Day 7: Maui - Napili Beach

I'm starting with Day 7 because it is most recent - hoping I can go back and insert earlier posts....

Yesterday we spent "adjusting": Kaua'i and Maui are different - I'm more Kaua'i than Maui, Suzy definitely liked our place in Kaua'i better, and the kids just needed a slow day.  The morning by the pool, wrapped up by lunch at the "Beach Club" poolside restaurant, and the afternoon at Napili Beach.

So, at lunch, Alex says "Paige, isn't that Ben from our bus?", to which Paige casually replied "yea."  Sure enough, there was another family with kids in Plymouth Creek Elementary staying at Ka'anapli Shores resort in Maui!  Small world connection - they live less than a mile from us in Minnesota.

Before hitting the beach we finally hit Snorkel Bob's for some rentals - 

had a great young sales guy named Nick help gear us up, and he recommended Napili Beach right behind the store for our initial Maui efforts (Alex and I snorkeled in Kaua'i but without fins, and Paige was without any gear at all).  The surf was too strong for Paige, but Alex and I headed out to the reefs (can that word be plural, Mom?) and saw a fair assortment of fish.  Nothing like what we'd seen in Kaua'i (and in case I don't make time to "catch up" on blogging from Kaua'i - snorkeling at Poipu in Kaua'i was awesome - hundreds of fish, wide varieties, and a sea turtle), but OK nonetheless.

Here is a link to a webcam from Napili beach, we parked ourselves between the V of the palm trees you can see (this link is not from the condo we stayed at):  

Napili Beach webcam

Paige and Alex loved the surf at this beach (Ford did, too, we just had to keep him under control or he may have been carried off to Moloka'i).  The beach is uniquely steep, so when the waves break in close, you can float "up" the hill, and then ride back "down" the hill for 20 feet or so, continuously.  Very cool, we had to wrench them away at the end of the day.

When we finally did peel them from the oceanside, we looked briefly (unsuccessfully) for a nearby shave ice stand (which is OK - our shave ice every day habit, with a few days x2, was looking early on to cost us something on the order of $300 or more.... but it is so good....) before heading back to the condo for an evening of cincinnati chili and the Nickelodeon "Kid's Choice Awards" show.