Road to Hana

Going into this trip one of the first things I put on my to do/see list was the Road to Hana. No matter who you talk to, what guide book you read or how many websites you visit everyone will tell you that this is a must see.

Like anyone else who is first exploring a new destination I didn’t know what to expect. The internet promised an intense winding road that is not for the faint of heart, not ideal for those who suffer from motion sickness in the car and waterfalls. And so, that is what I went in expecting.

We were on the road by 7:30am to “beat the rush” and because I was under the impression that this was a full day event. We drove from Kihei where we stayed the night before to Paia to get gas because every guide book and web page also makes sure you are very aware that there are no gas stations between Paia and Hana. We stopped at a nearby beach while looking for the gas station as well and collected lovely handfuls of sea glass before continuing on. 

I found the road to be quite enjoyable to drive on. At no point did I feel scared, intimidated or unsure about the road ahead of me. Even going around the blind corners wasn’t an issue. In fact, many of the corners have signs suggesting that you “blow horn” before continuing and I found this quite amusing. Most people drive around the same direction, especially early in the day, so we didn’t have to come face-to-face with too many other cars. As a bonus, I never felt even a hint of motion sickness along the way either.

I was really excited to go for a waterfall hike or 2 along the way, but the only waterfalls we got to see were the ones directly at the side of the road, most of which were just fleeting views through the window as we continued on past. I was not prepared for road side parking to only accommodate 2-4 cars at a time and for almost every space to be full when we got there, even though we left quite early in the morning. Because of this we made relatively few stops along the way, didn’t do any hiking or walking and as such made very good time. We were “finished” the excursion in just under 5 hours with just over half of that being actual driving time.

We managed to find parking at a handful of places and they were all really lovely. We first stopped to see the Rainbow Eucalyptus trees which I was really excited about. They look almost as though someone had come to paint them. We stopped here because the tour bus ahead of us was stopping and it’s always a good idea to follow tours. After that were a few waterfalls and lookout points before arriving at what I would say is the highlight of the drive.

Our only major stop of the day, and my favorite, was the black sand beach at Waianapanapa State Park. Even though we didn’t spend much time on the actual beach and never went in the water it was an incredibly beautiful place. The black sand and rocks contrast incredibly against the deep blue water and vibrant green vegetation.
A side note if you plan to visit: black sand is incredibly hot, wear shoes.

We camped at the “end” of the Road to Hana and therefore didn’t have to make the drive back. For several reasons I would say this is the best choice. Camping is free 40 minutes past the black sand beach in Haleakala National Park and allows you to be the first one on the Pipiwai hiking trail in the morning. 

In general I would have to say that this was a very pretty road trip, but one that I don’t think is worth quite as much hype as it gets. The road isn’t intimidating to drive on, there was no motion sickness (something we both suffer from usually,) the “all day event” took less than 5 hours including all our stops and having come from the other side of the island. Also, we got gas right before starting and our dial didn’t move at all for the whole drive so I wouldn’t be overly worried about that either if I was you. I would definitely say it’s worth the drive, but nothing to cry about if you miss it.

Sunflower Fields Forever

I get ideas and inspiration from many places in my life, especially for places I want to travel. The first ideas, and subsequent obsession, of visiting Hawaii came from hearing about my Grandparents visits and from watching Lilo & Stitch. The first time I visited was to Oahu and that was because my friends were already going and invited me along. This time I wanted to visited a different island, have direct flights if possible and get there for cheap. Maui was the winner.

When it comes to what I want to do once I arrive somewhere I almost always go to Pinterest for information and inspiration. This time however I happened to be scrolling through Instagram and found a picture of a massive field of sunflowers, I had to go. The photo was geotagged “Maui” so I didn’t know where exactly on the island I would find it. Many other photos of the field were tagged in different spots as well so I pushed the idea of visiting out of my head.

Once we arrived I happened to hear two girls discussing it and it sparked my interest again. I googled it and found that the field is located "between 2 highways" not far from where we were staying, one of which we would be driving on the next day.

And there it was, the bright yellow field and all the cars stopped on the side of the road were all the signs I needed. We pulled over, ran across the highway and frolicked in the rows of flowers with everyone else.

Camping in Paradise

I decided right from the beginning stages of planning that I wanted to camp when we went to Maui. I wanted to hear the waves, soak in the warmth that contrasts so starkly to what we had at home and I wanted this trip to be as inexpensive as possible; and Maui isn’t cheap.

We briefly considered buying an inexpensive tent when we arrived but realized the one we already own only weighs ten pounds and fits easily into a suitcase. In our travels together neither Ryan or I have ever checked a bag and I really like to travel that way. That being said, spending $50 round trip and a few extra minutes at the conveyor belt to collect it at the airport seemed worthwhile to save several hundred dollars on hotels. 

Since the tent took up so little space we were able to stuff the rest of the suitcase with small blankets, inflatable pillows, a soft-sided collapsible cooler, towels and several other small items to keep ourselves comfortable throughout the trip. 

Our first night on the island was in a hotel so we could get a good sleep and cash in on the wifi to help us orient ourselves and make some plans. The next two nights were at Camp Olowalu; a beautiful campground on the West side of the island and very near to Lahaina. 

 Our stay at Camp Olowalu started off on a great foot by costing only $40 for the night. I know $40 might sound a bit steep for camping, but it sure beats $300 for a hotel. I asked for a site that would be shaded and also have some protection from potential night time winds.

Site #6 seemed like the perfect place; under a giant tree, surround by trees on 2 sides, close enough to the water to hear the crashing waves and just far enough from the beach that we couldn’t smell the dead shark from inside our tent. 

I have to tell you though, camping in Hawaii isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, though we got plenty of both. Think about the area you live, now think about what kind of bird you frequently see. For some it is Seagulls, others have Crows or Magpies; Hawaii has chickens. Chickens and chicks and roosters. They are wild, loud and everywhere you look. We ate in a restaurant and they were under our table, I saw them on the side of the highway, in the jungle while we hiked and very annoyingly in the tree above our tent. They squawk at each other, fight, dig in the dry leaves, climb the trees (?!) and crow at all hours of the day and night. I think I no longer like chickens. 

The next “issue” we faced while camping in paradise was the weather and to be honest I should have thought of this before. 

Our first night was extremely windy; I kept waking up in a panic because of how noisy it was and all the movement and rustling outside. That was the worst sleep of the trip for sure. 

After 2 nights at Camp Olowalu and never being able to escape the blistering 38 degree heat, we decided 1 night in an air conditioned hotel would be ok.

 

After that I had planned to stay for 3 nights at the free campground at Haleakala National Park after completing the Road to Hana. However, after driving for 5 hours and it still being only midday we quickly realized we would die of starvation and boredom at this campground. We did a little exploring by the ocean, soaked in our gorgeous surroundings, spent some time in the car soaking up the AC and then went to bed hungry and very early. The flaw in this camping plan was that we brought no entertainment, not enough good food and it gets pitch black outside around 7pm. 

In the morning we ate what food we had, did a 7km hike and then made the drive back to our favorite city to stay in a hotel again.. for the rest of the trip.. 

I have no regrets about camping and would recommend it, but it would be much more enjoyable with a bit more preparation. And I can’t complain about saving over $400!

Snorkelling Maui

Scuba diving is something I have wanted to do for a long time but I honestly only ever considered snorkelling once and that was when I was in Oahu.

That being said, I was really sure I wanted to do a snorkel “tour” (and pay $100+ for it) in Maui that would take us out to the Molokini crater and turtle town. Of course, I’m not crazy about that price but I was willing to pay it for the experience. Ryan was not so keen on this excursion and I reluctantly accepted defeat, but with 1 condition; we rent snorkels and explore the shores on our own.

Fortunately Maui is absolutely covered in rental shops that accommodate all the water sports. We got snorkel, mask and fins for $27 each and got to keep them for the full week to use whenever and wherever we liked. The man working at the shop also gave us a full tutorial on how to properly use the equipment and a map highlighting all the best places to snorkel around the island.

In a fit of excitement we drove directly from the shop to one of the recommend beaches and got right in the water! And by that I actually mean we drove directly to the area where the beach can be accessed from and then drove around and around and around looking for somewhere to park. Eventually we decided that it would be ok to park several blocks away and walk over, it was a beautiful Hawaiian day after all.

Having finally found the beach and a good spot to leave our towels we prepared ourselves to get in the water. I have to admit that it was much more difficult than I expected to breathe from the snorkel tube and it took several minutes practicing above water before I was ready to go under.

The joy I feel in the water is topped by little else. Being able to see and breathe is a beautiful bonus and something I would like to do again and again.

We chose not to wear our flippers for our first time out so we could adjust easier and keep our feet on the ground for a while. It turned out to be a good idea because it wasn’t long before I was running up the beach to get my GoPro camera to try capturing our first turtle sighting! I didn’t get back in time to take a photo but we saw many more over the course of our trip.

Among all the other things we did we were able to go snorkelling 4 times and every time was an amazing experience. Floating above all the different fish and getting excited when we saw a new one, spotting tiny starfish sitting in the sand and trying to avoid being bashed into the coral and rocks when waves came up provided endless enjoyment for me, I could have stayed for hours.

My two favorite parts of being underwater were the new experiences I had. Swimming with very large Green Sea Turtles was an experience I’ll never forget. I can’t think of many other things that excite me the way that did. Every time I would watch them swim, near or far, I couldn’t help thinking that the way they move must be the way angels would move through clouds. They are very gentle and serene and seem to move in slow motion without a care in the world. On several occasions they came and swam within inches of me, unfazed by my fascination with them.

On a side note, I wouldn’t recommend allowing a turtle between yourself and a wave, especially in shallow water. I spotted a turtle swimming near shore and walked into the water to see it. In less than 2 feet of perfectly clear water it’s a great way to see a bit more details on the turtles back. I had no intention of getting very close but it swam directly over to my feet, its head within 2 inches of my toes. As it was turning to swim away a wave came and shoved its shell directly into my leg, and then a second time. Turtles are very heavy and very hard and it was quite painful, I have the bruise to prove it.

My other favorite part of being able to see underwater was getting to see the Coral. When I think about scuba diving I always imagine exploring brightly colored coral and all the life that surrounds it. Seeing all the wiggly things, the iridescent glow, fish darting in and out and massive urchins were so pleasing to my eye, I wanted to swim through every piece and take in all it had to offer.

Our first snorkel experience was at Napili beach on the northwest coast of Maui and all of the other times we went were at Maluaka Beach in Wailea.

Maluaka Beach is also referred to as “Turtle Town.” We went looking specifically for Turtle Town, couldn’t find it and ended up here. I didn’t find out until a few days later while looking at a post on Pinterest that this beach is actually exactly where we were meant to be and I’m happy to say, it really lived up to its name! During our time here we saw about 10 turtles, many many fish and so much beautiful coral. 

I’m so happy that we decided to do this on our own instead of paying for a tour that would only allow for 2 hours of snorkel time. I would highly recommend this to anyone visiting Maui!

The 5 Best Places to Eat in Maui

As someone who enjoys eating but is also very picky, I find it particularly exciting to find so many places that I really love. These were my 5 favorite places to eat in Maui!


For a cool down – Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade (Strawberry + Pineapple lemonade)
Handcrafted lemonade made with locally sourced ingredients, but more importantly, delicious, refreshing and cooling on a scorching hot day. Good enough that we actually went in 3 times over our time in Kihei. Not that I got to try a whole lot, but the strawberry pineapple lemonade is best!

A quick take-out meal – Fork and Salad
Like with most other places I stumbled on this one quite by accident. We couldn’t decide where to go for lunch and while walking around an area we had previously visited I happened to notice it way back in the corner of the square. Fork and Spoon is a one-off restaurant in a similar style to Subway, but all vegetarian which works out great for me!! I had an amazing sandwich with falafel, olives, tzatziki, Sriracha hummus and salad. It was huge and messy but so satisfying!

Casual sit-down lunch or supper – Nalu’s South Shore Grill
Similarly to Wow Wow, we visited more than once. Nalu is a light and breezy open-air restaurant with a simple and tasty menu. It isn’t cheap but not overly expensive either. Ryan had a Cubano sandwich both times which I guess means it’s delicious. On the side he got crispy chips with truffle salt and I got to eat them!! I had a crab cake and mango salad on the first visit and pasta the second. I have to say, this may have been the best seafood Alfredo I’ve ever eaten. The shrimp and clams were incredibly fresh and SOOO good!

Fancier sit-down supper – Honu
Ryan says this might be his favorite pizza ever, even better than Famoso!! I would have to disagree though; Famoso is still my #1. It was however very delicious pizza and not greasy at all which is always great! We had Marguerita pizza.

Dessert – Maui Pie
Ryan and I agreed that this was some of, if not THE best pie ever. Perfect for dessert or an afternoon snack on a rainy day. We shared a warm piece of “Mountain Berry” pie with vanilla ice cream and it was to die for. Strawberry, raspberry and blackberry with a cinnamon, brown sugar and out crumble on top.


Honorable Mention - Shave Ice
I can't remember the name of the place that I got my shave ice from, but I think most places do it the same. The point is, shave ice is delicious. I honestly thought it was just a snow cone but it has ice cream hiding inside the shave ice and flavors on top. A+

4 out of 5 of these places are located in Kihei and that’s because we spent more time there than anywhere else, also because Kihei is a gorgeous little town and we loved it there. As well, all 4 are located within 1 block of each other. Honu is located in Lahaina on the waterfront. If you ever make it to Maui, I highly recommend looking these places up!!