Day Nine is Fine!

My first task after sending the kids home was to get all the sheets
and sandy towels washed! But then it was time to hit the beach! We
went back to Ahihi Cove and John did some snorkeling while Lavender
and I relaxed. There isn't sand to play in, but Lavender filled her
bucket with pebbles and rocks and had a great time. I took her a few
steps out into the crystal clear water and we saw lots of fish. She
loved it and couldn't stop giggling.

We wanted to explore another beach and thanks to the Maui Revealed
app, we found the Black Sand beach. The trip down the bumpy, dirt road
was well worth it. We found a pristine, nearly deserted beach. I was
nervous for John to snorkel by himself out in the ocean (instead of a
protected cove with others nearby) but gratefully he met another
snorkeler, a young French guy who lives near Portland.

There were lots of rocks just offshore, which made it a little tricky
to get out, but it was a perfect natural barrier for Lavender. She
played at the water's edge and then decided it would be funny to throw
that black sand all over mom! She was excited to see Daddy coming in
from snorkeling (although this picture is from the next day).

Just after John came up on the beach, rocks started coming down from
the hill above us. I yelled for John to grab Lavender and I was
worried that we shouldn't have ignored the sign warning of hazardous
conditions (but seriously, there were warning signs at every beach!)
As I looked up, I realized that the rocks weren't falling, but were
being thrown. I couldn't believe someone would do that! I was
wondering what to do, when Margo, the wife of the snorkeler, came
walking down the beach and told us that birds were the ones throwing
stones! We got a good laugh at that. We couldn't see them from our
vantage point, but she had a clear view from further down the beach.
FYI, this only reinforced my dislike of birds, although I am grateful
there are no seagulls in Maui!

We also had a great time walking along the rocks at the end of the
beach. There were lots of crabs and little fishes in the pools that
formed there. Lavender stuck her little toes in and giggled some more!

We sure did love the beaches on Maui. Every one was unique and had a
personality of its own!