Family Adventures in Maui, Hawaii After Christmas

In England the day after Christmas is known as Boxing Day. In our family it’s known as Andrea’s birthday. Yes, my wonderful daughter chose to enter the world two weeks before her due date showing up the morning after Christmas. So every year we have to do something for her birthday. It hasn’t been easy. When she was younger, we would usually have a party for her before Christmas. We realized most people don’t want to think of a party the day after Christmas. As she got older, she made it clear that she wanted us to celebrate her day. Now we were on Maui on her birthday.

Since we were in Hawaii, she decided she wanted to attend a luau for her special day. Normally we wouldn’t have spent the money to attend one, but since it was her birthday, we dutifully found one in Lahaina that was easy to get to and purchased tickets. It turned out to be a unique event.

Upon arriving at the luau we were all given the traditional orchid lei to wear. We then spent some time checking out the scenery as the location was right on the water, although it was not exactly on a sandy beach. The evening light cast a warm glow over the landscape.

The first activity of the evening was pulling out the roasted pig. They had cooked the pig by burying it under banana leaves in a pit. They made quite the spectacle of pulling it out. I was expecting a whole pig with the head, but it was just some large parts of the pig. Of course the men who were participating were wearing traditional clothing for the event.

Eventually they seated us at our table for dinner. The food was served through a buffet line. The choices were definitely of a Hawaiian and tropical nature. The food was OK, but not particularly plentiful. I tried to go back to get seconds, but there wasn’t really much left to choose from. Of course the desserts were quite good.

Then the entertainment began. It was done in the form of a story. A narrator told the legends of the Hawaiian people. Dancers would then come out and do dances to amplify the story. Of course there were the young women doing the hula dance. There were also men often doing more dramatic warrior type dancing. However, It surprised me that the men even wore grass skirts on occasion. They changed costumes quite frequently and were definitely bright and colorful.

As you might expect, I was trying to take photos of the dancers which was somewhat of a challenge. It was now evening so the light was not very strong, and the dancers were moving. I did get some photos, and some of them turned out pretty well. In fact I like the motion blur in some of them.

All in all it turned out to be a successful birthday event for Andrea. Our day ended with cupcakes to celebrate her birthday in style.

Up to this point we had not really had much of a water experience on Maui. The kids wanted to go snorkeling so we headed out to Honolua Bay so they could do some snorkeling there. First, we had to rent some gear as we hadn’t brought any with us. At the bay there is no parking lot so we just had to park along the highway and follow a path down to the water.

There wasn’t really a beach there either. Rocks were all along the water’s edge so it was a bit challenging for the kids to get into the water, but they eventually made it. I don’t think the snorkeling was all that exciting for them, but at least they had the opportunity to do it. The chickens along the water’s edge did add some entertainment for us older folks who didn’t go into the water.

Actually I went off by myself to take photos of the flora in the area. Everything here is so green, and it was a fun challenge to find interesting photo shots in this jungle like landscape. My wife stayed behind to make sure the kids were safe and keep the chickens company.

In the distance we could see some surfers so after the kids were done snorkeling we drove up to the top of the nearby cliff. From there we could look down on the bay and also see the surfers below. There was quite a crowd of them. They had to walk down quite a ways to get to the water. In the second photo below you can barely see two people going up the trail.

We did go to one other beach near Lahaina to see the sunset. La Perouse Bay did not have a sandy beach either but had the rough volcanic rocks we had seen elsewhere on the island. It was nice to just walk along the water’s edge and watch the sun set over Maui for one last time.

Returning to our condo that night we saw a surprising sight, a house with the number 12 in blue lights on a roof. 12 is an indication of Seattle Seahawk’s 12th man so even here in the distant land of Hawaii, Seattle Seahawk fans declare their loyalty loud and clear.

The next day we were heading home. We hadn’t spent much time on the other side of Maui so we did do a quick stop in the town of Paia and checked out the beach there. It looked like a great place, but we didn’t have time to really enjoy it.

Our Christmas in Maui had been a great experience for the most part. I can’t say we missed the typical rain and cold weather of a Christmas at home. It was a good opportunity to be together as a family as those opportunities have become less frequent. I wouldn’t mind returning for another Christmas on Maui. There’s always more to see.

Credit: some photos at the luau taken by Silvette Lee