Hawaii - ticking off that bucket list (Part 2, Maui)

Day 4 - Flight to Maui

Before heading off to the airport, we stopped by Leonard's Bakery - which was very convenient as we were staying in an Airbnb that was just across from it. This bakery is famous for their Masaladas - Portugese fried donuts, they taste as yummy as they look - they are ALWAYS made fresh.

Our flight to Maui was on Island Air and they have these tiny planes that have rows of two seats on either side... and the flight was over so quickly, felt like we took off, up in the air and landing all in like 30 mins. As we were landing, I saw that it was raining, I thought.... oh no, is it going to rain the whole time we're here? Did we bring the rain from Oahu? Fortunately, the rain wasn't too bad for the rest of the trip.

Then we picked up our rental car and made our way to the Airbnb place. This time we stayed in Kihei which is an area with LOTS of rental condos. Because we planned to go to different areas of the island again, we wanted to find a place that was kind of in the middle and Kihei seemed like a place that was easy to get to other places and it had access to beaches - all along the coastline of Kihei is beach and water. The other place that I was considering was Kahului - which is the area where the airport is located. I think it's not as touristy and more likely where locals live.


Day 5 - Road to Hana

While we were planning our trip, we realized that for Maui we would have to wake up early for a lot of the activities we wanted to do. Originally I had planned to leave to get on the Road to Hana by 8am, but I think we didn't leave until like 10am.... but if we ever go again, I would say leave earlier!

Our first stop was at Ho'okipa Beach where turtles are known to frequent and you will also find surfers there. When we got there, we drove down to the beach instead of staying at the view point, and saw four turtles - one was just swimming up and making its way up the beach. The waves are so big here that they pushed the turtle up. We even saw one that was positioned in line with some rocks and when the waves propelled it forward it hit the rocks - poor thing.... I think we all cringed internally for it.

After some time observing the turtles, we started again on the Road to Hana. This "Road to Hana" is not just the Highway 360 leads you to the town of Hana at the southernmost tip of Maui, but it's supposed to be the whole journey. Along the way, you are driving along the coast and see lava rocks, waterfalls, and beautiful scenery.

The road, unfortunately, is very narrow - there are parts that only allow one way traffic at times, and is also full of twists and turns. In a way, the driver and the front seat passenger don't really get to enjoy the scenery - I guess the people in the back didn't really enjoy it either because they might have been sleeping or just as nervous/alert as us. :D

On Google Map it says it takes 2-3 hours along that road, but with the frequent stops and all the twists and turns the driving time feels endless! So I think it is good to start earlier so that when you finally get to Hana or wherever you want to stop you can actually spend more time and enjoy it. We kind of did the thing where we - get off, snap photos, get back on, drive and repeat. There are so many stops for waterfalls along the way that you really have to be selective. There's no way you can do this as a day trip if you're going to stop at every single waterfall.

above: waves crashing against lava rocks - Ke'anae Penninsula

below left: local artist painting the scenery; right: Waikani falls

Another thing about these waterfalls in Hawaii, you would expect them to have some pretty amazing waterfalls, especially since it was raining when our flight landed, but the amount of water that comes through is quite disappointing.

We finally made it to Hana and had a quick lunch at a food truck that sells BBQ chicken - but it's not the same as what we had in Honolulu, this one slathered on a special BBQ sauce. I had read lots of reviews that said they are very good - but I think actually you don't have to go here for this. Also when I was researching they said that there are no restaurants or food is hard to find, but while we were driving I saw quite a few restaurants and food places. So I think you don't have to worry too much about finding food - there are more options that just 1 or 2 places for food.

above left: Hawaiian fish tacos (but I prefer California Baja fish tacos)

above right: BBQ chicken - there was a better grill chicken place in Honolulu

 

After lunch we drive a bit further to get to the Haleakala National Park. In this area there are lots of waterfalls and trails for hiking. We did a simple walk to the Seven Sacred Pools, in the past you can go and swim in these pools but just recently they have closed off access.

As we were hoping to see a spectacular waterfall, we ended up going on a longer hike up the mountain side of Haleakala over some rocky paths and through a bamboo forest to get to a VERY tall waterfall, but the water was almost like a thread so it kind of looks funny....

The drive back was worse in some ways, because the sun was starting to set and with all the twist and turns it's hard driving once it gets dark. And having to focus and concentrate when you're tired from the heat and hike and long day..... makes you think, it would be better to spend a night in Hana instead. Some people do do that, but for us that would mean we would have to pack up and move. I guess if I had to suggest to other people, I would say, land in Maui before noon, drive down to Hana and stay the night, then the next morning start out early and as you make your way back north, you can do all the stops. Or join one of the local day tours and then you can go on a small tour bus and not have to worry about driving at all - they stop at all the 'must see' places anyways.

Day 6 - Lahaina

Originally, we were supposed to go on an early morning boat cruise out to Molokini crater and snorkel, but since we signed up for the wild dolphin tour in Oahu, we didn't go on this one. Instead we drove to Lahaina and walked around this little town that has retained some of the historical buildings from when Americans and other foreigners first came to Hawaii.

On the way to Lahaina, and just driving around Maui in general, you will see the landscape is very different from Oahu. On Oahu there's not much flat land, and when there is, it's usually full of houses and buildings. In some ways it feels almost like another Californian city. On Maui, you will see large pieces of land in the west that is quite bare and the soil and rocks are all yellow/red-ish almost like you're in the desert. Then in the east, you will find lush forest/tropical land, and in the middle - what's known as Upcountry is like farm lands.

In Lahaina the buildings look like those from a Western movie but are now housing shops and art galleries. We did a self-guided walking tour (download from here).

It was very hot in Lahaina - which means "cruel sun" in Hawaiian, I don't know if it was just that day, but it felt hotter there than in Kihei. The best place to cool down is under the huge banyan tree - which looks like their branches and roots have somehow fused together.

Throughout our trip we did wonder - how did Hawaii become a part of the United States of America? They have a different culture and the native Hawaiians' background is associated with Polynesia, the islands are not connected or even near the US..... so how did they become a part of the States?! Unfortunately, even the museums didn't really answer this question, I had to google it once I came home.

 

above left: Flag of Hawaii

below: remains of the Fort in Lahaina - this was blown up by the whalers in 1830 because the local Reverend

created a law forbidding the women of Lahaina from swimming out to greet the whaling ships

above right: we stopped by a house in Lahaina because we saw a tree with LOTS of mangoes on it, we talked to the owner who was in his yard - yes that's his yard with a mannequin sitting in a hairdresser's chair, he gave us some mangoes and coconuts from his yard

below: and then he pointed out how he has a mailbox that shoots out alcohol

We also didn't make it to some other museums - Hale Kahiko and the Plantation Museum. The Plantation Museum is also in the area of this self-guided walking tour. Hale Kahiko would have required us to drive a bit further west/north from the main road that got us to Lahaina.

Then we went to the beach and saw lots of sea turtles swimming/struggling really close to shore. None of them came up onto the beach, they looked like they were getting tossed in the waves but don't know why they wouldn't come up onto the beach..... :(

 above: the shaved ice from Ululani's is really good! Better than I thought it would be, the ice is very fine you don't even feel the grains, the mochi (extra) is good - usually I don't like mochi, and there's hidden Haupia (Coconut Cream flavour) ice cream underneath

below: we saw sea turtles flailing about in the water in both those locations - supposedly seeing a Honu (sea turtle) is supposed to be a sign of good luck and turtles are believed to be a person's guardian spirit

Day 7 - Haleakala

Haleakala (Ha/lei-a/ka-la) - another name that I had a lot of trouble with, it was hard to remember how to spell this when I was doing my research, I would always type something like Helakaka, Halaekela or something like that.... 

Another early day for us, we had to wake up and leave by 4:00am or something like that. We made our way in the dark to Haleakala - one of the two volcanoes that created the island of Maui, and the one with the tallest peak.

Roads to Haleakala are pretty good because it's a popular destination at all times during the day. You can go to see the sunrise or sunset and during the day there are lots of activities there like zip-lining, bike riding, hiking etc. We went up to the peak to watch the sunrise (make sure you make a sunrise reservation on the national park's website before going - otherwise you will be turned away after driving 1.5 hours, and after you pass the check point there is still quite a drive before you get to the Summit Parking Lot). You'll also need to pay $20 per private car for 3 days access to the Haleakala National Park - so we kept our receipt from Day 5 when we went on the Road to Hana and did a hike in the Haleakala National Park area (we were on the eastern slope of the Haleakala).

The temperature is a lot cooler up at the summit, and with the wind, it felt like we were back in Vancouver.... So make sure you bring warm clothing, a wind breaker and some beach towels too, all those layers together will make it much more enjoyable as you sit waiting for the sun to rise.

 above: I was hoping to take a photo like this (which I saw in the airline's magazine on the flight to Maui :D)

above: sun rising above the layer of clouds

below: as the sun rises and light spreads across the sky, a native Hawaiian (in grey sweater) sings out a morning song/call.

 

 

above left: i like this blurry sunrise photo;

above: right: morning glow on the crater (or well they call this a "depression" as it's not technically a crater)

After the sun came up, it would have been nice if we could walk along one of the many trails there, but we had to quickly, but safely, make our way down the mountain - it takes an hour by car(!), and on to the next activity.

We arrived at the meeting point for ....... PARAGLIDING! It's something that I've have on my bucket list for a few years, and every time I travel I will research to see if I can go paragliding. Finally, this time it happened.

There are two flights you can choose - from 1,000ft or 3,000ft. I chose 3,000ft because I want to be up in the air longer. To get to 3,000ft, we again had to drive up Haleakala and then once the instructors set up the parachutes and we had our gears on, we just had to wait.... wait for the wind direction and speed to be just right.

One of the things I've learned about paragliding during the last few years while I searched for that opportunity, is that if the wind is not right, we can't go paragliding. So while we were waiting, I was also holding my breath and praying that the wind would change, while I also telling myself, "it's ok, this is normal if we don't get to go today..." but really I was hoping today would be the day.

In the end, we had to pack up because we waited for half an hour and the wind was just not right.... they suggested we go down to the 1,000ft launch site and see if the wind will be better there. We went down and thankfully, all the conditions were good so we set up again.

A lot of people go, "you're so brave!" or ask "aren't you afraid of heights?", when they hear that I want to go paragliding. Never has it crossed my mind that it would be a terrifying experience or dangerous - I mean, I know accidents can happen and you're still pretty high up in the air, but it's not the same kind of experience (I imagine) as skydiving or bungee jumping - those I would (probably) never do!

Just as it looks, it's really quite peaceful up there. The running down the mountain part is a little exciting (90%) / scary (10%) - did you hear me screaming happily while I was running? Once you're in the air, you're just gliding. No wonder birds look like they're having so much fun soaring through the sky. I've actually been playing with the idea in my head to learn to paraglide so that I can do it on my own (how cool would that be if I can then take my parachute to different places in the world!), but the only problem is that most of these paragliding schools are in very remote locations and a basic beginner's course is 2-3 weeks long, so the chance of me doing that is quite slim at the moment.

As we launched from the lower site and the flight duration was shorter, we got to go twice, I didn't scream the second time!

 

After paragliding, we went to visit the lavender farm that is just at the bottom of the landing site, however, it was quite disappointing.... The lavenders were not in bloom, and the fields are not as big as you think. The gift shop also didn't entice me to buy any of the lavender products either.

 above left: deep fried Spam Musubi - only in Hawaii!

below: Aloha Lemonade - lots of drinks and acai bowls

This was the first (and only) day when we were done all our planned activities by 12noon, so we decided to head back to Kihei for lunch and an afternoon at the beach.


Day 8 - La Perouse Bay & Mama's Fish House

Our last day in Maui and Oahu, we spent the morning packing and cleaning up, then headed out to La Perouse Bay where there are large lava fields that run into the water - where you can snorkel!

For lunch, we went to Mama's Fish House. From the name you may think this is just a normal family style restaurant, but we arrived and were (pleasantly) surprised that there's complimentary valet parking! (well, we did have to make reservations, but I didn't think it would be this posh!)

When we got in, the place felt like a private restaurant with their own beach and garden. We got a table right by one of their huge windows that open up and look out onto the water. The dishes are made with the day's catch and were all quite delicious.

above left: deep fried fish collar - I'm surprise it's a popular hawaiian dish, and it was also a good surprise how yummy they were!

We didn't do much in the afternoon, just went to the shopping mall and grocery store to buy some chocolate macadamia nuts as souvenirs. Then we went to the airport and took a flight to Oahu then another flight back to Vancouver.