alicka promise: Dragon's Teeth

Monday was Carrie's last day on Maui, and the weather was pretty icky. A kona storm had blustered through over Carrie's last days on Maui, but we made due with the weather. We ditched our plans for the beach and headed up to Kapalua to stroll the Coastal Trail.

The trail hugs the edge of the Kapalua coast, which makes for some epic whale watching. It seems as if the whales love the stormy weather, because we watched several pods across the ocean breach and tail slap.

We crossed through a lava field then climbed down to check out some tide pools.

After exploring the tide pools, we headed back up to the trail and continued walking towards the Ritz Carlton to check out Dragon's Teeth.

Also at Dragon's Teeth in Kapalua is a mysterious stone labyrinth overlooking the ocean. I did some minor online research, and it appears that the labyrinth is new within the last 30 to 60 years, but no one seems to know who built it--or why.

Portions of the maze were completely flooded that day, so we admired the design without walking it.

{waves crashing up against the lava cliffs}

{water beading the leaves along our walk back to the car}

As we headed back the way we came, the sun began to peek out of the clouds. We hung out on the boardwalk above Ironwoods Beach to watch a view brave surfers ride Shittys, the surf break at Ironwoods that yup, you guessed it, is usually pretty shitty.

{Ironwoods Beach}

I had a great last day with Carrie, and it was so sad to see her go. It's always fun playing tourist, and I got to tour Maui with one of my best friends. It was hard to end my staycation, and it was harder to see Carrie go. We vowed not to let three years pass in between visits.

My return to Maui has been great. I went out last night to watch Will play music at Captain Jack's where my friend Shaina met me for drinks while I got dinner. Later that evening, Bryan and I drank wine with Will and Ashley and caught up. It was great to fall asleep in my bed with my beloved pillows (not too hard, not too soft).

I got up early this morning, made myself a big breakfast and drove north on the western coast to check out the Kapalua Coastal Trail, an easy day hike I haven't done yet.

The trailhead is Kapalua Bay. You follow along the paved beach path past the Ritz Carlton residences until it crosses a small parking lot. The path then drops off onto an unpaved trail.

Gorgeous. And crowded.

The trail edges along the coast from Kapalua Bay to Flemings Beach. It's a there-and-back route that covers anywhere from 2 to 4 miles in total.

Along the way, the trail overlooks beaches, inlets and tide pools.

{Trailhead}

{watch out for the birds!}

{gorgeous skies}

{kokua}

{another inlet along the way}

I did a little rock scrambling to get down to some inviting tide pools.

{tide pool}

{lava rock}

{Oneloa Bay in the distance}

{yours truly}

{boardwalk sign at Oneloa Bay}

{Oneloa Bay}

I never even knew Oneloa Bay existed! It's a gorgeous, white sand beach that is mostly abandoned. The water is pretty rough, so it's not a great swimming spot unless you go on a supremely calm day. Even so, I plan on coming back here and laying out.

I crossed the boardwalk and passed Oneloa Bay towards Fleming's Beach.

The trail ends at the Oneloa Bay. You climb the stairs up towards the public parking lot, then cruise along Ironwoods Road. Once you hit the golf course, there are signs and maps alerting you that you are back on the Kapalua Coastal Trail.

You pass along the Ritz Carlton golf course which borders an ancient Hawaiian burial site.

This neck high hedge borders the burial site to discourage anyone from trespassing:

{pretty bird friend}

The Coastal Trail ends at Fleming's Beach. Crazily enough, this is the first time I've ever been to Fleming's. I'm awful, I know. Well, there's a first time for everything! It was a great first visit. I crossed the beach along the waterline, dodging incoming waves while picking up seashells and keeping my sneakers dry.

I crossed the beach towards Makaluapuna Point, a rocky arm that juts out from the southern end of the beach.

I scrambled over the rocky bay and climbed up some questionable lava ledges to get closer to my goal: Dragon's Teeth.

It wasn't until on my way back I realized that there is an actual trail that skirts along the golf course and avoids any rock climbing.

Dragon's Teeth is a rocky formation at Makaluapuna Point. The "teeth" were formed hundreds of years ago when molten lava that flowed towards the ocean was met by crashing waves and winds. The waves and winds pushed the lava back to where it hardened into jagged "teeth."

Over the centuries, the salty spray of the ocean has whitened some of the lava rock and created holes in some of the rocks. Parts of the lava look pitted as if someone poured acid all over them.