ZIP LINING IN THE HALEAKALA MOUNTAINS

DAY 5: WE HAVE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS ALL WEEK. THE QUEEN ZIP LINING VIDEO UPDATED 10/3/08...



THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY:



we woke up at 5am to have breakfast at KULA LODGE, SEE REVIEW BELOW, before zip lining.

while the drive to haleakala mountains, there were cows on the side of road that you can touch them without getting out of the car. sorry to photos, it would have scared them away.

happy cows in hawaii

we arrived to kula lodge to early. it opened at 7am

the girls were giving my grieve that i was wearing open toed sandals with socks to go zip line. i had no worries. i was telling the girls that the place should have extra shoes cuz that is what happened in Mexico.

we booked our zip lining with SKYLINE ECO ADVENTURES MAUI

while we were waiting we drove to the top to catch the view.

we drove down to check out the menu and walk around the grounds. there was a gift shop that was not opened yet either.

we took photos of a sign " do not steal the avocados or you will be doing dishes for the rest of your life" and "A" and i pretending to steal avocados.

there were also a few units around the area to spend a night.

we took kung fu photos of each other on a log.

i took photos of all the beautiful native flowers and plant around the area.

the gift shop opened and we were killing time inside until the restaurant finally opened.

the view from the inside was gorgeous.

I took photos of "H" and "A" with the background.

i ordered eggs, rice with ketchup for breakfast. a typical "melle" breakfast

we were taking turns smelling the coconut pancake syrup

we arrived at the zip line office early.

it was very nippy morning

i wore my HUGE SWEATER

we were watching the first group before us gear up.

this was a totally different zip lining in mexico then here.

here are some photo of the zip lining in mexico, that is not me BTW!!!

i was trying to figure the breaking system since we were NOT WEARING ANY GLOVES CONCERNED ME.

when we checked in, there was an "8 ball" near the counter, we were taking turns asking questions.

i can't believe i could not think of any, "A" was saying that the girls already knows my "dirty secrets".

the girl in the counter said she wanted to know my "dirty secrets"

we sat around until our group was getting larger.

we all went to the car, to put our purses away. we did not need to bring our extra bags with us.

i only brought my camera with me with a sling.

"A" had the car keys and she was giving an "ugly fanny pack" to wear around her wait so she won't drop the keys in the deep ditch.

i told the girls to go pee before they strap us in the harness.

while going to the bathroom, we watched a chicken carrying a toilet paper in its mouth and being chased by 3 other chickens all over the place.

one of the tour guides noticed i had open toed shoes, i was sent to try on the used shoes in the back. i had "H" pick the shoes for me. i kow she will end up picking the brightest and ugliest one of the bunch. she ended up picking the most dirty one.

in our group, there were 3 newlywed couples, one couple who has zipped lined before and 4 friends and us.

the girls took turns taking photos of each other getting strapped.

we hiked a muddy trail to the first platform

there was 2 guides with us, Sal and Luke both mexican has been living in hawaii 3-5 years, all explained the safety procedures.

each platform, Luke would explain the different birds in the island. all the platforms were named after the native birds in maui.

This was a first for “H” and “A” to do this.

I took photos of the girls and videoed the girls and also for me.

I got the zip line concept, we hold on to the safety and you break running up the ramp. You need strong legs to control.

“H” and I has short legs, we can’t run up the ramp until we were already to the top of the ramp.

In each platform, “H” and I were coming up with different screams.

“H” and I both did the “XENA” battle cry

“H” did her normal battle cry

I sang the song of R.KELLY �" i believe I could fly.

We all shared our favorite places to eat in maui with the others.

Luke shared his favorite local spots he like to eat.

Luke and Sal were asking each of us, what is the occasion and why we were in maui.

My favorite is when we started to run then jump off the platform to gain momentum, you are going very fast on the zip line however you need to prepare to slow down and with a hard run to the ramp.

One of the guys of the newlywed couple screamed like a girl.

One of the guys is in the army, he said this is one of his favorite part of boot camp without carrying 30lbs of gear.

The last zip line is the fastest one in the Hawaii.

We finished off with a van ride back to the office.

Sal was hiding my sandals from me.

We took photos with Sal and Luke.

We got the feeling Sal and Luke wanted to hang out with us.

Funny the girls and I were not in the mood to play with the guys. we turned off our “flirty and play” mood. We were slow at the asking them where were they going after the zip line.

We drove to Paia to eat at the fish market. We were starving.

Afterwards, we went back to the room and change into our bikinis to go for a swim at Napili bay.

 

I WILL ADD MORE MEMORIES AS I REMEMBER….

 

Haleakalā National Park is a United States national park located on the island of Maui in the state of Hawaii.

The park covers 45.5 mi² (118 km²), of which 38.6 mi² (100 km²) is a wilderness area.

 

History

 

It was originally made part of the Hawaii National Park along with the volcanoes of Mauna Loa and Kilauea on Hawaii Island in 1916, but was made into a separate national park in 1961. The park area was designated an International Biosphere Reserve in 1980. The name Haleakala is Hawaiian for "house of the sun." According to a local legend, the demigod Maui imprisoned the sun here in order to lengthen the day.

 

The park features the dormant Haleakalā (East Maui) Volcano, which last erupted at around 1790. The park is divided into two distinct sections: the summit area and the coastal Kipahulu area.

 

The two sections of the park averages 1,450,000 visitors per year.

 

Summit

 

The summit area includes Haleakalā Crater, the summit of the volcano, and the area surrounding the summit. This part of the park is accessed by Hawaii state road 378.

 

The main feature of this part of the park is undoubtedly the famous Haleakalā Crater. It is huge: 11.25 km (7 mi) across, 3.2 km (2 mi) wide, and some 800 meters (2,600 feet) deep. The interior of the crater is dotted by numerous volcanic features, including large cinder cones. Two main trails lead into the crater from the summit area: the Halemau'u and Sliding Sands trails. Hikers in the crater can stay in one of three cabins (which need to be reserved through the park first).

 

Each morning, visitors come to the summit of the volcano to watch the spectacular sunrise. More visitors come each afternoon to watch the equally amazing sunset. One attraction of the park is Hosmer's Grove, a unique forest of alien trees including deodar from the Himalayas, sugi from Japan, eucalyptus from Australia, and several species from North America (pine, spruce, cypress, fir, and others). Native plants and trees are also present in the forest but are not very common due to the little light available (because of the taller alien trees).

 

The park is known for its unique volcanic features, its long scenic drive with numerous overlooks, and the unusually clear views of the night sky available. Haleakalā is one of the best places in the United States for amateur astronomy, and binoculars and telescopes are available for rent from many local merchants. The Hawaiian nene geese can also be seen in their natural habitat in Haleakala Crater. Although Nene died out entirely in the park, in 1946 they were re-introduced with the help of the Boy Scouts, who carried young birds into the crater in their backpacks.

 

Kipahulu

 

The second section of the park is the Kipahulu section. Visitors cannot drive directly to this section from the summit area; they must take a winding coastal road that travels around the windward coast of the island. (The road goes in a complete circle along the southern coast, but the area of it directly west of Kipahulu is closed due to recent landslides. Check the park's website below for updates.) This part of the park lies within the lower part of Kipahulu Valley. It is separated from the summit area of the park by the upper portion of the valley. This area is designated the Kipahulu Valley Biological Reserve and is closed to the public to preserve the native plant and animal species in this fragile ecosystem.

 

This section of the park features more than two dozen pools along Palikea Stream in the gulch called 'Ohe'o. These pools contain rare native freshwater fish. Visitors may choose to swim in these pools, or they may choose to hike a trail that takes visitors up to the base of Waimoku Falls.

 

Flora and Fauna

 

Because it is on a volcanic area, all of the plants and animals that are now present on the island were brought through pioneers or naturally (two thousand miles through the air or sea). Once the organisms got there, they went under strange adaptations to make the species unique. This park has actually the highest number of endangered species (compared to what?). Once travelling to this part of the island became more frequent, native species were destroyed. One example is the silversword plant, which used to cover Haleakala Mountain to a degree where the mountain looked as if it were covered with snow.