We woke up to enjoy the breakfast buffet for the second day. This would be our last full day in Hawaii. We had an afternoon flight the next day so we’d have a little time, but not a full day to enjoy.

Black Lava Beach

Since my wife had to get up early and work I took the boys for the morning to the Black Lava Beach. By heading south from the hotel, we just drove until we got to the end. We drove past some surreal black lava flows that look like bulldozed dirt but were actually solid rock. At the end was a black lava beach (rocky, not sandy) and a hiking trail along the ocean.

The kids were a bit reluctant at first, but we found a small blowhole along the path the kids found interesting for a few minutes. We headed down the path further to a small rocky beach area and the boys checked the tidal pools for crabs and other animals.

It was still mid-morning, but the sun was heating up, especially being on the black rocks so we decided to head back to the hotel. Once back we went to the game room for a little bit while my wife finished up with her work.

Lunch and Glass Blowing

We headed out for an early lunch in Kihei at Maui Fish ‘n’ Chips. We had trouble finding parking but eventually found a spot once someone left. It was in a small shopping center with several restaurants and not enough parking. The food was pretty good.

After lunch, the kids spied a gelato shop next door so we went in there. They made fresh waffle cones which the boys and I had to try. My wife held out for her shave ice at Ululani’s. It was only a short drive to get there and we lucked out again that the line wasn’t too long.

From there we headed upcountry to the place we went on the pineapple tour. The boys and I got another frozen pineapple lemonade, but the main reason for going there was to watch the glass blowing at Makai Glass Maui. We had visited after the pineapple tour and saw the showroom, but they weren’t working any glass that day. The boys were very excited to come back when they were actually blowing glass to see how it was done.

We had a perfect view from the balcony to see the artists get molten glass out of the furnaces, shape it, heat it up again, and add more glass. For awhile we weren’t sure anything was really happening but then they started using some different tools and techniques to really shape the glass, color it and give it texture.

Over the course of about an hour, they shaped the glass into an ocean wave, complete with the foam of the breaking wave. It was about the size of a basketball and quite impressive. The boys were amazed at how quickly it came together in the end. It looked like nothing more than a blob for the longest time and then suddenly it was a wave!

I’m not sure what they did was technically glass blowing as they weren’t blowing out a cavity of any sort, so it was more like glass shaping. In any case, they clearly knew what they were doing!

Beach and Evening Routine

We soon headed back to the hotel. On the way, I picked up the laundry I had left the previous night. Luckily it was ready even though we arrived a couple hours earlier than the stated time. Back at the hotel, we took the boys to the beach for one last swim before we headed up the hill to the general store for dinner. It had become almost a routine. The menu was varied enough to keep things interesting and the price and convenience were unmatched.

The boys were excited to go to the movie theater again to see the night’s movie for the last time on the trip. It was nice to see how comfortable they had gotten with their independence. Plus they just liked the screen time and we liked the quiet time! We were all excited to be heading home the next day, but sad to be leaving.