Britdrinker

HOT! Not for those who enjoy their change of seasons. In theory, we get the same amount of rainfall as the average northern European city, except it arrives twice during the year in short but severe torrential downpours.

Winters are pleasant when we have them. This past year we did not.

snowbunny

But we did have a cracking summer from December through March.

Yorkieabroad

ay oop - you took yer time joining in!

Bob

That's the impression I got for some reason, only nice living near a lake with a boat...but if I did get the chance to move there, I'd hardly be able to afford that lifestyle *l*

Bob

That's what worries me, things melting in the car if it ain't in shade...and fighting for shaded parking over parking near the entrance

And seasons, bloomin' hot followed by just hot, that has to get a bit boring doesn't it? though maine takes the mick going in the other extreme I grant you

BigDavyG

Maui is sweet, but bloody expensive for all those activities.
If you can try to take a trip to Molokini for some snorkelling, and if you are good at the old windsurfing Ho'okipa is the spot, but its pretty hard core.

Where are you staying anyway???

Yosser

Been to Maui, 2 years ago. That time my wife went on a business trip, so I tagged along. I have windsurfed for 20 odd years so actually sitting on the cliffs at Ho'okipa was a life dream for me. (nice to know someone has actually heard of it ). no windsurfing that week, it was Jan so no tradewinds.

We are staying in condos on the opposite side of the island, everyone else are golfers so we are staying on a golf course it means I will have to drive 45 minutes everyday to Kanaha, sprecksville etc but the scenic drive is breath taking.

The ball and chain is a travel agent so we are paying about 1/4 it would normally cost....we even have a SUV thrown in for $100 a week.

BigDavyG

Nice - I spent a week in ka'anapali last January and 2 days in a hut in Hana. Visited the golf course at Kapalua for a tourney which was pretty cool.
The winds at that time seemed pretty strong and that is one seriously f**ked up break.
I also surfed for about 30 minutes in a little cove just up the road from Kapalua but then got chewed up big style and sliced my back up pretty bad - or at least it seemed bad at the time with all the blood, but it was actually just 3 or 4 scratches

Yorkieabroad

If you've got a spare morning, try the biking down the volcano, haleakalea. Early start, up to the top for sunrise, then onto these crazy bikes - bit like a chopper, with your @rse about 6 inches from the road, just a rear drum brake, and weighed a ton. Its about a 30 mile run from the summit to the shore, and you only have to pedal for about 200yds - the rest of the time gravity does its job, and you because the centre of gravity's so low, you can go zipping round these hairpin bends at full speed. We did it on new Years Morning 1999 and it was awesome.

Yosser

we are staying at www.kapaluamaui.com

Not a bad little set up, between the adults we have 5 kids plus me, so we will load up at costco by the airport and grill most nights, the restaurants are a tad expensive. There is a really good pizza place in ka'anapali good prices best pizza I have ever tasted.

YES Ho'okipa is a bad ass surf break, there was 25 ft faces one day only the best surfers could get out. I ain't that brave so surfed where you did, I also cut my foot really bad on the reef....Jaws music came to mind so I got out. Atleast we can say we surfed in Maui

BigDavyG

Speaking of jaws - i forgot to take a look at it on the way to hana.
I think its about 5 or 6 miles past ho'okipa - i'd love to see someone surf that.

Oh, and if the food situation gets tough (Lahaina is a rip off and the chicago pizza place there is desperate) there is a Panda Express in Kihei and a Krispy Kreme in Kahului near the airport - both are well worth the effort as is Sub Paradise in Kahului. I think their Big Kahuna sub is about $13 for a foot long but I have never seen so much meat or cheese on the one sandwich - about 9 meats I think.
It took me 3 sittings to finish it, so the $13 isn't as bad as it sounds

TimFountain

I do! Been here for 3 1/2 years, this time, been coming for various periods up to 1 year over the last 18 years. It has changed a lot and as others have said, has got expensive and crowded. We get a lot of east and west coast immigrants looking for cheaper housing.
Some people like to say Austin is a liberal haven, but I haven't seen too much of that. Firmly in GWM homeland, and let's not talk about religion. Well just a bit. I asked a colleague at work what he was going to do with his 1/2 day on Friday. He was going to a 24 hour Easter service and then spending the next day helping out at church. I nearly said, "You know you can have too much of a good thing" but bit my tongue. Another colleague, who knows my agnostic views, still invites me nearly every week to 'come worship with his family'. Er no thanks, I'll be reading the phone book. My favourite view of Austin is from the air. Attached are some photos taken whilst flying around.

Compared to the other parts of TX, Austin is a slice if heaven. I really don't understand the appeal of Houston, unless you like concrete, traffic, heat, humidity, and an ugly landscape with absolutely no zoning control and electrical cables strung all over the place. An let's not talk about Dallas, did you say flat?. SA is OK IMHO.

So all in all a nice place to be, for all but 4 months of the year, when it is hot enough to melt roads and fry eggs on the top of a car. I made the mistake of having a black car out here, but not for long!

- Tim

Yorkieabroad

Nice photos Tim - what were you flying when you took the one of your house? A cropduster??

TruBrit

my hubs grew up close to austin and yes it's very pretty esp this time of yr.. we have some land with a lake house in the marble falls area/hillside country...so pretty springtime with the bluebonnets and indian paintbrush wild flowers

snowbunny

grrr land in the Hill Country, my dream!!!!!!

Toon likes the fact that there aren't very many highrises/skyscrapers and that they are mostly all different in appearance as you can make out in the piccie above.