Haleakala National Park

We had a spectacular view on our deck as we ate breakfast this morning before heading out for another day of fun.

We drove the last little bit of Hana Road and saw some more fabulous views:

We ended at Haleakala National Park where we hiked the Pipiwai Trail through the bamboo forest to a gigantic waterfall. It was about a 4 mile hike roundtrip and I was worried the kids wouldn't make it. Dax got a free ride most of the way there on Daddy's shoulders, and asleep in his arms on the way back;  Ellie stayed close to Grandpa who helped her hike the whole way; and Cole was a champ hiking ahead of us with his cousins. They all did awesome!!

After our long hike up the mountain we hiked down to the Seven Pools for a nice swim and a little cliff jumping:

 Ben jumped off the top of the cliff, and he talked me into jumping off the lower ledge. I made him hold my hand :) Cole and Ellie were adventurous and climbed along the edge to the waterfall where we saw a huge crawdad. It was an authentic Hawaiian experience!

The kids were all tuckered out by the time we were done:

We enjoyed another meal on our fabulous deck before FHE with the ENTIRE Coombs family! We are so blessed to have great family and be in such an amazing place!!

Road to Hana

We had quite the adventure finding a church here on Maui. We spent an hour driving around trying to find the 8 am church. When we finally found it we were told it doesn't start until 9 am so it all worked out :)

After Sacrament Meeting we spent the Sabbath Day observing God's beautiful earth on the Road to Hana. The views were spectacular!!

Our last stop right before Hana was the Waianapanapa Black Sand Beach. We ended up staying for hours exploring the beautiful bay.

There was a little cave that opened up to the ocean. Cole and Dax loved it, but Ellie was a little  nervous about the water. Cole and Ben climbed up into an opening to the top of the rock formation. It was an amazing experience!

 

We followed the beach to a trail that went along the coastline there to another bay area. It was magnificent! We even saw a beautiful spider (I never thought those two words could go together!) and some sort of rodent that I didn't take the time to figure out what it was :)

We let the kids play on the beach for a bit before we left. Cole jumped the waves, Elise ran from the waves, and Dax was in heaven throwing rocks:

Ben was a little jealous of the campers and their amazing view! 

Grandma got us some great condos along the beach in Hana called the Hana Kai. We slept to the sound of the ocean...and the kids slept great!

Can't wait to see what's in store for tomorrow!!