surfing goat dairy

Most people probably visit Maui for the beaches, but one of the best things Larry and I did while we were on the island was take a tour of Surfing Goat Dairy in Kula. We petted and fed the goats, learned about how they are raised and milked, and tasted the most delicious goat cheese I've ever had in my life. It was pretty much heaven.

There were surfboards scattered around the farm for the goats to climb on. Also, Surfing Goat's logo was a goat wearing a lei, and their tagline is "Da feta mo betta!" Awesome.





Oh, and I took a million pictures of goats:

Goat in a chair!

Snuggling goats!

Sleeping goat in a chair!

This guy's name was Pepe. Did you know that billy goats PEE ON THEIR OWN BEARDS to attract females?

While I am definitely not attracted to urine-soaked goat beards, I have been obsessed with goats since I was little and saw them at the county fair.

Larry's been afraid of goats since he was little and a big billy goat knocked him over at the petting zoo and stole his cone of goat feed. (Poor little Larry!) Luckily, Larry grew up to be bigger than a goat, so they couldn't knock him over anymore. (Also, they were behind a fence.)

Doesn't this goat look like it belongs on The Simpsons?

One thing we agree on is goat cheese: we both love it! We had actually tasted their cheese before our visit to the dairy - many restaurants in Maui use Surfing Goat Dairy's cheese in their dishes since it's the only goat dairy in Maui (and because it's delicious and fresh, obviously!). I highly recommend the goat cheese pizzas at Flatbread Company in Paia.

We did a tasting of the cheeses first (Our favorite flavor was the Maui Secret - it's marinated in olive oil and olives and combined with fresh herbs - amazing!) and then selected a flight of six flavors and a couple of cold lemonades to enjoy as we watched the antics of the goats on the farm. There was one old retired nanny goat who kept escaping from her pen. Once she was free she would run gleefully down the road with her udder swinging until one of the farm dogs herded her back to her enclosure.



Beautiful scenery, adorable goats, and delicious cheese is pretty much the definition of a perfect vacation day for me! Now how do I get my hands on some more of that cheese? And a baby goat for my very own?