Banyan Tree
Another early morning. We ate breakfast at the resort: fresh papaya, fresh pineapple, oatmeal, and (of course) coffee. We loaded in the trusty Elantra and headed on the road past Hana (which proved as treacherous as the road to Hana) to Haleakala National Park. Having seen the lava side, it was time to explore the lush jungle side. We were one of the first people at the Park and, after getting the obligatory park patches, hit the trail to Makahiku Falls. The Hawaiian proverb posted on the entrance to the trail reads “He wai makamaka ‘ole,” meaning: water that recognizes no friend (we’ll get to that part later). The hike started off benignly enough into the forest We continued up slippery rocks and over the roots of large banyan trees on the Pipiwai trail. The skies opened up again in a downpour, but the rain was welcomingly cool. 
Several signs on either side of the trail repeatively warned against the steep drop-offs and that fatalities can occur. (side note: before entering the trail, there were several articles posted regarding fatalities in the park). The heavy rains for the past two days caused parts of the trail to be closed due to flash flooding, and the waterfalls and rivers were running high. The first mile of the trail was a bamboo forest. There were so many bamboo trees, it’s hard to describe or even imagine. 
We trekked onward and ended up on raised platforms that form a good portion of the trail. Half a mile into the hike we saw the falls at Makahiku. Higher and higher we climbed with occasional views of rushing waters off to the side. The scenery was lush greens on all sides and above. After about an hour the foliage opened up and on all sides were rushing water falls. The Waimoku falls extend upward hundreds and hundreds of feet. These were definitely waters that know no friends. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to stumble upon this area hundreds of years ago. The water rushed with such force and ferocity. We hiked back making slightly better time than on the way out. 
Having not taken an allergy pill I was struck with a case of generalized puritis (crawling out of my skin) and stopped on a park bench to rest my legs and calm my skin while Steven and Libby hiked out to the coast. We hopped back in the car, exhausted, ate some oatmeal cream pies and headed out of the park before the crowds picked up.
The road back to Hana – I will just say the whole damn road to, from, and around Hana is nightmarish. I thought I would be witnessing divorce papers as Steven drove (he did a great job) and Lib and I panicked. It was from the vantage point of being a rear passenger that I realized the bridges we were crossing were constructed in 1910, eeks. We stopped at the Surfing Burro food truck for burritos and fruit drinks that definitely hit the spot. Once back at the Travassa Hana, we quickly changed into our swimsuits and headed back to the beach for snorkeling. There’s no rest when the vacation countdown has started!
We picked up our snorkeling gear and headed down to the Hana Bay Beach. The black sand was soft and HOT HOT HOT. We dove into the refreshing water with gear in tow only to discover that we couldn’t see anything because of the black sands. Lib and I threw our gear back in the car and headed out for a swim. Steven continued to snorkel which we confused for drowning. We swam with mad fury to discover he is just ungraceful at diving, but had discovered a coral reef. We ran back for the snorkeling gear and swam back out. In the process a large wave struck and I lost my snorkel goggles. Swimming beneath the water we could see the reef and lots of fish. It was another whole world. I swallowed quite a bit of salty water too, and managed to lose my snorkel to match the missing goggles. We called it good and packed up the car to head to the next beach.
The waves were huge at the next beach, Hamoa Beach, and Lib and I were content to hang out on shore while Steven swam through the waves. We finally made it back to the condo, showered, and the Balteses required a nap.
We walked to the nearby Hana Ranch for dinner. The ranch sits up on a hill outside of the resort complex and we could see the storm brewing and blowing in from the ocean. The nightly Mai Tai was called for. Lib ordered some BBQ ribs with fries, while I got a Hawaiian flank steak and Steven got Mahi fish tacos. Dinner was delicious and the rain cleared in time for the walk back home.
Good night from my last night in Hawaii, em