Maui 2024 Part 3 (of 3)

Thursday and Friday were big days! I guess I wanted to start August with a bang!

Thursday 8/1

Wednesday night I did laundry so that my one set of running clothes would be clean on Thursday morning. When I woke up at 6:15am I got up to run, instead of trying to fall back asleep.

This time I went in the other direction, which ended up being kind of a bust. I ran the bike lane behind the airport (we are RIGHT behind the airport) over to a beach outlet. It was a fine route, but I preferred the first one.

When I got back to the house, I saw there were no clouds on Haleakala, so I thought it might be fun to spend the morning snorkeling. We didn’t have plans until 12:30pm, so I decided to go.

Of course, when I got there, the cloud that always sits above our favorite snorkeling place was back. I was so annoyed.

Of course, I still saw a lot of cool stuff. At one point I was floating above a huge piece of coral and there were just fish everywhere.

Since I was by myself (so no one would have to wait for me) and it was such a long drive over to that side of the island, I decided to hit up Five Graves, the spot where I swam with two turtles last year.

The tide was lower this time, which made it even harder to get into the water. Luckily, it was worth it.

First I saw a little turtle just hanging out under an outcropping of coral.

Later I saw this guy, swimming in the break.

I followed him around for a bit, because there is nothing more awesome than swimming with a sea turtle.

At one point I looked up and saw another sea turtle!

Then when I turned back around, the first one was right next to me. It was so cool.

I watched them both swim into the distance and was so glad I had come.

On the way home, I stopped to get my daughter a sweatshirt that she saw earlier in the week, but was later sold out. I got my son a Hawaiian chicken stuffie, because we love the chickens here.

I also stopped to get gas at the Costco, and because we needed more bagels I went in. Somehow I’ve never been to this Costco, even though I love Costco and I love going to different Costcos. Well, the Maui Costco did not disappoint! It was awesome and had so many Hawaii specific things. I got my husband and our friend Hawaiian shirts and myself a swim suit. My only issue was I couldn’t spend much time there because my husband was losing it with our son back at the house. I might have to go back to that Costco on our last day.

A bunch of adults in the group were getting massages at the house on Thursday, so at 12:30pm we headed to the pool. (I elected not to get a massage because it was expensive and I had just gotten one on my birthday.) The pool was amazing as always. I ended up hanging out with our friends’ 3.5yo most of the time, so I didn’t get many pictures. We did bring the GoPro though, and got some shots of us jumping off the waterfall.

Thursday night we went to dinner with friends again, this time to a soba place.

Friday 8/2

Friday was our biggest day. We woke up early and were out the door with our friends by 8:10am to head to Hana.

The road to Hana is 64 miles long and most of it is so windy and narrow that you can only drive 15-25 miles an hour on it. The trip generally takes 2.5-3.5 hours, one way.

By 8:30 we had picked up lunch and were off. Our friend got the Shaka Guide (see image above), which we listened to on the drive. It was definitely goofy in spots, but we learned a lot and it helped pass the time.

We didn’t stop anywhere on the way down. In fact, we didn’t even stop in Hana, we just drove past it to Haleakala National Park and the “Seven Sacred Pools.” My husband remembered our son’s 4th grade National parks pass and we got to use it one last time!

I will admit, the pools were a little underwhelming. I mean, they were awesome, but not worth a 5-6 hour round-trip drive. As the sole driver of the trip, I was honestly I little bummed out when we saw them.

Luckily, there was also a hike in the park, and PiPiwai Trail did not disappoint!

We started on the hike, and it immediately started to rain. It ended up raining on us for most of the hike, which at first we were grateful for (so cool and refreshing!) and later kind of annoyed by (our clothes and backpack and shoes were soaked).

There were tons of waterfalls, among other amazing views. The trees were beautiful too.

About half way up we crossed a bridge into a bamboo forest. Much of that part of the hike had wood paneling, which we appreciated because the regular path was getting very muddy in the rain.

The hike ended at the view of Waimoku falls, which was just stunning. I’m so glad I did not know much about this waterfall, because just looking up and seeing it was such a gratifying experience.

I took so many pictures of it, and none of them did it justice. The pouring rain certainly wasn’t helping my photographic efforts.

I will admit, the hike back to the car was a little rough. The kids were soggy and uncomfortable. Many of us had multiple mosquito bites and everyone just wanted to be done. Luckily it felt shorter on the way down.

On the way home we stopped at the Venus Pools, a local spot recommended by the Shaka Guide we were listening to. The walk to the spot was not well maintained and we all got eaten alive by mosquitos, but it was worth it.

The swimming hole was our last stop for the day, because we had a 3+ hour drive home.

On the way we saw a rainbow, which was very gratifying after all the rain. Luckily there was a turn out right after we spotted it, so we could all get out and take pictures.

It was after 7pm when we got home so we just ate left overs at the house, watched some Olympics and went to bed.

Saturday 8/3

After being gone for 11+ hours on Friday, we promised the kids a low key Saturday. Besides a quick trip to Costco to fill up the rental car and to grab more Hawaiian shirts and sarongs, the kids and I stayed at the house. My husband and his friends did go to a brewery, but we did not join them.

I struggled on Saturday because I felt like I should be taking more advantage of our last day. I also had big feelings about how my kids were spending their time (mostly on screens), but I tried hard to let those feelings pass and enjoy the down time. I spent much of the day on the lanai (covered patio) and in the hammock (when it was cloudy) reading my book.

By 4pm everyone was back at the house, and we enjoyed our final evening at the house together. It was so fun to be here again with friends, especially those who haven’t been able to join us in the past.

Sunday 8/4

Today (Sunday) we woke up and got packed, cleaned up our rooms and headed out. I was hoping we’d have time to hang out a little this morning, but it didn’t happen.

Instead we hit up Ululani’s Shaved Ice one last time. It was a great way to end the trip.

And now we’re on the plane. We’ll be taxiing out to the run way that I ran past a couple days ago and then flying out over the house we stayed in. Every time I see a plane taking off over the property I think, soon we’ll be on one of those going home. And now we are.