Maui: Days 4 & 5.

After grabbing more pancakes from the Kihei Caffe, we drove to the south end of our side of the island for a beach tour. We first stopped at Big Beach (pretty, but deserted) before heading down a dirt road to Black Sand Beach. The dark sand and isolated nature of the beach was great. We walked the length of the beach before heading north to Wailea. We found a secluded spot to park ourselves for a few hours. We waded in the water, sunned ourselves and watched hopeful snorkelers. It was about as perfect as a beach could be. Before heading back for lunch, we walked along the beach path for a second time.

After lunch and a power nap, we drove north to Paia, a small funky town at the start of the road to Hana. We had already decided we were not going to drive the road to Hana because its curves and dangerous reputation. With its hemp shop and kooky residents, Paia is made for Bohemians. We grabbed a coffee and tropical gelato to accompany our wandering. I especially loved the surf board "fences" in the area.

We next stopped at Ho'okipa Beach to watch surfers and windsurfers. We climbed on some rocks and admired a dog standing on a surf board. We briefly dropped in to the rainy Iao Valley State Park on our way back. Dinner consisted of kalua pork at Da Kitchen... heavenly, but not healthy.

While we watched our last sunset at Kamaole I later that evening, we saw a turtle bobbing up and down in the water near us. Maui is magical!

Sunday morning, we had a 1/2 day to enjoy our final moments on the beach. People are up so early in Maui that it didn't even seem out of place for us to be eating breakfast and on the beach before 8:00 am. By the end of it all, I had a sunburn on my right wrist and back of my knees to bring home as a souvenir. By time we reached the airport, we were tired, but so happy we got to experience Hawaii for a second time. 

Maui: Day 3.

Our day started with a snorkeling excursion to a sunken volcano crater, Molokini (second photo below). We departed bright and early at 8:00 am with juice and breakfast in hand. The journey to Molokini was sunny and offered great views of the cobalt water. An hour later, we moored at Molokini and jumped in to snorkel. The water was so clear that we could see everything quite easily. We saw several types of coral, urchins, fish and other living creatures just below us. We spied the state fish (humuhumunukunukuapua'a), a red octopus (he looked at us!) and possibly a needlefish or eel. Lots of friendly black and white fish were hanging out near the surface swimming with us.

As we left Molokini, we were fed a subpar lunch and Shawn began to feel a little seasick. Our next stop was Turtle Town (also known as 5 Caves / 5 Graves). The water was much cloudier, but we eventually saw a sea turtle (honu) swimming around. A few minutes later, a giant one appeared just below us! We also saw one while on-board, popping his head out of the water every now and then.

Later that evening, we drove back to Lahaina for their Friday night art walk. We ate a burger along the shore at sunset and explored the shops. I particularly enjoyed seeing a gallery of vintage European travel posters. On our way back to the car, we ran across a hula dance being performed by local seniors and a funky drunk guy. Good times!

Maui: Day 2.

After a tasty breakfast of pineapple and coconut pancakes at the Kihei Caffe, we drove 20ish minutes to the historical town of Lahaina. We strolled Front Street where we admired the giant banyan tree in town (140 years old with 16 trunks) and encountered one of Shawn's favorite coffee shops (Bad Ass Coffee). The harbor and main waterfront path had such gorgeous views of the blue water and Lanai in the distance.

We next visited Ka'anapali Beach where we parked ourselves under a tree to relax. The water was warm and the sun (when it hit us) was hot. The path along Ka'anapali was dotted with hammocks, so we made sure to take advantage. The Marriott also has what might be a Starbucks with the best view possible. So, we had a drink and soaked it all up.

Our beach tour continued with a stop at Napili Bay. It's a smaller, neighborhood beach full of lava rocks and bright blue water. We got swept away by huge waves as we body surfed and enjoyed the sun for awhile before driving back to Kihei.

Back at the hotel, we washed away A LOT of sand and grabbed a falafel plate for dinner. Shawn also enjoyed a Kona Koko Brown... coconut beer!

Maui: Day 1.

We arrived into Kahului airport mid-day and immediately took a flat valley road through sugar cane fields to our hotel in Kihei. After checking in, we grabbed lunch at Eskimo Candy (coconut shrimp and fried fish!) and some supplies for the trip. We drove a short distance to the start of the paved beach path at Wailea afterwards. The path was lovely, running right alongside the water. We watched as waves crashed upon lava rocks and admired pieces of scattered coral. Eventually, we made it to Wailea Beach (which was void of people) and the Grand Wailea Resort. We explored a bit before enjoying a glorious sunset on the walk back.