Bucket List - Maui

I am so incredibly excited to be able to say that I am going back to Hawaii!! I know I mentioned it when I went last time, but I have been obsessed with Hawaii since I was little and that has never really changed. Taking Ryan with me just makes it that much more exciting.


For this trip, though I originally planned to return to Oahu, we will be going to Maui! Actually, the original thought was to go to Kauai but it is much more expensive to get there so I changed to Oahu, and then it was the same price to fly to Maui but with direct flights at better times so Maui won. If we are being realistic though, there is nowhere in Hawaii that I don’t want to visit.


For all these years that I’ve been dreaming about visiting the islands I was picturing Luau’s, Hula dancers and Lilo & Stitch. I should have been prepared for it, but it turns out that in reality everything is quite different.
Now that I have been to one island and have done a bit of research for this trip, here is what I hope to see and do!

Visit the beaches with colored sand – The state of Hawaii boasts having some of the best beaches in the world, but it also has some beaches that look a bit different.

        -Black sand beach

        -Red sand beach (“One of the only in the world” – Obviously the people that write the blogs/websites I’m reading haven’t been to Eastern Canada…)

        -Orange sand beach (Molokai – A different island, but close and easily accessible. Fingers crossed we get to visit!)

Road to Hana – By all accounts this is a “must do” when you go to Maui. I am not crazy about the skinny, winding road because I’m sure it’ll make me sick, but how could I pass up all those waterfalls along the way?! Also, I really want to see the rainbow Eucalyptus trees!


Camping – I’m using the term "camping" pretty loosely, but I do plan to sleep in a tent (or possibly a hammock.) Camping allows me more time to be out in the beauty of Hawaii but also keeps the trip much less expensive! $120 for the whole trip vs. $250 (if you find a great sale) per night in a hotel… Maui is expensive!!!!


Haleakala Crater – Seeing the sunrise and sunset in different cities and countries gives me such a thrill. I’m hopeful that we can make it to the top of the crater to see one or both! I would also love to spend an afternoon hiking down inside the crater!


Pipiwai Trail – This is one of the things I’m most excited for!! Hiking past waterfalls and pools, through a bamboo forest and emerging at the base of a sheer cliff and 400’ waterfall sounds almost too good to be true!


O’heo Gulch/Seven Sacred Pools – I imagine this will fit into the same day as the Pipiwai trail hike and even though I’ve read in many places that this can be a crazy busy touristy place, I still want to see it!


Snorkelling in Molokini (+ Turtle Town) – Since I’m not planning to get my Scuba certification until this summer I’m hoping to get in some snorkel experience in Maui! There are over 200 species of fish and nearly 40 Coral species in the crater.

Cliff jump into the ocean – Black Rock on Ka’anapali Beach is meant to be one of the best places for this! Even though my last cliff jumping experience was terrifying and left me bruised all over, it was quite a thrill. Maybe I'll go from a slightly lower rock this time...


Go to a Luau – Though they can be quite expensive I desperately want to go to a Luau. As far as I can tell, this will be the best way to view Hawaii and have it look the way it does in my head. Whalers Village also offers a free Hula dancing and drumming show that I would love to see, possibly as a free alternative to the Luau if that doesn’t work out!


SUP - My first and only experience with stand-up paddle boarding was in Oahu 2 years ago and I'm eager to try again. Who knows, maybe I'll even be able to stand up this time!!

Olivine Pools – I would love to see these tide pools and lava rock formations, probably even swim in them, but after some research I’m thinking it may just be something to look at. From everything I’ve read this area can be incredibly dangerous and has caused many deaths and serious injuries.


‘Iao Valley State Park – This is another top place for me but unfortunately it may not be accessible! Apparently in September 2016 the valley saw a “100-year flood” that did some significant damage. It’s not expected to re-open to the public anytime particularly soon.

Among all of those things I would also like to visit a few towns, Lahaina and Paia, see the blowhole and heart shaped rock, see the West Maui Mountains, take a drive through "Up country" (the farming area,) visit the winery even though I don't drink, check out the lavender farm and IF we have time and it isn't too expensive I would very much like to visit the neighboring islands, Molokai and Lanai.

If you have visited before I would love to hear about your "must-do" items in Maui!

Pre-Planning for Summer Holiday

This year, for the first time since I finished High School, I'm taking the summer off! I’ve been approved to do “Income Averaging” at my job for 6 weeks in July and August and I can’t wait!! My last day of work is July 12th and I don’t go back to the office until August 28th.


For anyone who doesn’t know, income averaging allows me to take time off and still receive a pay cheque while I’m away because the 6 weeks pay gets averaged out and taken off of all my pay cheques for a full year. If you think about how much you get paid in 6 weeks and how much you get paid in one year you’ll see that it makes a very small dent in the overall pay and makes this summer break that much sweeter.

I thought about this for several weeks before deciding to submit the request. I needed to figure out all the details first; how the leave works, what span of time I wanted off, would I be doing enough in that time to make it worthwhile, can I make it work financially and is this the right time to do it? Lots of questions needed answering and in the end everything looks like it'll work out.


I’ve made lots of plans for my time off so far and even though none of them are guaranteed yet, I have high hopes. I’ll be starting to book everything really soon!


Here are some of my plans:


Nova Scotia – July 13-26
This will be my third year in a row vacationing in Nova Scotia and I’m not complaining about it at all. Unlike the previous years we are going in with no plans at all. We have a wedding to attend and will otherwise be relaxing and spending time at the many beaches, collecting all the sea glass and hopefully not getting any of those unexpected Nova Scotia sunburns!

Jasper – End of July
Ryan will be working at this time and I’m hoping to take myself to Jasper and get my Scuba diving certification done! It’s significantly less expensive to do in Jasper vs. Edmonton and who wouldn’t choose diving in the Rockies over a manmade lake in the city?! Of course, I would love even more to get my certification while in Nova Scotia but the lesson schedules don’t work for the time we'll be there.

British Columbia – August 10-16
We didn’t get to go last year and I was really looking forward to it so I’m hoping we can make this week long road trip happen this year! Though there is plenty to see along the way as well, I’m most looking forward to spending time on Vancouver Island. If I can find a rack for the car I would love to bring our bicycles to the island as well.
I had hoped to visit Waterton National Park on the way back into Alberta as well but it seems to far out of the way no matter which way we approach it.


Other than those plans I’m open to whatever comes my way! I have high hopes for a few camping trips, a few beach days, hiking, picnics and bike rides. Maybe I’ll even figure out what to do with my fishing rod and if that happens I should also learn to clean the fish.

I would like to spend as much time outside as possible and also spend that outdoor time with as many of my friends and family as possible.


This year I'm going to be greedy about my time off and I have no guilt about that. In the 8 years since I finished school the only significant break I've given myself was when I went to Europe, and to be fair I worked for 3 of those 5 months. As I still have relative financial freedom and limited responsibilities I'm going to take advantage of that!


The count down to Summer is on!!