09/01/2023 From O’ahu to Maui
What to expect
- 1 Maui
- 1.1 Eat a local ahi poke bowl
- 1.2 Bath in the Mermaid Pools
- 1.3 Go whale watching
- 1.4 Have cocktails at Monkeypod
- 1.5 Relax at the beach
- 1.6 Sneak into the Hyatt for the cave pool and drinks
- 1.7 Watch sunset at the beach
- 1.8 Grab food from a food truck
- 1.9 Sing karaoke at Dirty Monkey (on a Tuesday)
- 1.10 Drive on the “Road to Hana”
- 1.11 Jump off the Pua’a Ka’a Falls
- 1.12 Hike through the Bamboo Forest
- 1.13 Have a poke bowl or shave ice at Tobi’s in Paia
- 1.14 Do a coastal walk
- 1.15 Dine at Duckine
- 1.16 Go scuba diving in Mala
- 1.17 Snorkel or relax at Baby Beach
- 1.18 Go canoeing in a six-man-canoe
- 1.19 Shop on Front Street
Maui
Shortest flight ever
This was the quickest flight ever! Even the bus ride to the airport took longer than our 23-minute-flight from O’ahu to Maui.
What a welcoming
Luckily, we could stay with two other good friends of Blake’s here – Jason and Hailey. They both picked us up from the airport and welcomed us with a lei.
A lei is a garland or necklace of flowers given in Hawaii as a token of welcome or farewell. Leis are most commonly made of carnations, kika blossoms, ginger blossoms, jasmine blossoms, or orchids and are usually about 18 inches (46 cm) long. They are bestowed with a kiss as a sign of hospitality.”
britannica.com
The 30-minute-drive from the airport to their place was already beautiful with the ocean constantly on our left side.
Eat a local ahi poke bowl
Today we drove to the Mermaid Pools. On the way we picked up some drinks and poke bowls which are sold freshly at every supermarket on the island – I love them!
Bath in the Mermaid Pools
In order to get to the pools we hiked through high bushes. We were the only ones bathing in the natural pools. In the background we could even see whales swimming! What a great start to a new island!
Delizioso! (had to google this Italian word)
In the evening we went out to an Italian restaurant. All the food was very tasty, but the pricing is definitely something else on this island. (275 US$ for the four of us before tipping, which is big in the American culture!) Jason and Hailey invited us which was so generous of them (besides already letting us stay at their place)!
10/01/2023 Maui, Hawaii
Go whale watching
The sense of community is amazing on Maui! A lot of the locals are helping out each other.
Hailey and Jason even knew people from the whale watching compa ny who let us four go on the boat for free (we only tipped them more). The catamaran also had an open bar!
So while many whales came really close to the boat and waved at us (at least in my mind), we sipped on long drinks. Typical Tuesday 😉.
Have cocktails at Monkeypod
Afterwards we had some really tasty mai tai cocktails and appetizers at Monkeypod, which was right at the beach. Again, Hailey and Jason knew tons of people there, so we got the first cocktail on the house. I could really get used to this lifestyle here 😉.
Relax at the beach
It felt good relaxing at the beach and soaking in some more sun after this very “active” start of the day. Much deserved 😉.
Sneak into the Hyatt for the cave pool and drinks
The Hyatt is right by the beach. We followed Hailey’s lead and walked right to the pool bar that was located in a cave, where we could cool off in the “cave pool”.
Watch sunset at the beach
Afterwards we went back to the beach where we watched the sun set into the ocean with turtles poking their heads out of the water – it felt like being in a movie.
Grab food from a food truck
On the way home we grabbed some buddha bowls and burritos from a few food trucks that are placed everywhere on the island.
Sing karaoke at Dirty Monkey (on a Tuesday)
Jason is the bar manager in the busiest bar on the island: The Dirty Monkey. He took the day off for us, but we still ended up in his bar tonight. Blake did a great job at singing karaoke (“Country Roads”) and including the entire bar in his “performance” 😉. It’s always highly entertaining!
11/01/2023 Maui, Hawaii
Time flies
Today we’ve been on the road for six months! Time is definitely flying a little too fast on this trip.
Drive on the “Road to Hana”
Just driving on Maui is already a highlight on its own. Most of the roads go along the ocean where you can watch whales out of the car – incredible!
The Road to Hana is world-renowned for being a long, beautiful drive that features incredible sights and stops that make it one of the go-to destinations on Maui. It’s a 52-mile stretch of highway with winding and narrow one-lane sections […].”
prideofmaui.com
We did parts of the famous “Road to Hana” and stopped along the way for two different hikes.
Jump off the Pua’a Ka’a Falls
…or bath underneath the waterfall
The first hike was rather an easy walk, which passed one small waterfall and ended at a big waterfall. Jason and Hailey climbed up on the side to jump off this huge waterfall! Blake and I weren’t as adventurous (or should we say “crazy”). But we did bath in the ice cold water and swam to the waterfall, which counts for something, right 😉?!
Hike through the Bamboo Forest
Next we stopped at Bamboo Forest. This is usually a tough hike that takes around three hours. Since we were all not feeling too ambitious today (maybe because of last night – who knows), we only made it to the first waterfall (which was adventurous enough for us today). It was a fun hike going through the thick bamboo trees and crossing the river.
Have a poke bowl or shave ice at Tobi’s in Paia
On the way home we stopped in a cute little hippie town called Paia. Tobi’s is known for its tasty poke bowls, which I loved! Blake, who is not a big fan of raw fish (weird!), went for the chicken dish instead.
Hawaiian shave ice
Shave ice or Hawaiian shave ice is an ice-based dessert made by shaving a block of ice and flavoring it with syrup and other sweet ingredients.”
wikipedia.org
Shave ice is a very famous dessert in Hawaii. But the thought of shaved ice covered in sweet syrup didn’t really excite me too much.
Game night
In the evening the four of us played some board games at home together with Hailey’s mom, which was a lot of fun. Those “normal” things such as playing board games, cooking or just sleeping in a home instead of a hostel really seem special to us when you’ve been travelling for a while.
12/01/2023 Maui, Hawaii
Do a coastal walk
Today Blake and I were on our own to explore the island since Hailey and Jason both had to work. They were so kind to lend us their van to drive to Kapalua. On the way we picked up a matcha latte (my new favourite) for $10! Hawaiian pricing is just crazy (and me too for paying that much).
Turtle and seal love
The coastal walk was so beautiful! Right at the first bay we saw two turtles and a seal swimming close to the shore! It was an easy walk with so many stunning views of the ocean, the waves, palm trees and sandy beaches!
After the walk we relaxed at Kapalua Bay Beach, where the high tide almost swept our phones and wallets away. And then people wonder why Blake and I don’t surf – we hardly survive on land!
Dine at Duckine
Later that day Hailey invited us to her restaurant where we had an incredible three-course-dinner with her, Jason and Hailey’s mom.
The cuisine is Asian-Hawaiian fusion and all the dishes are meant for sharing.
Honestly, everything tasted incredible and the cocktails (for $17 each) were outstanding, which were put together by Hailey as the bar manager.
13/01/2023 Maui, Hawaii
Go scuba diving in Mala
When Hailey asked me if I want to go scuba diving, I assumed we’d go out on a boat with an instructor as I normally do.
Is this legal?
Little did I know that you can just start diving from the shore and that without an instructor! I honestly thought we were doing something highly illegal. But apparently you can dive without an instructor when you’re certified. Hailey has her own equipment, so we just needed to rent some dive gear for me. We drove to the Mala Historic Wharf, where we put on our gear and just walked into the water.
Normally I’m used to diving being a whole process where you drive out on a boat (sometimes in a little nutshell boat for over an hour in the rain, like in Coiba National Park in Panama).
Poor visibility
Unfortunately, the visibility wasn’t the best, but we still got to see five big turtles, so I was happy. Doing the dive without a guide and right from the beach instead of a boat was definitely a new experience for me.
Snorkel or relax at Baby Beach
Later that day Blake and I walked to Baby Beach to relax and to watch sunset. It almost didn’t surprise me anymore when some turtles stuck their heads out of the water right in front of us.
14/01/2023 Maui, Hawaii
Go canoeing in a six-man-canoe
Since Hailey is in a canoe club, she took us out on a six-man-canoe this morning. There were about 30 people that morning (seemed like every member had brought a friend). Therefore, we went on the water with five canoes.
Just like in a movie
The visibility was great (where was this during our dive yesterday?) and we saw turtles swimming next to our canoe and whales breaching in the background. It was a lot of fun and a great team effort, but I already know (and feel) that I’m going to be very sore tomorrow.
It’s game day (again)
With Blake being a fan of a zillion different sports, it feels like every day is game day. But today seemed to be extra stressful since his American football team (49ers) made it to the playoffs. (That’s ready too much detail that I want to or should know 😉.) This is why Blake and Jason watched the game in Jason’s bar “The Dirty Monkey”. Later Hailey and I joined the guys. Let’s just said, we had other priorities and left about half an hour later again to do what girls do: shopping.
Shop on Front Street
Not the biggest shopping fan
Talking of stereotypes where the guys are in the bar drinking beer and the girls are out shopping, I must admit that I usually don’t really like going shopping. On this trip I like it even less because we are on a budget and I don’t want to carry more stuff around.
But it was fun strolling along Front Street, which is right by the ocean and has a lot of cute boutique shops and souvenir stores.
Hailey showed me great shops so I almost had no other choice than spending as much on the shopping than I’d usually spend on an entire day on our world trip. Oh well, I “needed” souvenirs of Hawaii…
All good things must come to an end
And just like this, our 12 days on O’ahu and Maui are over. Blake and I agree that we could have definitely spent even more time in Hawaii! We loved both islands (I loved Maui particularly) and both of Blake’s couple friends have been so generous and showed us amazing spots on both islands.
One more whale
When we took an uber to the airport and drove along the ocean, we saw a whale smashing its fin onto the surface of the water over and over again. It was just like the whale was waving us goodbye. Don’t worry, little whale, we will be back some day 😀!
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