Last summer there was a great sale on airfare to Hawaii since it was in the middle of Covid and Hawaii was shut down, but expecting to re-open soon, still nobody was travelling.
We couldn't let the good deal go to waste, so we bought tickets to Maui and Marissa and Matt and Shauna and Donny (Shelley's sister & husband) came along.
There were a lot of hoops to jump through to get there though. We all had to show a negative Covid test before we could get on the plane. But Hawaii only accepted tests from a limited number of places, and you had to have a test that was taken within 72 hours of your flight and no later....and you had to have the results back before you boarded the flight.....and you had to register with Hawaii and upload your test results before you boarded the flight........and they only accepted a certain type of test.......and in order make an appointment to get tested, you could only sign up 3 days before your testing date.....and they released testing dates 3 days ahead at 5pm 3 days before....and those slots were snatched up in less than a minute (25 slots each day).
So we had to time it just right, and on the 3rd day before we needed to get tested, at 5pm, we had three computers going to get time slots before anyone else took them. If we didn't get them, it was likely we wouldn't get our results back in time. And if you didn't have printed negative results AND uploaded results when you landed in Hawaii, they promptly sent you back home - you had to buy a ticket right then going home. Luckily, after clicking like 435 times in 30 seconds, we had arranged to get time slots on the day we needed. WHEW! That was stressful!
Matt missed his appointment and they wouldn't let him come later in the day, so he had to get another appointment at a different location an hour away. Luckily, they had one opening and he was able to get it done. WHEW!
Shauna and Donny didn't have the same test we used (which was a 12 hour test) in their area so they had to do the normal 36-48 hour test via mail. Their test didn't get shipped in time and they didn't receive it...so they had to go and get tested on Tuesday (we were leaving on Thursday morning) and hope they got their tests back in time. Wednesday night they still hadn't gotten the results back. They were getting on the plane at 7am Thursday. When they woke up Thursday morning at 4 to get ready to go, they found their test results had come just hours before. WHEW! That was stressful!
We did all the paperwork, uploaded all our stuff, got our QR codes we had to show as we left the plane in Hawaii and got our masks ready. We were on our way!
We had an Airbnb in Kihei which is on the west side of the island in the middle of pretty much everything. We saw most of the island and water around it in one way or another and had a great time!
It was a 6 hour flight from Phoenix (and a 3 hour time difference earlier than Utah) so we got there around 3:30 in the afternoon.
Our first stop was Costco to get some food. Costco has the cheapest food on the island. Even so, milk was about $5. It was SO busy at Costco......Marissa & Matt had to put some of the food between them as the back of the van we got was full of our luggage
This is the view from the back of the condo we stayed at.....
and this is the view from the front, off our little lanai (balcony)
For dinner, we checked google map ratings and these two food trucks kept coming to the top. They are here every night and we found out why....they were so good!
Hawaii is full of flowering trees and shrubs like this all along the roads and sidewalks
As the sun was setting, we took our food down to the beach and found a table to eat and watch the sunset
VIDEO:
The next day we went snorkeling in the morning. Matt found some interesting glasses to make his Emergen-C in......we all thought he was having some early raspberry margaritas
We headed to Black Rock to try some snorkeling which was pretty good. The beach was pretty empty. After this spot, we then went to another beach close by - Maluaka Beach, but the snorkeling there wasn't so good
On the way back, we stopped at this overlook to see if we could see any whales. This time of year is peak whale season. The whales migrate from Alaska to here just to have their babies and they stay a few months until the babies are ready for the trek back to Alaska. We saw A LOT of activity out in the water - lots of blow holes and even some breaches of whales jumping out of the water
We then headed out on the 90 minute drive (extremely windy road) to Haleakala National Park - a dormant volcano and the highest point on the island to watch the sunset. Most go here to watch the sunrise, but you have to get tickets ahead of time and it wouldn't fit in our schedule as well, so we opted for the sunset instead
On the way up, we drove through the cloud layer, as is common, and at the top, were well above all the clouds
This is looking to into the caldera or the middle of the volcano. The landscape as you would expect on the top of a volcano, is pretty barren and very different - rough and unforgiving, but still beautiful in it's own way
There are some observatories (closed to the public) that watch for space debris and other "classified" things. There are only 3 other places on earth that are as favorable for these observatories as it is here
The summit clocks in at just over 10,000 feet in elevation and yes, it can snow up here
Since Hannah wasn't here to do her famous poses on the side of the rock wall with a death drop on the other side if she slipped, Don took her responsibility over and did it for her
We found a good spot to wait for about 20 minutes for the sunset...the clouds rolled in and covered up any land we could see below
It was definitely beautiful!
The rest of us spent some time on the beach and walking along the park just outside our condo
In the afternoon, we headed to Lahaina on the NW side of the island to do some shopping and then go to a luau.
Lahaina has a very large Banyan Tree in the middle of town that everyone goes to see
A huge downpour of rain came across for about 20 minutes and we used the tree as shelter until the rains passed
The luau was on the beach so this was our view to one side
A small band provided most of the music and singing for the dancers and throughout dinner
It was a 5-course dinner and each course was prepared with detail. Not only did it taste fantastic, but it looked fantastic as well!
After dinner, the main show started and lasted for about an hour. Half way it started to drizzle, at least it wasn't a downpour like earlier in the afternoon. Nobody stopped dancing and nobody stopped watching
The luau was the highlight of our trip. So worth it because it was different and something we normally wouldn't experience anywhere else. Highly recommended.
VIDEO:
The next day was to be our longest day - The Road to Hana. Hana is a very small city on the NE side of the island. The road to get there is famous because it goes through one of the wettest parts on earth and winds through lush jungles and waterfalls at every one of it's turns. The road is skinny and about 65 miles to get to Hana......going around 30 mph due to the road being so windy and narrow, and then you have to go back! There are 59 bridges, (most built around 1910) with 46 of them being only one lane wide and 620 curves all through lush rainforests. Just about every curve has a waterfall or river near it. Past Hana, are the "7 Sacred Pools" and the best hike on Maui, the 'Pipiwai Trail'. The trail (hike) is 2 miles each way and ends at a 400 foot Waimoku Falls. From our condo, going the normal way to the Pipiwai Trail would take about 3 hours if we didn't stop anywhere. But, there is also a "back way" which would take only 2 hours from our condo. The back way is along a windy road as well, but it's often only 1 lane and it goes along sea cliffs where erosion often closes the road and a good part of the road is not paved. Many websites and books tell you not to go this way and rental car contracts even say if you do go that way, and get stuck or break down, they won't pay for a tow truck - you're on your own.
Shhhhhh...don't tell the rental car place, but we went the back way. Not only would it save time, but we'd get to the hike first thing in the morning when it wasn't so hot and when it wasn't so crowded.
We left at 7am and the road was very narrow, windy, steep, cliffside, dirt and bumpy. There were only a few times when we met oncoming cars and Shauna screamed and closed her eyes, but we made it. Along the way we saw views most get to see and lots of mountain goats and small little towns.
This is the good part of the road..this part actually tried to have lines in the middle and there was some places to pull off to the side
We kept seeing signs saying "Road Narrows"....uh...can it get any narrower?
Yes it can! Along this rock wall on one side and a drop off into the ocean on the other
Then the pavement goes away. It was muddy from the big rains the night before
All over the place were these little fruit stands...you could just take what you wanted and leave the money "on your honor"
We finally made it!
The "7 Pools" were very muddy with a lot of water running down from the rains the night before
The 7 Pools empties out here into the ocean
Now it was time to head to Waimoku Falls
Lots of signs like this as the trail went close to lots of dropoffs that you couldn't see due to all of the plants
The trail only has about 650 feet elevation change, but most of that is from steps which can be quite tiring
But the views along the way are worth it and amazing!
The banyan tree provides a good place to stop and rest
Lots of smaller waterfalls along the way to see
And if that isn't enough, 1 mile in, all of a sudden we found ourselves in a bamboo forest! On Maui!!
More steps as we went deeper into the bamboo
VIDEO: Turn up your speakers to hear the bamboo clacking in the wind:
More video of the hike:
One more:
The bamboo goes just about another mile until the end of the trail. When the wind blows, you can hear all the bamboo knocking against each other which was really cool to hear
The bamboo was so tall with fluffy soft leaves at the top
We caught our first glimpse of the falls ....
And saw there were two! A smaller one is to the left
VIDEO:
We continued going "backwards" on the Drive To Hana and were getting quite hungry. We found a roadside stand along a side road and on a beach that was supposed to be "famous" and well known for good food. Huli Huli Chicken. We found it and stopped. And it was good. And LOTS of food....Did I mention it was good?
It was right along the beach so we ate lunch to the sound of crashing waves
This is it! Huli Huli Chicken! Most roadside stands were closed due to Covid so we were glad it was open. We went to order our food, all with masks on, as is the requirement in Hawaii, and the guy there said "We don't really think too much about masks. If you want to take them off, go right ahead. We walk with Jesus and if it's our time to go, it's our time to go. No mask is going to change that"
Ahhhh..we could breathe again!
After a very filling lunch, we continued our drive. We stopped briefly at Waianapanapa State Park to see the black sand beach there
It's a small beach, and black sand beaches are apparently quite rare
There is a small lava tube cave you can walk through too
Moving on....back in the car.......I found a "hidden" short lava tube right along the road that I wanted to stop at. Another lava tube nearby charges you $12 to go on. That's for the suckers. We aren't suckers, so we found our own that was free.
It wasn't very long, took us like 6-7 minutes to walk through..we did need flashlights which I new ahead of time to bring
This is the entrance.....right along the road that thousands of cars pass by daily and never know to stop
We found a local pizza place that we could walk to - no more getting in the car!
It was very yummy and we were all very hungry
Island Surf is the condo building we stayed in. I took this pic so I would remember what it was called.
The next morning we did some more snorkeling which required some creativity in getting in the water as it was not a sandy beach. It was a lava covered rough and sharp area with waves that could push you into the lava rocks. We found our way in though into this part f an area that was known for having turtles.
We did see some turtles and lots of fish and it was a good spot.
VIDEO: Turn up your speakers and you can hear all the whales talking to each other. Marissa said every time she went diving or under water, it was so "noisy" from all the whales
In the afternoon, we went to Ioa Valley which is known for the "needle" - a 2250 foot high peak created by erosion after the softer rock all around it eroded over thousands of years.
The "Needle" in the center
There is a secret hike hopping the fence and past this sign that goes to the Trail of Tears which is a part of Maui usually only seen with a helicopter. But it's muddy and steep and with the rains the night before we didn't want to attempt it. We did see some hikers coming back and they confirmed it was pretty muddy.
Saying good bye to Maui...........................................
