Maui Treasure Hunt adventure
Forewarning: This blog is going
to contain one muddy adventure!
When my mom asked me what I would
like to have for my 11th birthday – I instantly knew the answer. No
it wasn’t Disneyland (I’m not the type to like humanoid mice), I wanted to go
somewhere that felt like a real jungle adventure. At first I said I wanted to
go to the Amazon but of course no parent would permit that. We live in Pearl
City, Hawaii, near the historical Pearl Harbor, so my dad suggested we should
go to Maui instead. It has the jungle feel plus it’s not going to rob my father
three months of his paychecks. So I was game, my two brothers were really happy
to go as well.
This was going to be our first
time on Maui as a family and because we don’t exactly know how to go about the
place yet, we asked a tour company’s help. I really knew my mom was trying to
give me the best time for my birthday and so she went ahead and booked us for a
Jungle
Treasure Hunt Adventure! The word jungle really tugged on my adventurous
spirit and I really wanted to jump up and down out of excitement. My mom said they also had it in a Savanna
version or you can enjoy it together with an Ocean
Center Package (1 week free entrance) but since we’re only staying for a
couple of days and a jungle adventure is what I came for in the first place, I
decided to save the other two the next time we came to visit again.
It was fifteen minutes to 9:00 AM
when we arrived at Park n’ Ride Kahului – the meet-up spot. The weather was
perfect and my energy was so high I could hike for days. They gave us fair
warning of the huge possibility that we’d get down and dirty (literally) so we
had working clothes on. I was so overwhelmed I couldn’t help the grin on my
face from showing. Ready, set, and go! We’re off to start our family adventure.
We first did a bit of hiking
through deep forests. The trail was not too long or too difficult; it was just
about right to break out a good sweat – ideal for every member of the family to
enjoy (even my 7-year old brother handled it splendidly!). The thrilling
view of the towering trees and the natural sound of the forest were
fascinating. The best part was having a goal to pursue. I felt like a real life
treasure hunter: searching for clues, accomplishing tasks, and braving on
waters. Because the weather was nice and sunny, we got to swim
in a beautiful lagoon. That’s when I realized fresh water would win over
pool water any time. We crossed a river and ventured into thicker greens. I was
having the time of my life – and I was happy to see my sisters were too!
After a nice hike, we finally did it! We completed
the hunt the moment we found the golden treasure chest! The contents of which I
will not reveal (I don’t want to spoil the surprise) but it felt so fulfilling
to have reached the goal. I had an
achievement photo taken with me and my family on it to commemorate the
experience. And more than the treasure we found on the chest, that photo is
what I treasured most. I still have it as a keepsake to remember my Maui trip
with.
You must be wondering how old I
am since I’m storytelling this experience as if I’m in my 90’s. Well, I’m not.
I just turned 14 this year (would you find me on the picture?) and am looking forward to more Maui adventures! Maybe next
time we’ll get to go on other tours as well. My mom is actually going deaf with
my inquiries on when we’ll be going back so I think she’ll give up any time now.
Well then, see you real soon Maui!
