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!
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