Maui - 2016 Trip 9/24/2016 - 10/1/2016

Day 1- Inter-island flight from Hawai'i, condo check-in, Maui Brewing Co.

We stayed at the "Aston Maui Banyan" in Kihei. Kihei is a great place to stay, especially for your first time on the island. The central location is well-suited to exploring the island.

View towards the ocean from our condo Lenai "Aston at Maui Banyon"

View toward the mountain from our Lanai

Maui Brewing Company World Headquarters

Sunset from Maui Brewing Co.

Day 2- Snorkeling, Haleakala, Upcountry Maui

Snorkeling

Green Hawaiian Sea Turtle in the wild!

Waiakoa Loop Trail Google Maps Link

Hiking on Haleakala at around 5,000' elevation

It was cool, moist, and foggy- yes, on a Hawaiian island!

Upcountry Maui is all about the agriculture

Beautiful flowers everywhere

A roadside farmstand with a gorgeous view

Haleakala Volcano

Looking into the Haleakala crater

Looking down into the Haleakala crater

You can see one of the many hiking trails here on Haleakala

It's difficult to comprehend just how massive and awe-inspiring this crater is. You could fit manhattan inside of it.

The rare "silver sword" plant grows at 10,000 feet at the summit

So high!

Air Force facility on top of the mountain

You can see the "valley" from here

You can see West Maui and Lanai from this vantage

Leleiwi Overlook

Day 3- Gazebo, Honolua Bay Snorkeling, Blowhole, West Maui Loop, Sunset Cruise

Gazebo restaurant, Napili Bay

It's easy to find beauty everywhere you look. This is Napili Bay

View from near the Gazebo restaurant

Honulua Bay Snorkeling

Crossing the stream to access the Honolua Bay snorkeling area

The lush jungle on the way to the bay

View from above Honolua Bay. Absolutely Gorgeous, hard to describe how cool it was.

Panoramic view

Nakalele Blowhole Google Maps Link

Blowhole!

Pu'u Koa'e (landmark)

It was so great to share this experience with my pops!

Grocery Story in Kehalani looking West

Sunset Cruise from Maalaea Harbor

Looking North at "West Maui"

Sunset!

One last picture

Day 4- Hookipa Beach, Adventure Hike, and the Road to Hana!

Hookipa Beach: Many surfers on the North Shore

Another view of Hookipa Beach

Colorful Parrots

Adventure Hike

Adventure Hike! Bamboo forest

Adventure Hike

Time to go above and beyond this point

You had to swim/wade through the water to continue

And climb ropes to get up

Slow going on uneven terrain

Swimming up to this waterfall, then climbing the rocks to ascend

And this is the end!

Back after the hike!

Cool shady place to swim

Kaumahina State Wayside Park

Wild Cats - Kaumahina State Wayside Park

Wild boar! Kaumahina State Wayside Park

This is a wild Jackson's Chameleon


Waiʻānapanapa State Park

Waiʻānapanapa State Park - Lava Cliffs

I thought the Hana Ranch was an amazing venue

Cozy and casual

Food

Day 5- Hana Part 2, Black Sand Beach, Red Sand Beach, Waimoku Falls

Sunrise, Hana

Waiʻānapanapa State Park lava cliffs

State Park Cabin

Black Sand Beach

Black Sand Beach!

Gorgeous Sand!

From inside a lava tube

Gorgeous area

Red Sand Beach Google Maps Link

On our way to the red-sand beach

Hiking the trail

Stunning!

I photoshopped the nude woman out of this picture

The sharp rocks break the surf providing a calm and spectacular swimming area

More Road to Hana

These flowers grew on the tops of trees

Roadside waterfall

Another roadside waterfall

Pīpīwai Trail Google Maps Link

Old, abandoned hut off the trail

Makahiku Falls


Nice Bridge on the Pīpīwai Trail

Banyan tree on the trail

Beautiful, serene, and peaceful stroll through a Bamboo forest

This area was closed due to some recent erosion, but I went anyway (carefully)

Waimoku Falls

Waimoku Falls informational sign

Drive around the bottom of Maui

Driving around the southern tip of the Island, the road is SKETCHY

Huialoha Church (1859) Google Maps Link

Beautiful south Maui

Slopes of Haleakala from the South

Beauty is everywhere


Huialoha Church (1859)

The surf made a clacking noise with all these polished stones.

Drive around the southern end of Maui

Southern Slopes of Haleakala

Looks like the Serengeti

Cinder cone

Cafe O'Lei Kihei

Sunset from the Lanai

Day 5- Molokini and Kanaio Coast Snorkel Cruise

Boat Cruise

Lava rock

Compression Cave

The volcanic south/west coast of Maui

Coming into Molokini

Inside Molokini Crater

"Turtle Town"

Looking at Wailea-Makena

Sunset at Kamaole Beach Park II Google Maps Link

Day 6 - Snorkeling and... sleeping?

Sunset from Kehei

Day 7 - Check into hotel in Kaanapali, Olivine Pools

The lobby of Aston Maui Kaanapali

View from our hotel

Olivine Pools Google Maps Link

On the Olivine Pools trail

Coastline near the Olivine Pools

Coastline near the olivine pools

Olivine pools

Olivine Pools

Rugged Coastline

Big surf breaks!

Back at our hotel in Kaanapali

Kaanapali Sunset

Day 8- Snorkeling Kaanapali Beach, Sugarcane train, Roadside turtles, Kohala Brewing, Maui Creamery, Final Sunset in Kihei

Generic tourist photo

Sea Turtle area

We spent about 30 minutes at this roadside park because there was a large group of sea turtles here and we kept seeing them swim around and come up for air!