite what most people would choose. But hey, the two days trying to get a Jeep out of the wilderness resulted in a friendship that I’m hoping will last for a lifetime.
