A Day in the Life

On our first day pulling into port, we were delayed by a tropical storm, but we would never let that stop us! A rainy day is choice weather for the Manahan's, even in Hawaii!

So we rented a car and headed off to explore the Road to Hana. As expected, the Road to Hana was much different in the rain than what I experienced in a couple weeks previous. (You can read about that adventure HERE.) But with rain came gushing waterfalls everywhere we turned!

It was positively gorgeous, and because of the rain the roads were pretty empty as well!

Although this wasn't my first trip on the Road to Hana, it was the first time my parents had experienced it, and that was just as fun!

My absolute favorite part of the trip this time around was the blowhole at the black sand beach, Pa'iloa Beach. The water was high, so the blowhole splashed even more water and created a spectacular effect which my father, of course, caught on his camera!

Needless to say, I was pretty soaked after that one! But it was totally worth it! Believe it or not, as soon as we finished our drive along the Road to Hana, I had to perform that night! I had two jazz sets to perform in the gorgeous Skyline restaurant. Luckily for me, my father didn't miss taking pictures of that either!

My wonderful duet partner, Vincent Teschel, and myself

There truly is never a dull day when you perform on the Pride of America!
Always more to come,
Meghan

The Road to Hana

Last Sunday a few of my friends and I rented a car, and ventured out on the Road To Hana.

The Road to Hana is a long winding road in Maui, Hawaii complete with an estimated 600 turns and 54 one-lane bridges. It is certainly an all day trip, complete with hiking trails, beaches, arboretums, and waterfalls. Needless to say, all of us were really excited to see the beauty Hawaii has to offer.

One of the first places we stopped was the Keanae Peninsula. There, we checked out the beach, climbed the rocks, and, my favorite part, walked through through the arboretum. The arboretum was filled with native trees and plants. The Rainbow Eucalyptus was a huge draw, and many people who were traveling to Hana stopped to check out these beauties.

This is the Rainbow Eucalyptus tree! (Or, Eucalyptus degulpta)

Once we were in the arboretum, we decided to walk down toward the water we could hear running below us. We took the "adventure is in the journey" theme of the Road to Hana to heart and hiked down the creek to get back to our car.









The greatest part of the Road to Hana is the waterfalls. There are so many of them, and most are just off the highway! Our first big falls that we stopped at along the way were the Upper Waikani Falls. Here, we decided to get a lovely family photo.

Left to Right: Chris, Myself, Sam, Michiko, and Trevor

Next stop, a black sand beach! We stopped in Wai'anapanapa State Park and enjoyed the Pa'iloa Beach views, and the rich history and legend of the land. 

Pa'iloa Beach from above, Lava caves, and the Pa'iloa shore

Waves crashing on lava rock on Pa'iloa Beach

Wai'anapanapa Park was stunning, and it took a lot of willpower for us to leave! But there was much more to see and only a few hours of daylight left!

Wailua Falls was our next stop. These falls were stunning, tall, and cold! We even got a chance to hike down the the base of the falls, swim around, and stick our feet in the water! It was gorgeous!






Last but not least, we stopped at Haleakala National Park. Here there are the Seven Sacred Pools, or the 'Ohe'o Gulch. The view here is beautiful, and when we arrived the sun was casting a beautiful light on the incredibly blue water. It was simply perfect. 

And, as if that view wasn't enough, we were blessed with a rainbow to complete our incredible day on the Road to Hana. 

Thanks for sticking around for all of this post! I know it was a long one, but I just couldn't imagine leaving anything out! All the photos were taken by me, with some assistance by the wonderful Trevor Rex!

More to come!
Meghan