Maui was booked as a post bike trip to unwind. We anticipated some rest and relaxation and actually planned some workouts to ensure we kept up our fitness. It turns out none of that was needed. We crushed Maui by swimming, snorkeling, hiking and surfing everyday. We were pleasantly surprised the whole time by the number of activities that we had to do and that kept us on the move. The best part was that we rented a campervan and were able to be anywhere we wanted to be so quickly on such an accessible island. I will break it down again by day:
Day 1 : Arrrival
Picked up the van and went right to Paia. Explored and grabbed some lunch to eat on the beach. Baldwin beach in town gave us our first taste of sand and salt water and instantly we were hooked. Slept at a questionable wayside park that introduced us to the homelessness and addiction problem on the island.
Day 2: West coast snorkeling and whale sighting
On our way out of our campsite we could not believe it but we spotted a humpback offshore. We were even more shocked and in awe when it breached! Incredible! Hard to beat but then we headed south and snorkled at Makena Point where we saw sea turtles, Ahihi Bay where we saw tons of fish and walked King's trail and then checked out Big Beach in Makena state park where we did a beach workout.
Day 3: Surfing
We started the day by driving out to Honolua Bay to watch the good surfers take on some huge waves. We then headed into Lahaina to rent a surfboard for Chad and a SUP for Ashley. We spent the afternoon cruising around the waves at Launiupoka Beach Park. The best part was being out on the water and looking back at the west Maui mountains.
Day 4: Morning on the water and afternoon rains
We woke up early to get some more use out of the boards. Ashley actually SUP almost 2 miles up and down the coastline. We then returned the boards and grabbed some groceries to start the road to Hana
It was pouring! We made it through the twists and turns to about 2 miles before Hana and camped at Wainapanapa State Park.
Day 5: Road to Hana
The skies cleared and we woke up at Wainapanapa to be treated to a black sand beach and volcanic rocks surrounded by lush greenery. Our highlight of the road to Hana for sure. We cruised along the rest of the day stopping at places outlined by our rental company and gaining lots of knowledge from the app we downloaded and the commentator whom we nicknamed "Cliff". Between the red sand beach, cliff jumping at the venus pools and hiking the Pipiwai trail at Kipalulu it was a jam packed and great day.
Day 6: Haleakala
After completing the road to Hana we stocked up and camped at Hosmer groove the night before allowing us to be ready to start the Halemau'u trail for the day. It is 11 miles hiking down into and out of a crater. Amazing! We loved it. We parked at one end and hitched to the other to allow a one-way trip. We spent a second night at Hosmer to allow us to stay up at the summit of the volcano for sunset.
Day 7: Back in the water
Snorkeling at Polo beach ended up being our snorkeling highlight as turtles were literally everywhere! We also saw tons of fish and a ray. We actually sat out at Big beach for the afternoon which was really the only time Chad got his book out and Ashley got a nap in. We grabbed dinner in Lahaina at Paia Fish house and shared big plates of fresh Mahi Mahi and Ono.
Day 8: Tour and back on the board
We debated doing a tour and by a random turn of events (presentation style) we got a free snorkel tour. It was great to be out on the ocean looking back at Maui and also we toured the coastline of Lana'i. The snorkeling was sub-par but we did see a manta ray which was unexpected and amazing. We also saw a pod of spotted dolphins on the way back to the harbor, seeing dolphins in the wild is always a great experience. Once we were back on land we grabbed surfboards and headed back to the beach. The surf was dismal so we went back to the campsite to get ready for our last night. By chance we got a reservation at Mama's Fish House on the north shore. It offered a great back drop for our last night.
Day 9: One last surf
Our flight left midday so we woke up early to head our surfing before we left. What a great idea! The surf at break point near Lahaina was perfect and we bought caught our best waves. The best way to end our trip in Maui.
Day 1 : Arrrival
Picked up the van and went right to Paia. Explored and grabbed some lunch to eat on the beach. Baldwin beach in town gave us our first taste of sand and salt water and instantly we were hooked. Slept at a questionable wayside park that introduced us to the homelessness and addiction problem on the island.
Day 2: West coast snorkeling and whale sighting
On our way out of our campsite we could not believe it but we spotted a humpback offshore. We were even more shocked and in awe when it breached! Incredible! Hard to beat but then we headed south and snorkled at Makena Point where we saw sea turtles, Ahihi Bay where we saw tons of fish and walked King's trail and then checked out Big Beach in Makena state park where we did a beach workout.
Day 3: Surfing
We started the day by driving out to Honolua Bay to watch the good surfers take on some huge waves. We then headed into Lahaina to rent a surfboard for Chad and a SUP for Ashley. We spent the afternoon cruising around the waves at Launiupoka Beach Park. The best part was being out on the water and looking back at the west Maui mountains.
Day 4: Morning on the water and afternoon rains
We woke up early to get some more use out of the boards. Ashley actually SUP almost 2 miles up and down the coastline. We then returned the boards and grabbed some groceries to start the road to Hana
It was pouring! We made it through the twists and turns to about 2 miles before Hana and camped at Wainapanapa State Park.
Day 5: Road to Hana
The skies cleared and we woke up at Wainapanapa to be treated to a black sand beach and volcanic rocks surrounded by lush greenery. Our highlight of the road to Hana for sure. We cruised along the rest of the day stopping at places outlined by our rental company and gaining lots of knowledge from the app we downloaded and the commentator whom we nicknamed "Cliff". Between the red sand beach, cliff jumping at the venus pools and hiking the Pipiwai trail at Kipalulu it was a jam packed and great day.
Day 6: Haleakala
After completing the road to Hana we stocked up and camped at Hosmer groove the night before allowing us to be ready to start the Halemau'u trail for the day. It is 11 miles hiking down into and out of a crater. Amazing! We loved it. We parked at one end and hitched to the other to allow a one-way trip. We spent a second night at Hosmer to allow us to stay up at the summit of the volcano for sunset.
Day 7: Back in the water
Snorkeling at Polo beach ended up being our snorkeling highlight as turtles were literally everywhere! We also saw tons of fish and a ray. We actually sat out at Big beach for the afternoon which was really the only time Chad got his book out and Ashley got a nap in. We grabbed dinner in Lahaina at Paia Fish house and shared big plates of fresh Mahi Mahi and Ono.
Day 8: Tour and back on the board
We debated doing a tour and by a random turn of events (presentation style) we got a free snorkel tour. It was great to be out on the ocean looking back at Maui and also we toured the coastline of Lana'i. The snorkeling was sub-par but we did see a manta ray which was unexpected and amazing. We also saw a pod of spotted dolphins on the way back to the harbor, seeing dolphins in the wild is always a great experience. Once we were back on land we grabbed surfboards and headed back to the beach. The surf was dismal so we went back to the campsite to get ready for our last night. By chance we got a reservation at Mama's Fish House on the north shore. It offered a great back drop for our last night.
Day 9: One last surf
Our flight left midday so we woke up early to head our surfing before we left. What a great idea! The surf at break point near Lahaina was perfect and we bought caught our best waves. The best way to end our trip in Maui.
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