Beautiful beaches, fantastic culture, and a relaxing atmosphere. Maui is amazing. We could talk endlessly about snorkeling, the food, sunsets, and most importantly the little drinks with umbrellas in it.

Honestly, I’ve never been to the other islands. I also don’t care. My family and I keep going back to Maui, and that’s fine by me.

All islands must hold the same virtue between them all, which is why they are so magical. The smell of the air is an intoxicating mixture of the flowers and the ocean. The crashing waves in the distance.  The slight breeze making the palm sway. It’s so relaxing that if I close my eyes, I can almost imagine myself there right now. Man, I wish I were.

    Here is some background on the island.  It’s a medium-sized island formed between two volcanos that connect in a valley. The valley was once home to fields of sugar cane. One of the more prominent volcano’s is Haleakala, which I highly recommend going to. The parking lot at Haleakala sits a little bit above 10,000 feet above sea level. It’s up there, so it gets cold, but it paints the most amazing sunrises/sunsets.

You can almost see the whole island up on top of the volcano. On the other side is a is a vast range of a tropical forest and mountains. The main road in, goes to the Iao Valley.  A place I highly suggest going to and exploring. The mountains are steep and green, and full of life.

There was a great battle, called the Battle of Kepaniwa, that took place in the valley, you can learn about the battle and some history of the Hawaiian people here (link) Both sides of the island have beautiful drives with diverse landscapes.  If you take a drive to the Haleakala, it involves an insane amount of corners.  If you have a steel set of nerves, it’s enjoyable to drive through.

    If you go to the to the north side of the island, the central city is Kahului. All the government buildings are there. A little outside of that is a town called Paia. This  groovy little town is vital to the surfing community. Jaws (one of the world’s biggest surfing competitions) is right outside of the town of Paia.  The spot is unique in its location to watch the sport from the shore. Driving out towards the northern tip of the island is Hana. Or The Road to Hana. Its a beautiful drive with postcard-worthy views, but it’s an all-day event.

If you leave any later than 10, you risk not being able to stop and see everything.  You’ll just be rushing your way through. My family and I made that mistake when we went out there. It was such a long drive that I didn’t enjoy it, and I was ready just to get out of the car and be done, but when we did stop the views were breathtaking. Then there is a national park out at the end of the road to Hana  that has a  black sand beach!  It is worth the trip but leave early in the morning so you can truly enjoy the drive.

    When you reach the middle of the island, it becomes a bit beefier. Up until recently, it was full of sugar cane fields, but the last sugar cane factory closed its doors about a couple years ago. I don’t know what will happen; I am afraid that hotels and resorts will come and build on the land. Hopefully it becomes co-op farming of some sort. It can create jobs and keep the cost of produce down.

    When you head towards the south side of the island, the diversity of the ecosystem of the island changes again. The area near Wailea has a very desert like feel to it, the town is located at the base of the volcano Haleakala and is barren. I haven’t spent a lot of time on this part of the island, so I don’t know much about it.  From the little time I’ve spent, it’s still beautiful.

  My first trip to Hawaii came down to Maui or Kauai. Oahu seemed to have a larger population.  Honestly crowds aren’t my family’s cup of tea. My wife had already been to Honolulu and didn’t feel like going back there. After we researched some, we decided on Maui. I fell utterly in love with it. When we went back for our second trip to Maui, my wife and I got married there. It was terrific place fora wedding- no socks or shoes and right on the beach at sunset.  We have taken both our kids since then and now our granddaughter.

If you read my first posts about vacations (link here), you will see why it’s so important to bring my family with on holidays. Some of my favorite memories have been created on the island with my kids; snorkeling, surfing, and even diving with my kids. We always have so much fun.

    I’ve lived near the ocean for over half my life now; I love the water. Living in Seattle, and the murky blue waters surround me. While in Seattle you can surf, dive, go boating, fishing, SUP, and snorkeling if you wanted too. The primary (and obvious) difference between the two cities is the the weather.  When you do all your water activities in Seattle, you have to put on several layers of neoprene and you will still be cold.

The warmth of the water in Maui makes it much more enjoyable.  In Maui, you can see the beauty of the coral reefs and lots of brightly colored fish. There really is a exciting variety of things to see.  In the wild, I’ve seen sharks, eels, octopi, coral, monk seals, and more fish than I could list here. But besides all of that, the most fantastic thing I’ve ever done is swimming with turtles. Every time I went into the water on my last trip to Maui I saw a turtle. That’s not an exaggeration either, being able to swim with the gentle beings is utterly mind-blowing.

    Two places come to mind when I think about snorkeling in Maui. The first one is called Mile Marker 14. You drive south out of Lahaina; you’ll come across this little shack called Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop (link?). Grab a lunch and some pies, and you’ll be in for a real treat. Seriously, I highly recommend the coconut cream pie. It will be the best pie you have ever tasted.  There are other pies of course, but that is my favorite. Once you leave Leoda’s, you keep driving south for about a mile, and you will come to a group of trees on the right-hand side of the road. 

You are literally looking for the mile marker #14 on the side of the rode.  Once you see it, start looking for a place to park. The trees grow “just the right way” it’s like you have your own little beach. It’s an excellent place for new snorkelers.  The beach slopes nicely, so it’s easy to get in and out of the water. The south swell is about the only time where it’s not a great place to snorkel, but other than that it’s gold.  

A word of warning, there are some shrubs around the trees on the beach that have big thorns on them. I think my whole family has stepped on one.  They hurt like no other!  To protect your feet, I would suggest getting a pair of water shoes or booties.  

    The next place I would recommend to try snorkeling at is Napili Bay.  It’s not the easiest to snorkel though, the waves come in on all different sides, so it makes the water a bit choppy at best. The plus side to snorkeling here is to here is so many different things to see in the water; it’s so lively with color and creature.  You’ll have to venture out into the waves to see yourself.

    Another way to spend time in the water is to scuba dive. The most prominent difference between snorkeling and diving is the viewpoint. Free diving is a lot of fun, but it’s hard just to sit there and look at the fish. You’re also fighting to try and float in the ocean, so I find that scuba diving is easiest. Using weights, they help you stay under the water longer. With all the different ways you can go under the surf, and I’m sure you can find one that fits your needs and style, so try them all.

    The Hawaiian islands are well known for their surfing. Oahu is the most famous, because of its north shore. However, Maui has Jaws. Like I mentioned earlier, it’s near the quiet little town of Paia. Jaws is a world-class big wave spot. When it’s waves are crashing the world converges on that sleepy small town. I, personally, haven’t seen Jaws breaking, but my fingers are crossed that someday I will see it. When I took my daughter to Maui when she was seven, that’s where she learned how to surf. It was a lot easier to surf in Maui than back home in Seattle. Little kids get cold so fast, so the warm waters of Maui are perfect to learn how to surf.

    There are so many things to do and see in Maui. It’s a fantastic place that you should make the trip out there. Although, don’t forget to put sunscreen on the top of your feet. Do not turn your back to the ocean; you have to treat it with respect. The surf can sneak up on you and wipe you out. So be careful, the waves can break your back, knock you out and suck you right out to the ocean. With the proper respect, the sea can be the most significant peace you can ever go and see. So bring your family, enjoy, and most importantly don’t forget your camera.