We just got back from Maui. It was our second trip to Hawaii. We honeymooned on Oahu in 2012, and stayed on that island. Everything we saw on this trip was brand new.
It was an amazing trip, but I really wasn't looking forward to it. Often I don't look forward to traveling because the actual process puts me on edge. This was the case even before went places with a little kid. Part of this is my wife's tendency to run late, though I know I probably wouldn't go anywhere if it wasn't for her. I now think traveling without our son is a breeze, so something changed. In this case, going from Maryland to Hawaii with a toddler who won't sit still is a long long way.
We flew from Baltimore to Phoenix Friday afternoon and stayed overnight at my sisters. We were going to Maui with them and their son, who's just a couple months older than Jack. My parents were coming along too, so for the seven hour flight to Maui we had six adults to the two kids. That was a good ratio. Jack usually refuses to sleep on planes, but he got really tired after a couple hours (without getting fussy!) and we handed him off. He slept for a while with them, and I was actually able to watch movies on a plane. It was wonderful. Both boys were great. We landed in Maui 3pm local time (8pm EST) Saturday. We crashed at a hotel around 7pm because the time adjustment is rough and we had an early day planned.
The first full day on Maui we did the Road to Hana. My sister purchased a nice audio guide that called out the highlights of the beautiful and winding drive and gave recommendations on where to stop and what to see, which is very useful as there's a ton. It really is about the journey. Most of the bridges along the way are single lane, but it's easy to navigate. The guide suggests spending two days, and staying in or around Hana for a night. We didn't do this. We left at 7am, skipped most of the roadside waterfalls and the pay arboretum, and completed the trip in one long day. Here's where we stopped, after leaving Kahului. I tried to do this in a single Google link, but Maps is frustrating me.
Paia Bay Coffee Bar - not on the 'Road' but we needed fuel beforehand
Ke'anae Arboretum - free, unlike the Garden of Eden, includes painted Eucalyptus trees
Aunt Sandy's Banana Bread - near Ke'anae, the best banana bread we tried
Ke'anae Viewpoint - just past Aunt Sandy's, nice ocean view, has public restrooms
Makapipi Falls - falls underneath road, can look straight down, plus quick to see
Waiʻanapanapa State Park - really cool black sand beach, sea arch, and more, ate lunch
Hana - not actually a destination, we didn't stop
Kipahulu Visitor Center @ Haleakala National Park - hiked Pipiwai trail to Maimoku Falls
The hike at Haleakala National Park to Waimoku Falls really was the highlight of the day, if not the trip. It's about four miles up and down, which took our party over two hours. We didn't plan ahead super well, and didn't have a pack for Jack. So we took turns carrying him. It's certainly not the ideal way to hike but we got it done. Near the beginning of the trail there's a Banyan tree, which is huge. It sends branches down into the ground to make new roots. Crazy looking thing and super cool. About halfway up the trail is a dense bamboo forest. The sound of the thick bamboo branches colliding in the wind is definitely something to take in. Then at the end of the trail there's the 400 foot Waimoku Falls. It's ridiculous. You can walk up and swim in the pool underneath, though there are signs warning 'deaths have occurred.' That doesn't stop anyone, you just need to walk through the stream a short way.
I didn't take the two pics above, but wanted to show the Banyan tree and the bamboo forest.
From here you have two choices, go back the way you came, which is probably best for most, or the southern route. The audio guide called this the 'Beyond' and it's a fitting name. There's nothing for miles and you drive along the coast until the you're forced to go north. The downside? The roads are mostly horrible (crazy patchwork of repairs), and it's single track for miles. Oh, and this includes sharp ups and downs in places. It's not those who get spooked on the roads and it was mostly empty for a reason. I was glad I'd spent time driving single track roads in remote Scotland. A minivan was not ideal either, but we made it!
I made one mistake on the drive that day, spending a hair too long looking around after reaching some better roads, and flew over a speed bump. Whoops. Otherwise, it was an excellent first full day on the island and we really realized its' size. If we were to do this over again with more time, I would've liked to see the Garden of Eden Arboretum, early on the road, and Koki Beach Park, just beyond Hana.
We had to make a pit stop back in Kahului, to get our bags from the hotel, and we picked up dinner at a little festival with a bunch of food trucks. Then made our way down to Wailea where we would stay the rest of the trip. It's a nice resort area, but if you want to go to Costco or Target they are near the airport.
If you can rent a place like we did in Ekolu Village, you should. We had two bedrooms for the two families (my parents got their own place), three bathrooms, a kitchen and laundry. There was a porch overlooking the ocean, though we were a little ways off. And the greatest part was there was a ton of stuff to borrow, towels, boards, cooler bags, umbrellas and chairs, sand toys and more. Perfect for going to the beach after traveling so far.
We spent the next few days going to beaches nearby. They are everywhere, they're not overly crowded, and there were places to park. After going to Florida last year this felt too good to be true, but it wasn't. We also checked out the little mall in walking distance.
As for our recommendations on food, we loved these spots:
Mama's Fish House - absolutely amazing food with a menu that changes daily, but about $100/person and you need a reservation, lunch might've worked better
Paia Fish Market - order at the counter and claim a spot, excellent fish options and more, they have three locations, we ate at South Side
Tin Roof - tiny spot in Kahului only open for lunch, great Hawaiian comfort food to-go
The women (my sister more than my wife) had shave ice almost every day:
Ululani's - local chain with finely shaved ice, good fruit flavors
Gus' - D really liked the frozen fruit shave, plus it's a cute old VW bus
Other stuff:
Honululu Coffee - our favorite of the coffee places we tried, get the Hawaiian Latte
Honululu Cookie Company - shortbread with a bunch of flavors, something to bring home
A few other activities. We went whale watching just off Lahaina, on the west side of the island. There are several options but we went with Pacific Whale Foundation. We were told ~50% of the North Pacific humpback whale population uses Maui as its' breeding ground. And for a couple months of the year (Feb plus a few weeks either way), they're everywhere. The whales journey thousands of miles, primarily from Alaska, to mate and then give birth a year later. They don't eat during the journey or while in Hawaii, so it's uncommon to see a breach as it's a waste of energy. We learned about competition groups, where a number of males physically fight for position behind a female, and actually witnessed several. The whale watching adventure on a boat was totally worth it, but we also saw whales basically whenever we spent time driving along the ocean or simply looked for them from our porch. It really was great timing to visit.
We did a Luau at the Grand Wailea resort. It was nice that it was so close, and it was a fun production as well. I liked the storytelling of Polynesian history, the food and drinks (no limit) were great, and there was plenty of room behind the tables for the kiddos to run around. It was definitely nice that it started early-ish as well. The fire dancing was not as good I remember Chief's on Oahu, but that's a small complaint.
The last full day we had on Maui was a bit crazy. We had to check out of the rental at 10am, and we flew out at 10pm. That's a long time with our van fully packed. There was still plenty to do. First we drove to Iao Valley and saw the 'Needle.' It rains a lot there and did on us. It's a pay lot inside the park, but you can park on the road just outside for free if there's space.
We drove back to Kahului and picked up lunch (Tin Roof!) and took it to Kanaha Beach. I thought it would just be a nice place to eat outside, and it was, but it's also apparently a popular place to kite-surf, so we got to see a bunch of people doing that.
Then we drove through Paia again and briefly onto the road to Hana. We did the brief hike to Twin Falls which was nice, but I see why we skipped it on our long first day. The last real stop was at Ho'okipa Beach and Lookout. This is a popular surfing spot, and it was fun to watch them try and hit some big waves. There were also a pair of monk seals playing in the water here, something we hadn't seen.
Well that was it. We picked up some dinner at a forgettable place and went to the airport. It was a redeye back to Phoenix. It seemed like the boys weren't going to be happy but everyone eventually got some sleep. We got a bit of rest at my sisters before the final leg.
I'm thankful I didn't plan anything prior to the trip and just got to enjoy myself. My sister did a great job. If we go back, we'll probably do more hiking. It would've been great to see the top of Haleakala. If you get the chance to go, I hope you enjoy the amazing colors and beauty of the island, soak up the spirit of Hawaii, and eat plenty of fresh fruit.
Mahalo!
Comments