Part Two: Maui, Hawaii

In Hawaii, there is always a rainbow lurking around some corner and its enough reason to go that extra mile and not give up when you see thick, dark clouds looming over. Some cuddle time with Kula before heading out was mandatory though! Did you read Part One, the Airbnb we stayed in during our trip to Maui, Hawaii, yet?

Day 1

Ka'anapali Beach

When we woke up to pouring rain on our first day on the island, we frantically checked the weather and it was forecasted to rain the following two days too! We did not have much choice but to go snorkeling in the rain and one of the best places to snorkel is Ka'anapali beach. It was once named America's Best Beach with white sand and crystal clear waters with coral reef. 

From Kula Hwy, the place where we were staying for our entire trip, Kaanapali beach is over an hour drive and as we were getting down from the mountains, the clouds cleared out and we got a superb view of the beaches right next to rolling mountains along Route 30.

At Kaanapali beach, we had a hard time finding a parking spot and ended up driving up to Napili and Kapalua Bay asking for the best parking spots to get to the beach. It was clearly a popular place and most of it was resident parking and only the locals seemed to know of tiny nooks of public parking! We ended up having just enough time to go explore the beach. The beach looked pristine with white sand and blue waters, matching our imagination of what Hawaiian beaches would look like. We saw families with young kids hanging out on the beach relaxing and decided to come back again.

We ate lunch at Mala Ocean Tavern, a waterfront restaurant, to try some fresh seafood. I had spaghetti with marinara sauce and Kiran had fish and chips. The place was kid-friendly and had a spectacular panorama of the water and sailing boats docked a few yards away. I would highly recommend stopping here for lunch.

The kids were delighted to spot a lot of crabs on the rocks by the water after lunch.

Maluaka Beach

Maluaka Beach is truly a gem of a beach in Maui. It is less crowded with plenty of public parking and the view is totally worth the long drive! It is also call the Turtle Town for the many turtle spottings and snorkeling is recommended for experienced swimmers. 

After lunch we headed to Maluaka Beach. The beach was a contrast from Kaanapali beach with orangish gold sand and high waves. To get to the beach we had to walk through a wooded area before everything cleared up to a seascape.

We saw surfers trying to ride waves. After driving around for so long, we settled on a calm spot on the beach while the kids were chasing the waves and played in the sand. The beach was much less crowded than Ka'anapali beach.

The golden hour was the perfect time to be at the beach. The setting sun looked out of this world! The color of the sand combined with the golden light, the onshore breeze and the harmony of the splashing waves, the view of Kaho'olawe island in the far distance....we were basking in this moment's glory.

We got back home exhausted and the boys got some much needed device time to keep them from falling asleep while I cooked dinner. Kiran researched on the spots we would hit on our trip to Hana. We had to streamline our stops, were too many attractions and focus on the places we really wanted to see.

Day 2

Road to Hana 

We woke up bright and early in the morning, gearing ourselves to take up the much awaited and daunting drive on Road to Hana. Hana Highway is a 64.4mile stretch of Hawaii Routes 36 and 360, with 59 bridges and 620 curves(from Wiki). It has the most spectacular views with unblemished landscapes and towering waterfalls. For us, Hana exemplified the saying 'Its not about the destination but the journey you take to get there!' 

Our first stop was Twin Waterfalls. There was lush greenery everywhere we looked and we could hear water gushing on our hike to get to the waterfalls. It was about a mile hike from the point of entry. It was very easy and is recommended for anyone between a young kid and a grandparent.

The kids tried to channel their inner Tarzan and succeeded I think haha.

The location was out of an Indiana Jones movie with the juxtaposition of layers of rock, waterfalls and dense overgrown greenery. Pictures don't do justice to the actual experience of this place.

We came back to the farm stand to have fresh pineapple juice and coconut juice, just the refreshment we needed after the not so strenuous hike!

Next stop was at a waterfalls which had a rest area with picnic benches. We saw too many waterfalls at this point and can't recollect which waterfalls was this, sorry! We took a quick dip in the water! The water was freezing cold at first but totally worth the dip.

After changing, we drove down to have lunch at Island Chef in Nihiku Market place for Hawaiian seafood and tried spicy garlic shrimp with fried rice. It was yummy and satisfying.

Next, we headed straight to Hana to see what was about the town that made the place so popular but turns out that Hana was a quaint remote town with nothing much to see and the interesting part was getting to Hana and not Hana itself. The beach at Hana was covered in black sand and was slightly crowded with local people. It was interesting to see how different the sand was at different sides of the island of Maui, Hawaii. We just walked around the beach and got ice creams from a local ice cream store.

The local kids sure were much more comfortable with the waters than our kids lol!

We headed back home the same way we came as opposed to rounding the loop as the road on the other side was very rugged and it was getting dark and did not seem advisable.

Day 3

Atlantic Submarine Tour

From the whaling town of Lahaina, we took the Atlantis submarine tour. The whole experience of getting to the bottom of the ocean was such a pleasant one with the kids super excited to actually see the submarine and how it got into and out of water. It is also a lot better than snorkeling for anyone who cannot swim and does not require any training like you would for scuba diving. 

The crew was super friendly and there were just enough people onboard for everyone to get a proper view of the fishes, coral reef and ship wreck. The fish charts they had next to every window really helped identify the different fishes we got to see on our ride in the submarine.

Its a once in lifetime opportunity and I'm glad we took it up! This outing of ours would definitely rank high up on anyone's to-do list in Maui. It is so comfortable for the elderly and also young kids, getting to see everything a scuba diver or snorkeling would enable you to view without getting wet or having to swim ;)

Haupa'akea Peak

Our last stop for the day was Haupa'akea Peak or the East Maui Volcano, a massive shield volcano that forms more than 75% of the Hawaiian Island of Maui(Wiki). At an elevation of 10,023 feet, we were hoping to summit around sunset.

The drive up the mountain was astonishing and dramatic, the terrain changed from lush greenery to barren land with volcanic debris. The textures and colors of the rocks and mud was unlike we had ever seen and it felt like we were on a different planet altogether! Unfortunately, it was foggy and we did not get to see any of the astounding view we intended to see from the peak but the drive up there was well worth the trip. Be sure to pack warm clothing on your trip to Haupa'akea Peak, it gets quite chilly up there.

Stay tuned for Part Three and Four. To get updates on any future posts please LIKE my Facebook page!

Also Read:

Part One: The Airbnb we stayed in Maui, Hawaii

Costa Rica, Part One: Arenal Volcano