Sunday Photo: West Maui Sunset

Taken by Kris Nelson on February 17th, 2009
Location: Private lanai at the Sheraton Maui Resort, Ka’anapali

I was looking through the past editions of our Sunday Photo Series and noticed that I haven’t featured a beautiful Maui sunset in quite a long time.  In fact, the last one was posted all the way back in September! I guess we’ve had a lot of other great things to share if we’ve gone that long here without featuring one of these beauties.

This photo was taken on our most recent trip to Maui and the day after we witnessed our first Haleakala sunrise. I guess maybe the Maui sunsets were getting a little jealous that their early early morning cousins were getting all our attention this trip, so it decided to puff up its chest and spread out its peacock feathers in all its glory. And I must say, while it’s not the most fiery and golden sunset we’ve seen on Maui, the blue skies added their own dramatic feel to the mix. The result was one of the best sunsets we’ve seen in our relatively short time on the islands.

I have already received a few compliments on this photo, but to be brutally honest, I’m not 100% happy with how it came out. When I see this photo, I still recall the anguish I was going through as I snapped away with photo after photo. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful image and certainly worthy enough of being shared with all of you. My angst at the time was that I couldn’t capture the actual beauty of the scene exactly the way I was experiencing it (which happens a lot on Maui, actually).  To put it another way, I took about a dozen shots at this scene with various exposure settings, came away with this one as the best of the bunch, and in my opinion, it’s still probably only half as spectacular as it was in person. What does that tell you about these magical Maui sunsets, eh?

Talk Story
Since we’re back on the topic of Maui sunsets, a very popular one I might add, I thought I’d pose the question to everyone: Where is your favorite place to watch the sunset on Maui? I realize that’s a pretty tough question, but we’d love to hear your thoughts. 

Not to introduce any bias of our own (cough, West Maui, cough), but I mentioned the above photo was taken from our private lanai of our room at the Sheraton Maui Resort. I only say that because as much as fun as it is to share a gorgeous sunset with a beach-full of strangers or with a handful of nearby tables at your favorite ocean view restaurant, there’s a lot that can be said when you and yours are able to bask in the beauty of one of these moments in private. It is definitely one of those moments where you feel like the only two people on the island, and that the sun is putting on this amazing show just for you.

Your turn, tell us your favorites, and don’t be afraid to link to some Maui sunset eye candy as well.

Mahalo,
- Kris

 

Related Posts and Links

• Archives: Sunday Photo Series
• Sunday Photo: Warm and Golden Maui Sunset
• Time Lapse - Maui Sunset
• My Flickr Photoset: Maui Sunsets

Aloha Friday – April 24th, 2009

Aloha Friday
The sky after sunset at Keawakapu Sunset in South Maui.

Our Aloha Friday photo each week is from our Maui Photo Day Calendar. Visit http://daily.kdmaui.com for more details on how to add a new Maui photo on your iGoogle page or your blog everyday.

Follow Friday on Twitter
This week’s Follow Friday is a list of tweeps to follow for getting all the latest island news.

• @KGMB9
  Name: Jared
  Location: Honolulu
  Web: http://kgmb9.com
  Twitter Bio: One of the Good Things About Hawaii (and not a bot!) Managed by Jared I. Kuroiwa.
• @KITV4
  Location: Honolulu
  Web: http://www.kitv.com
  Twitter Bio: This is the official Twitter account for Island Television KITV 4 News.
• @starbulletin
  Location: Honolulu
  Web: http://www.starbulletin.com
  Twitter Bio: Star-Bulletin News
• @hawaiimagazine
  Location: Honolulu
  Web: http://www.hawaiimagazine.com
  Twitter Bio: HAWAII Magazine and HawaiiMagazine.com. Two of the best sources for consistent and timely updates on all things Hawaii. Tweets by @derekpaiva.

Be sure to check all of them out and see what’s News in Hawaii. Of course, you know where we like to get our news, but take a look at each on your own.

On a side note, it looks like we’re finally getting some super nice weather here in Chicago, so I know we’re gonna have a great weekend. You all do the same out there, too!

Mahalo,
- Kris

Lunch Upcountry, Dinner Afloat

Trip Journal entry for Thursday, February 26th.

Today was about easy with a lovely lunch with new friends and a tranquil dinner cruise.

Another Slow Morning
We took our time again getting moving this morning. Come a week from now when we’re back in the day-to-day grind, we’re sure going to miss mornings like this. We opted to sleep in a little later rather than make our way downstairs for breakfast, which was okay because we were heading out to Haiku to meet some new friends for lunch.

I’m sure we’re not the only ones, but the more and more we talk to friends and family about visiting Hawaii and Maui in particular, most have either visited the islands or know someone who has great things to say about it. It turns out Cindy’s aunt (a big Maui fan as well) works for one of those frequent Maui visitors, and we were lucky to meet up with him and his wife for lunch in Haiku on Thursday.

Meet The Artist
Allow me to start with an introduction first. Earlier in our trip you may recall me mentioning that we visited the Maui Hands gallery at their Front Street location. We were there to see the work of February’s featured artist, Mort Luby. Mort and his wife Pat have travelled all around the world, and always seem to end up back on Maui for at least a few months out of the year. To them, Maui is sort of a second home.

We ended up buying one of his paintings that first week, and were told that Mort would be painting right there at the gallery every Friday evening during the month of February. Unfortunately, both of our Friday evenings this trip were already rather full, so we didn’t think we’d get to meet him and say Aloha.

Cindy’s aunt works for Mort back on the mainland, and she and her husband gave us our first “Luby” as a house warming gift when we bought are condo a few years back. Excited that we were having another one shipped home, Cindy dropped her a line and told her the good news. Her aunt, in turn mentioned it to Mort and before we knew it, we were invited out for lunch and getting directions to the vacation home in Haiku where they were staying this year.

The Lunch Date
We had seen the signs for Haiku on our drive out to Hana earlier in the week, so we knew roughly about where we were headed. Their rental wasn’t too hard to find. It was a very nice little vacation rental home and the location was absolutely perfect, especially for an artist. This was the first time Cindy and I met Pat and Mort, but it wasn’t long before it felt like we’ve known them for years.

Our common passion for Maui and some of the current events on the island were main topics as we sat out on their lanai where Mort’s easel was setup. Being in upcountry Haiku, their small lanai was surrounded by a calming and peaceful collection of luscious greenery and trees, with very little-to-no sounds aside from what Mother Nature provides on her own.

We talked about Mort’s paintings and his work with Maui Hands. He shared stories of their travels all over the world and why they always love to return back here to Maui. Mort and I had a good discussion on photography as well, and about some of the work I had done so far. It was really the first time I had the chance to talk at length with someone with an artistic background about my photography. It was very encouraging for me.

A Home-cooked Meal
Pat had prepared lunch for the four of us, which consisted of a salad and homemade chili. It was very delicious, and come to think of it, the first home-cooked meal we’ve ever had while visiting Maui. After desert and a little tinkering with Mort’s website (I’m a travelling techie, I couldn’t resist), we got a small tour of Mort’s little workshop in the garage.

Mort had a nice arrangement in the garage. It was neat to see some of his works in progress, paintings waiting to be framed, things like that. He explained a little bit about how he submits work to the gallery, how they review it, provide feedback, make requests for other works, etc. Up to that point, I hadn’t thought too much about how all that works, but who knows, that could be me with my photographs someday.

Time was flying by at this point in the afternoon. We could have stayed and talked with Pat and Mort for hours, but we had a dinner cruise scheduled for that evening and it was just about time to head back to the resort and get ready for that. We couldn't thank Pat and Mort enough for inviting us over for a lovely lunch and sharing their Aloha Spirit and stories with us. A hui hou!

Rush Hour On Maui
It was almost enough to make us homesick for the traffic back home. Our drive from Haiku back to Ka’anapali took us through Paia, Kahului, Maalaea, and Lahaina all during the busiest time of the afternoon. It certainly could have been more stressful if we were running late, and something I can only assume the local folks have grown well accustomed to. Fortunately we made it back to the resort in time to get ready for our evening on the water.

We typically do a dinner cruise every year as part of our vacation, although we had to cancel the one last year. This was the first one we've done with the Pacific Whale Foundation, and since we're long standing members and had already arranged two whale watches through them, why not stick with them for the dinner cruise. With some of the windy weather we had been seeing the last day or two, we were a little worried about ocean conditions and a chill in the air, but the weather seemed to be cooperating tonight.

Whales, Dinner, Sunset
Even though it was a dinner cruise and not a whale watch, it's rather hard to not find whales in the waters around Maui come February. The boat wasn't out to follow them or seek them out like on a whale watch, but as we saw activity here and there, we all paused to watch. It was a nice little addition to the evening.

Dinner was lovely, and since we paid for the premium seats, we were up near the front of the boat at the upper level. It was a table for two, and ours was in the middle of two other very nice couples. We later decided the premium seating really wasn't needed because it wasn't a full ship and many of the tables and spots on the boat were all wonderful. The service was great, as we've always seen when going out with a PWF tour.

As we've taken many sunset and dinner cruises in West Maui in passed years, we've come to enjoy some of the gorgeous views of not only the sunsets from out on the water, but the coastline and the majesty of the West Maui mountains. Cue the first photo, please:

You can get a sense of just how grand these mountains are by comparing them to the lonely sailboat in the forefront. As many times is the case, photos can't do the actual views justice, and the clarity of the air on a cool, early evening night is remarkable. You can see cars driving along the highway next to the shoreline, houses up higher in the hills, trees, ridges, and all sorts of shadows along the well sculpted mountains. And the colors, well...

I mentioned the whales and dinner, and the last piece of the dinner cruise puzzle is, of course, the sunset. Since we were heading a fair distance south, we got to watch the sun set over the top of island of Lanai this time. From where we positioned at that right moment, the sun dropped onto the island like a jewel on a crown. See for yourself.

Again, pictures are lovely reminders, but never as good as the real thing. Oh, and those colors I was talking about along the mountains just a moment ago? Here's another shot of the view shortly after the sun ducked behind Lanai.

Bittersweet
We have somewhat of a tradition on our trips of saving the last night for either a dinner cruise or a cocktail cruise at sunset. It's always seemed sort of special ending our two weeks with a spectacular Maui sunset out on the water like that. This year though, like last year, we were headed out to the MACC the following evening to see HAPA. That meant this wasn't our last evening, but it still sort of feels like it.

As a bit of anticipated irony, we always end up talking with couples on these dinner cruises that are just starting their stay on Maui. Over the years, we've met so many nice people, some that have visited these islands for many years, and others that are experiencing Aloha for the first time. We love to talk story and share our favorite parts of the island, as well as hear other takes and tips on things we haven't yet tried ourselves. Similar to a luau, if you find the right-sized dinner cruise, it will have that ohana feeling and people you will meet in the process just add to an already perfect evening.

Suds Before Sand

Trip Journal entry for Sunday, February 22nd.

The second week of our trip and we finally make it to the beach!

Awake Before Dawn
Sunday was another early start for me, and this time, I was attempting to do more than just catching up on my journal entries. My goal was to put together another time lapse sequence like I did last year. While the one last year was of the sunset, this year's goal was to capture daybreak in action.

You might think it'd make sense to try and shoot the sunrise as a time lapse. Well, the problem with that, in my situation anyway, is that we were staying in West Maui and the sun rises in the east. I could have tried to get a shot of the sun breaking over the West Maui mountains, but I couldn't find a good place to set that up and it's also hit or miss because of the makua clouds, too. Besides, the best place to shoot the sunrise as a time lapse would be from Haleakala, as one of my fellow bloggers demonstrated last month.

The only real oversight I came across was trying to nail down the manual focus and leveling the horizon with the tripod in almost pure darkness. Note to self for future attempts, set those two settings the night before or sleep in a little later. I ended up with 3 different sequences of photos, mainly because I couldn't find a set of exposure settings that would cover the span of dark to light very well. I'll share the results here once I get time to process them into video clips.

The Laundry
Perhaps one of the few downsides to a two week vacation, you either have to pack two weeks worth of clothes (no way) or do laundry. We've always made a tradition out of doing laundry on vacation (future topic for our Travel Traditions), but this year was a little different than in the past.

Previously, we'd save the laundry for the weekend (no change there) and we'd be able to do it right there at the resort. The Sheraton didn't have a large laundry facility, but it was enough to get the job done. Cindy would spend the time down by the pool while I hung around the machines and switched the loads, hammering away at something or other on the laptop. All was good.

As it turns out, part of the spa renovation at the Sheraton Maui Resort this winter replaced where the laundry facilities used to be. Bummer. So we had to pack things up and head to the laundromat. We found one in Kahana not too far north, and while we still finished in about the same about of time, Cindy missed out on her pool time. No biggie as today was our beach day anyway.

Going South
Just like last year's beach hopping, we were headed down to South Maui to do some exploring and finding new stretches of sand to visit (another one of our traditions). We had gotten a later start on the laundry than we had hoped, which sort of threw off our other plans for the day. For example, we didn't make it to lunch until almost 2pm, which should have been the 2nd hour of our beach and sun time.

Anyway, we ended up at another great local place for lunch, Da Kitchen Express in Kihei. Just like the deli tip from the night before, this one came in from another one of my Maui Twitter friends, and he was right on (no surprise there). Shortly after finishing our plate lunches, we hadn't far to go for our first beach of the day, Kama'ole Beach II.


Kama'ole Beach II

Kama'ole Beach II is one of 3 different beaches in Kihei that make up the Kama'ole Beach trifecta. We visited Kama'ole Beach I last year, and found beach II to be even better. If memory serves, beach II is just a little smaller than its predecessor, yet we found it was much less crowded. There wasn't an abundance of parking, but we managed to find a spot nearby on S. Kihei Rd. If there's one thing I hate more than driving over-sized rental cars on vacation, it's trying to parallel park them. :)

Our beach hopping is usually comprised of about 60-90 minutes at each beach, and consists of Cindy getting her towel, water, and book all setup in the sand while I wander off and take a crazy amount of photos. Almost on cue, we were packing things up again after about an hour or so and we were movin' on. Next up, Ulua Beach.


Ulua Beach

Up until last year, the majority of the beaches we visited were popular spots in West Maui. But after we found Maluaka Beach in Makena, we fell in love with these tiny little crescent treasures. Ulua Beach was just the ticket this year. Located in Wailea and one of at least four beaches along the Wailea boardwalk (also a first for us this year), Ulua had all the charm for us as Maluaka did last year. The skies were perfect, the sun was still pretty nice for later in the afternoon, and I had more than enough places to walk, climb, and photograph. So nice.

By now, we had pretty much lost all track of time. Next up on our beach hoping list, the popular Wailea Beach.


Wailea Beach

This beauty was one of those nice, long stretches of sand that you can also find at Ka'anapali Beach or Big Beach. And while we love the charm of the small, hidden beaches like Ulua and Maluaka, the shutterbug in me simply can't pass up the opportunity to spend hours strolling up and down the bigger beaches on Maui, filling up my memory card faster than a visitor piling on the poi at their first luau. :)

Although we were pretty unaware of the time at this point, it was late enough in the afternoon where the sun wasn't going to be burning us very fast. By now, a fairly brisk wind was picking up, which sort of spoiled Cindy's chance for stretching out and enjoying the sun here, but it didn't stop me from snapping a bunch of photos.

It was our first time visiting Wailea Beach, and the first time I really got to see just how huge the Grand Wailea was, other than driving passed it on the way to the Shops at Wailea. From the beach, you can see the towering buildings (which we were able to see from our helicopter tour), the chapel they have on the grounds of the resort, and the giant cabanas they have facing the ocean. It was pretty impressive to say the least.

On the Boardwalk
During our tweetup the day before, one of our new Maui friends had mentioned the Wailea Boardwalk that was down where we ended up Sunday evening. While it wasn't part of our original plans for the day, we found ourselves checking it out shortly before the sunset. Boy, that sure was nice. Not only did we see a few whales having fun away from all the boats that stalk them in West Maui, some of the houses and views along the walkway were breathtaking.

Had it not been so late and already into the evening, we probably would have walked the entire path. Something certainly to save for the next trip, for sure. We did stick around for the sunset, which, as you'd expect, was just as spectacular as some of the homes we were standing next to.



Where Did The Time Go?
Crap, it was 6:30pm already? This is where getting that late start on the laundry I mentioned earlier really came back to bite us. You see, the day before at our tweetup, Liza had extended an invitation to Cindy and I to stop by her place Sunday evening. I had gotten to know Liza and her ohana online via Twitter (@AMauiBlog) and her blog, A Maui Blog, and we were very excited to say Aloha to all of them in real life.

It's always a big deal when a local resident on the islands invites you to their home, and needless to say, we were really, really bummed that we had to take a rain check. Had we not gotten the late start on the laundry that morning, we would have already been packed for our Hana trip the next morning, done with our beach hopping 2 hours earlier, and toasting the sunset with Liza and her family. Mahalo, Liza, for the invitation and for accepting our rain check at the last minute. I promise we'll make time for a visit on our next trip!

The Mad Dash
So there we were, all the way down in Wailea just before 7pm and we were leaving for Hana in less than 12 hours. While we actually made good time driving back up to Lahaina, the evening was far from over. We made a stop at Barnes and Noble at the Lahaina Gateway to grab a guidebook for our Hana trip, and then Safeway for a few groceries and things to pack for a picnic lunch on Monday. It wasn't until 8:45pm when we finally made it back to our room, and we still had to pack! We didn't even have time to eat dinner, either.

When it was all said and done, after packing for our overnight in Hana and all my techie preparations (camera batteries, memory cards, etc.) it wasn't lights out for us until after 10pm. That 5:30am alarm for a 7am start to Hana sure was approaching fast.

Sunday Photo: Warm and Golden Maui Sunset

Golden Maui Sunset
Taken by Kris Nelson on June 6, 2006
Location: Offshore near Kahekili Beach in West Maui
Buy This Photo

By my estimates, it's time for another sunset photo in our weekly series. Checking the posts here filed under the sunset category, it looks like it's about every month or so. I was just writing about sunsets the other day on my newest photography site, so I was sort of in that type of mood this weekend.

In any case, this shot was taken from the Teralani on our first sunset cruise back in 2006, which nowadays seems like ages ago. The orange sky at this time of day and under these conditions leaves a warm and inviting impression on you and it makes you feel so alive and ready to do it all again tomorrow. While some of my favorite sunsets are the ones that drop right down to the ocean at the horizon and leaves a sparkling reflection in the water, this one is a keeper, too. Here, the sun is escaping behinds clouds as they hover above the island of Moloka'i, and catching it at halfway through the event gives it just enough definition around the edges to come out perfect.

Mahalo, and have a great week.

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If you'd like to see more photos, you can check out our Sunday Photos category here at the blog, featuring a new photo every week. Our website also features daily photos on the Today's Photos page, and if you're Flickr fans like us, you can check out our Ka'anapali Dreamin' collection.

What to own or use any of our photos? Check out our new photo store, Maui Wall Candy, for purchase info and ideas on what you can do with them. Both print and digital formats are available.


Also, subscribe to our blog to get the latest updates throughout the week.

Sunday Photo: Sunset Cruise

Sunset Cruise
Originally uploaded by webnelly

Time for another sunset shot here for our Sunday Photo series. It's true that you can see a great sunset just about anywhere on Maui (or Hawaii for that matter). One of the extras you can do in West Maui, though, is to hop on a small boat or catamaran with one of the many tour companies offering sunset cocktail cruises and you can get even closer. A nice way to end any day on Maui, for sure. We usually book a cocktail cruise for the last night of our trips as sort of the final send off.

This photo was taken from the lanai of our room at the Sheraton (of course), and forgive me for not being able to remember what particular boat and tour company is pictured in this photo. There are at least half a dozen companies that offer these sunset cruises, and they're all pretty affordable as far as Maui tour standards go. We've gone with two different groups in the past, the Teralani and the Pacific Whale Foundation.

The Teralani was a smaller vessel, and it docked right on the beach near Whalers Village, so that was pretty neat. The PWF boat was much larger and went further out along the West Maui coast than the Teralani, plus part of the cost of the tour goes towards research and education on the islands, so you can't go wrong, either.

If you have had experiences with other sunset cruises while on Maui, don't be shy!!! We'd love to hear from you.

Mahalo.

---

If you'd like to see more photos, you can check out our Sunday Photos category here at the blog, featuring a new photo every week. Our website also features daily photos on the Today's Photos page, and if you're Flickr fans like us, you can check out our Ka'anapali Dreamin' collection.

Also, subscribe to our blog to get the latest updates throughout the week.

Sunday Photo: Sun Behind Black Rock

Sun behind Black Rock
Originally uploaded by webnelly

It's been said before, both here and many other places on the web, that the sunsets on Maui are some of the most beautiful in the world. The ones on West Maui, from our favorite Ka'anapali area especially, are often considered the best of the islands.

Here, after watching the nightly cliff dive ceremony at Black Rock, I went to work capturing the sun's descent as it drifted slowly behind Black Rock on it's way to the horizon.

Time Lapse - Maui Sunset

About a week before our trip started, I posted a list of photography projects that I was hoping to accomplish while we were here. Well, here's one of them.



Since this was a serious of about 80 photos, I decided to post it to Flickr instead of YouTube. I thought it turned out a somewhat nice, although I have aspirations of doing better next year. Be sure to check out the full-sized version on Flickr. Let me know what you think.

Mahalo.

Sunday Photo: We're Back

We're Back
Originally uploaded by webnelly

Here's a quick peak from our latest view at the Sheraton Maui Resort on our Maui '08 Trip. While we're actually just two room numbers from where we were last September, the room is around a corner in the buildings on this side of the resort and we have a completely different, yet equally spectacular view.

It's been a long travel day and we're just about finished getting settled in. Haven't had a chance to take a lot of photos, but wanted to post at least one that says "We're Back".

Journal blogging begins tomorrow morning with details on our travel day here.

Mahalo.

Sunday Photo: Maui Sunset

Maui Sunset
Originally uploaded by webnelly

When it comes to sunsets, "Maui No Ka 'Oi" certainly holds its merits. While Haleakala is perhaps the Maui standard for sunrises, just about everywhere in West Maui (and even South Maui for that matter) is the place you want to be at the end of a memorable day on the valley isle. This shot was taken from the Teralani 3 sailboat on their sunset cocktail cruise on our last night from our first trip to Maui, and it's been a hard photo to top. As the description on Flickr says, the only ones with a better view are the lucky folks on that boat off near the horizon.

Sunday Photo: Sunset from cocktail cruise

Sunset from cocktail cruise
Originally uploaded by webnelly


Perhaps one of the most photographed items in Maui is the spectacular sunsets seen anywhere on or around the island. It's true what some people say, that the sun sets everyone on the planet, you can see it from anywhere, and it happens every day. Regardless, seeing these in Maui is beyond words.

As have many, I have taken my fair share of sunset photos from many different places on the island. This particular photo was shot from aboard the Teralani 3 during our '06 trip. With all the sunset photos I took on that trip, this one perhaps did the best job of capturing the blue sky above the horizon as the sun retreats just off of Molokai. I can't say that I'm an expert with the dozen or so settings on your standard digital SLR, and I have to admit that there is a lot of trial and error that goes on, but it still doesn't take away from the result of a shot like this.