Derrick turned 30 while we were in Maui which was actually amazing because he doesn't like a big to-do on his birthday but it was his THIRTIETH! That's a big deal!! Derrick pretty much plans our itinerary but I told him to leave April 5 up to me. He knew what time we had to leave that morning and the day of I told him what to wear but that's all he got.
Since he was driving I navigated him to a park-and-ride lot off the highway and we sat there for 15 minutes waiting for our ride. The secret was out when the Rappel Maui van pulled up. We had a full day of adventuring down waterfalls and it was awesome!
Our guides knew it was his birthday and knew it was a surprise so they were so excited when he found out and when they got to give an run-down of what to expect throughout the day. Our guides were awesome...we've lucked out with some really amazing and fun guides and they can make all the difference.
The day started with an hour ride up the very windy road to Hana and ended up in this amazing garden. The area we rappeled in is completely reserved for this rappeling group so we didn't run into other adventures or hikers....that was awesome.
We geared up and hit the trail once we made it to the gardens. This place was seriously amazing and beautiful. Apparently Dr. Seuss got a lot of inspiration from Hawaii and you can see it everywhere.
Peacocks! Just strolling past base-camp!
The first rappel was just a practice down a 30 ft cliff. I think Derrick and I had it easier than the rest of the group because we have climbing experience...it definitely isn't second nature to lean back off the cliff but Derrick and I trusted the rope and harness and went right down. Since we went last on the practice rappel we got to go first on the waterfall rappel which was SO awesome because it meant we got 30 minutes in the pool at the bottom of the falls.
Here's a look down the second rappel. It was a 60 foot waterfall and it definitely felt extreme. The water was rushing super hard but it was amazing because you could see rainbows all the way down. I definitely tried to go slowly and take it all in.
Derrick making 30 look easy.
The pool felt SO good! The weather was perfect and it was so nice to relax for 30 minutes in the water.
The last rappel was a 30 foot drop down another water fall and Derrick got some shots of me going down. This was probably the prettiest waterfall but I don't think I got any pics....whoops.
We had a picnic lunch back at basecamp and then got 45 minutes to explore the gardens and check out the views. They were stunning!
This tree is the coolest! It's a rainbow eucalyptus and you can see all of the amazing color coming through. This one seemed extra bright.
Overall it was a successful birthday surprise and one of our favorite days in Hawaii. These trips are always a little bit of a splurge but I think they are so worth it. We got to see parts of Maui we wouldn't have seen otherwise and how many times are you going to rappel down a waterfall? It was amazing and I highly recommend the company and the trip!
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