On Wednesday we took a helicopter around the island. It was my first time on a helicopter, and it was an amazing experience, even though the banking was a bit alarming - the helicopter would hang in the air, feel like it was hovering on its side, and you'd look down and seeing nothing for hundreds of feet to the rain forest floor below. We flew up to the top of the dormant volcano and back down around the rain forest surrounding Hana that we had driven through two days before, only this time getting much better views.
In that last photo, we were all hunched over because we didn't want to be decapitated by the blades. I told the others that they weren't to worry - I'd act as an early warning system...
Our last full day of the holiday was Friday, and we went on a boat out to Molokai, a partially submerged volcano crater 10 miles off the coast of Maui. Half of the crater is above the water, and forms a protective environment from the harsh Pacific waves, making it perfect clear water for snorkeling to see the coral and fishes 10 feet below the water. We then moved on to Wailea beach and snorkeled again, this time to see green sea turtles. I caught a glimpse of one off in the distance, came up to clear my snorkeling mask, put my head back under the water and saw it swimming right underneath me. Awesome, but we gave the camera a day off, so no photos.