Maui, I love this island. After picking up our Jeep at the airport it was off to Costco to pick up some things for the week. I found it a little cheaper than just eating out every meal to do this. As we reached the west side of the island you start to drive up north along the ocean. I cannot believe myself or anyone did not crash looking out at the ocean. For one, the ocean is stunning but two, the whales. Literally the whales breaching was insane. It was nonstop and I just wanted to watch.
We safely arrived at our hotel,
Kaanapali Beach Hotel and got all checked in. I really enjoyed this hotel. The location was great, right on one of the best beaches in the world and along the the beach walk which provides many things to do and see. Black rock is a rocky peninsula that provides snorkeling and a place to dive into the ocean. The water is pretty mellow so not great for surfing but for just spending a great day at the beach.
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| Black Rock at night |
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| Kaanapali Beach with Black Rock in the background |
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| Turtle I saw while snorkeling along Kaanapali Beach |
Kaanapali Beach has a path that is about 1.5 miles long. This is a great path to take because it is along the beach and you can visit all the hotels along the beach as well as The Whalers village which hosts great shopping and restaurants. I loved walking the path in the morning to the other end and buy my coffee at the Starbucks and watch the whales jumping. Many people use this path to do their morning run or walk as well. Sometimes during the day there are booth set up for shopping. Sort of like a farmers market. In the evening after watching the sun set the path is a great place to take a stroll, eat dinner outside along the beach with tiki torches lit and live music.
The north east coast of Maui has a different yet beautiful feel. I drove over to find Nakalele Blowhole which at times would be explosive and others not so much. While climbing back up from visiting the blowhole I found the heart in a rock. A must see on the north west part of the island is Honolua Bay. This place is stunning and a great place to snorkel as well.
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Honolua Bay
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Driving south east along the road to Hana is a must do with so much to see. I would definitely plan a whole day for this. We stopped many time to see the beauty along the way. There are hikes, waterfalls, places to eat and just so much to make you pull over and take your time.
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| Coconut Glens ice cream |
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| Wai'anapanapa Black Sand Beach |
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| Cave/tunnel |
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Hike to freshwater caves you can swim in
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We arrived at our destination Kipahulu National Park. We hiked the 4 mile round trip Pipiwai trail along streams, waterfalls and a bamboo forest. We reached the stunning 400 foot Waimuko Falls. The hike is across the road and is not difficult. Many people enjoy swimming the seven pools near this area so if you have time for this it is n the ocean side.
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| Large Banyan tree |
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| Yes, I hiked in a skirt and flip flops! :-) |
Lahaina, just south of Kaanapali offers unique shops, plenty of places to eat, grocery shopping, farmers markets and so much more. Parking is free in one lot with another being free for three hours. All other lots you must pay but if you buy from local stores you can have parking validated. The large banyan tree is the site of a large market where locals sell there art. From Lahaina harbor we embarked on our scuba diving excursions with
Lahaina Divers. The crew where tons of fun and very knowledgeable. On all of our boat rides to dive locations we saw whales breaching and even swimming right next to our boat. They where nice enough to stop and let us watch the whales. A whale watching tour is something many pay for but we got an amazing two for one deal here!
Our first dive location was at Molokini Crater. While on every dive trip Joshua and I ask to go where we are most likely to see a shark our wish came true here. Not only did we see the stunning marine life but we saw 4 white tip reef sharks tucked under a ledge. They where just resting and not too interested in us. They did swim out and back in to give us a good look at them. The other cool thing about this dive spot is it is like am amphitheatre with sounds of the whales being amplified to where I could have swore they where swimming literally right next to me. But according to the dive master, they can be miles away and sound that close because of the shape of the crater. I still kept looking all around to look for one.
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| Joshua goofing off |
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| An eel's face is hiding but he is there. |
Our other dive spots were a place they call the Second Cathedral and Lighthouse. These spots are off the shore of Lanai. Second Cathedral is neat because it has caves and sea arches to swim through. And lighthouse was neat too with the some in another group seeing a shark but I missed this one.
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| Sunset in Kaanapali |
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| Hard Rock Cafe in Lahina |
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| Milagros in Pa'ia |
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| He has to have is shave ice |
Don't forget to visit the south end of the Island. If you are lucky you can see a pod of dolphins if you drive past Makena about as far as the road goes. There are beautiful beaches along this area and this is also where I was told at the time that Steven Tyler lives. The beach below we had to ourselves. The hotels is Wailea are beautiful just to look at as well. Maui has tons to offer and we hope to go back soon. Mahalo for reading and Aloha!
Resources to prepare for this trip were from my Aunt Sue and the
Maui Revealed book.
