The Valley Isle – Bucket List for Maui

1. Drive the Road to Hana

Ask anyone who’s been to Maui and they’ll tell you to make sure you rent a convertible and drive the 4 hour narrow winding road to Hana. The scenery as you drive through the wet side of Maui is unimaginable. The coastline is stunning, the forrest is lush, waterfalls surprise you around every turn… it’s like something straight out of Hollywood. Start your journey early in the morning – breakfast at Charley’s in Paia is a good way to begin. You also want to make sure you have your own guidebook as the only signs the entire drive are mile markers. When you get to Hana be sure to stop at the black sand beach and also continue a little farther past Hana to the Seven Sacred Pools which are part of Haleakala National Park.

2. Drive to the summit of Haleakala

If you are brave enough, force yourself to get up at 3am to make it to the summit of Maui’s volcano for sunrise. For the rest of us, the drive to the top, rain or shine, is worth it. Read our post about Haleakala National Park for more info.

3. Shop in Lahaina

The old whaling town of Lahaina is bustling with shops, art studios, restaurants, and festivals. Out of the towns we visited on Maui this was our favorite. Also be sure to stop at Local Boys Shave Ice for all of your shave ice cravings.

4. Eat at Mama’s Fish House

When we asked some of our friends what their favorite thing was about Maui several answered with Mama’s Fish House. One couple even went as far to say that they would fly to Maui for a weekend just to eat at this restaurant. I no longer think they’re crazy. This really is a place you want to set aside an evening and some cash for. Nestled on a small private beach this seafood restaurant serves the best seafood I have ever tasted in my life. Time seems to stand still as you sit in the luxurious atmosphere and watch the sunset over the Pacific. It’s one of my favorite nights from our entire trip in the Hawaiian Islands.  http://www.mamasfishhouse.com

5. Go to the Old Lahaina Luau

You’re in Hawaii. You have to go to at least one Luau and trust me, you want this to be the one. The performers, artists, food, and open bar were all up to par. Our night here was fantastic and memorable.

6. Visit Iao Valley State Park

Historic Iao Valley State Park is most well known for its iconic Iao Needle, a giant pointy rock. Back when King Kamehameha was conquering the Hawaiian islands there was a grand battle here that ended with many hundreds of warriors jumping to their death off of this rock.

7. Visit Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center

One thing that pleasantly surprised me about Maui was it’s strong art community. In retrospect it makes sense that someplace so beautiful would attract so many artists. This old mansion turned art studio has beautiful grounds to walk around and art to look at inside. This would be an ideal spot for a picnic. http://www.mauivenues.com/welcome/archives/hui-noeau

The Road to Hana

No trip to Maui is complete without embarking down the long winding road to Hana. Jump in your convertible or jeep and get ready for the most incredible day of your life. Just seeing one of these waterfalls or beaches would be worth the drive. It’s incredible that so many amazing sites are concentrated in one single stretch of road. Be sure to grab a map or guide to tell you where to stop along the way as there are no signs along the road. Makes for great pictures but difficult to find trailheads or know what you’re looking at…

Some major things to keep an eye out for:

Twin Falls: This is your quintessential tropical waterfall. The majority of the hike is through rainforest and the final stretch to the actual waterfall is through water. It’s absolutely gorgeous. Note: the nerdy tourist in the photo is my dad.

Bamboo Forrest: Several miles in you’re suddenly driving through a flowing sea of massive bamboo.

Keanae Peninsula and Village: A beautiful village with taro fields. The lookout off the road is stunning.

Upper Waikani Falls: More beautiful waterfalls literally right off the road. No hiking involved!

Waianapanapa State Wayside Park: A gorgeous black sand beach and one of the only ones on Maui. Allow yourself a good hour here if it’s a nice day. There are trails to sea caves and the beach is so stunning you won’t want to leave. We thought it was one of the most beautiful beaches out of the four islands we visited.

Hamoa Beach: Another beautiful beach just south past Hana. This one is much more friendly than the black sand beach for swimming. This was my second favorite beach on Maui after Waianapanapa State Wayside Park.

Wailua Falls: This is another one that literally right off the road. There’s better parking for this one, though, so be sure to get out and enjoy it! There is a trail you can take to the base of the falls on the northern side of the bridge.

Oheo Gulch: Better known as the “Seven Sacred Pools” this incredible series of waterfalls and pools are actually part of Haleakala National Park. There is a very easy maybe five minute hike to the overlook of the main pools that are in the above picture. There are also many hiking trails to more waterfalls further up the mountain. I recommend some shoes that are good in mud.

Volcanoes! – Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Visiting Hawaii wouldn’t be complete without seeing some volcanoes! This national park actually reminded me a lot of Yellowstone with lots of steam vents and past lava flows. No geysers, but walking around on an active volcano kind of makes up for it.

There are a couple of really good hikes you can go on here. One is a very short 10 minute hike through Thurston lava tube – basically a cave but formed during lava flow. Another hike we did was over the Kīlauea Iki crater. This was a nice moderate hike that we did as a family. It was about 3 miles but had some elevation gain so it took us about 2 ½ hours with a lunch stop. About half the trail was in the rainforest which is actually 90% native to Hawaii – one of the only forests in the entire state to have so many native plants. That being said, the hike is very beautiful and definitely makes you really feel like you’re in wild Hawaii and not just a resort area.

One thing that I also enjoyed here was learning more about the Hawaiian fire goddess Pele. Many people still believe in this goddess who calls Kilauea her home. All around the crater and park you can read stories and people leave gifts for her. Legend says that if you take something from the volcano, say a rock, that you will have bad luck until you return it. The National Park service gets hundreds of lava rocks mailed in each year from visitors that disrespect Pele. Take the time to read the stories and stop at the Visitor’s Center up by Kilauea’s Halema’uma’u crater. It will enrich your visit and give you a fuller understanding of Hawaiian culture.

I was disappointed that we weren’t able to see actual flowing lava. The area where Halema’uma’u is actually putting out lava is a tough hike without a trail. It’s several miles and takes most of the day. Your other option is to fly over it. So no views of the fresh lava but it was still an amazing experience to be on an active volcano. You can also visit the park at night and see the crater glow from the visitor center. Take a look at our pictures below! I threw in a photo of the park map too.

Visit the National Parks website to help plan your trip!

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Kilauea Iki Crater

Kilauea Iki Crater

Kilauea Iki Crater with Halema’uma’u Crater steaming in the distance

Kristen and I with a beautiful Oheo tree

Where we ate lunch

If you look closely you can see thin gold streaks that look like hair. This forms from “lava raindrops” and is known as Pele’s Hair.

Hiking on Kilauea Iki Crater

Trailhead for Thurston Lava Tube

Thurston Lava Tube

Thurston Lava Tube

Thurston Lava Tube

Halema’uma’u Crater

Active Halema’uma’u Crater

Map of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau

If you find yourself on The Big Island take an hour to stop by this preserved ancient Hawaiian village on the southern Kona Coast. The area is protected and run by the National Parks Service and offers a very informative self-guided tour of what traditional Hawaiian life would have been like. Some structures still stand from the mid 16^th century.

The setting on Honaunau Bay is stunning. It’s no wonder kings and priests chose this location to create royal and sacred grounds. This location was also very important in Hawaiian culture as this site was also a place of sanctuary for outcasts and lawbreakers.

Upon entering the park you’ll receive a map with the self-guided tour printed on it. Follow the numbers and enjoy your trip back into Hawaiian history!

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Haleakala: “House of the Sun”

Map of Haleakala National Park

Haleakala is one of two national parks on the Hawaiian islands. This dormant volcano once formed the island of Maui. It is actually one of the tallest mountains in the world if you measure it from the ocean floor all the way up to it’s summit at 10,017 feet above sea level! Much of this park is inaccessible. There are only two roads – one on the western side leading up to the summit of Haleakala and one on the eastern side a few miles south of Hana leading to the Kipahulu coast. In between there are a few long hiking trails but nothing to connect the two sides. For that reason it is my advise to split the park up into two days. Drive up to the summit when you’re spending the day in central Maui and visit the coast the day you do the Road to Hana.

Summit

Haleakala is most famous for its first class view of the sunrise and sunset. Evidently people have been traveling to this summit to watch this great show for centuries as the Hawaiian translation for Haleakala is “House of the Sun”. With it’s impressive 10,000+ foot summit you can sit above the cloud line for what many report to be the best view on earth. As always, though, these things come with a price. This one is an early rise around 3-4am to make the two hour long drive up the summit on a windy road with sharp switchbacks in the dark. Then once you get to the top there’s very limited parking and it’s very cold and windy. Due to all of the above I am sad to report that my family chickened out and did not brave the summit for the sunrise. We did make the drive around 10am and of course by that time the summit was completely dense with cloud cover. A bit disappointing but we can still say that we made the drive. This brave blogger did make the trek and has some amazing pictures to prove it. Take a look here!

Besides housing the sun, Haleakala is also home to a very unique and almost sci-fi array of landscapes and vegetation. Some plants, such as the silversword, don’t grow anywhere else on earth! This plant was about the only thing we were able to see and it alone was worth the drive! At the summit you are able to view and hike around the crater. Supposedly it looks very similar to the surface of the moon. Scroll to the bottom of this blogger’s post to see the amazing crater pictures during their adventure there and see what you think. I sure wish we could have seen all this too! We’ll just add it on the list for next time.

Kipahulu

This area of the park is more commonly known as Ohe’o Gulch which houses the Seven Sacred Pools, a series of waterfalls and pools descending from Haleakala to the ocean. One great thing about this place is that you only have to hike about 5 minutes for the best view of the pools. This is nice after you’ve completed the 2-3 hour journey on the road to Hana which unfortunately is the only way to get there. There are no roads connecting the western Summit side of the park to the eastern Kipahulu side. There is a road to the south that you can take to get to Kipahulu, however, several miles of the road is described as “rough and unpaved”. Rental insurance doesn’t cover you on that road so we didn’t risk it, but if you have a good four wheeling jeep or something you may want to try it!

There are hiking trails to several other waterfalls further upstream. We went up a little ways for a view of the falls at Makahiku. Be prepared for a very wet and muddy trail with sharp incline. Chacos or Tevas work well.

When the water levels are down you are actually able to swim in the pools so bring a swim suit if you’re interested. The day we went there was a lot of rainfall earlier in the day so the park closed the pools for swimmers. It probably makes for better pictures though! This was one of the most beautiful views I think I’ve ever seen. I hope you get to make it here someday too!

Oheo Gulch Seven Sacred Pools

Visit the National Parks website to help plan your visit!

Maps and Apps: Planning for L.A.

Maps

Here’s a collection of links to some helpful maps of L.A.!

• Downtown LA Walking Tour: http://dornsife.usc.edu/la-walking-tour
• Lonely Planet: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/los-angeles
• Maps of World: http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/los-angeles-city-map.html *my personal fav
• Downtown LA Map: http://www.carolmendelmaps.com/mapla/downtown-Los-Angeles-map-enlarged.html
• Metro Map: http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/maps/images/System_Map.pdf

Apps

These are free apps that can make your visit go a little more smoothly.

• Go Metro Los Angeles – LA Public Transit 101
• Los Angeles Way – shopping finder
• LA Weekly City – weekly nighttime events
• GuidePal Los Angeles City Guide – map

Any suggestions? Make comments below and I’ll add them to this list!

Allerton Garden on Kauai

Golden Bamboo

We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the National Tropical Botanical Garden on Kauai yesterday! Up to this point in our trip this is one of the most beautiful places we’ve seen in all of Hawaii and what you think of when you picture Hawaii – perhaps because Hollywood uses this garden in several iconic tropical movies including Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, and Pirates of the Caribbean (yes, we have been playing all of these soundtracks while driving around Kauai).

There are two gardens within the overall botanical garden. We decided just to focus on Allerton Garden, but you can tour the McBryde garden as well. This newer garden is well known for the conservation work and research being done to help prevent the extinction of many of Hawaii’s natural flora.

The Allerton Garden was originally designed by famous landscape artist Robert Allerton. He dreamed up his perfect tropical garden, purchased the acreage on Kauai’s southern coast and years later his dream was complete. Today, the garden still stands as he designed it. There are 12 main “rooms” in the garden all with different types of tropical plants, water features, and themes. The tour lasted about 2 ½ hours and was well worth every minute and every penny.

If you do go on this tour I advise the following:

• Wear sunscreen
• Bring bug spray – there are mosquitoes here
• Bring a water bottle
• Wear comfortable walking shoes – the garden trails are all made of loose gravel and there are some hills along the way. Flip flops are not advised.

Private beach as part of Allerton Garden

Caretaker’s home

Stunning tree with caretaker’s shed at the entrance of Allerton garden.

Thanksgiving Room

Thanksgiving Room

Ginger flower

The goddess Diana

Thanksgiving Room

Path

This flower only blooms once every 2-3 years. We were very lucky to enjoy this beautiful flower!

Diana Pond

This statue stood strong during the 1992 hurricane that tore up much of the garden.

Diana Pond

Allerton Garden

Reflection pond

Inspired by Asian design

Beautiful colors on the hillside

Mermaid Room

Golden bamboo

Scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones were filmed on the river and its banks.

These trees were used in Jurassic Park

Ginger flower

Lobster claw

Pearl Harbor

If you’re planning a trip to Honolulu you have to visit Pearl Harbor. Not to is almost un-American. My family decided to do a tour of the memorial because we didn’t have a car and also had no idea where we were going. We went with Discover Hawaii Tours and were overall pleased (see below for more details). They offered a tour that visited just the USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri which were the two areas we wanted to see. They also drove us past several major Honolulu landmarks including as Punchbowl National Cemetery, Iolani Palace, and the Kamehameha Statue all of which we probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Our guide also added a lot to the experience by setting the stage for Pearl Harbor on the drive there and then sharing facts about Oahu/Honolulu after.

The Experience

USS Arizona Memorial

The Pearl Harbor memorial and museum is very peaceful and reflective. It does a beautiful job of honoring those who lost their lives that horrible day. Much of the area is outdoors and there is a fair amount of walking involved, especially if you see the USS Missouri also. The buildings around the Pearl Harbor visitors area contain the more traditional “museum” with pictures, diagrams, and plaques.

To visit the USS Arizona you get a ticket with an assigned time. The tour begins with a well-done documentary covering the start of WWII and the attack on Pearl Harbor followed by a short ferry ride across the harbor to where the Arizona still rests. The memorial itself is a white structure built over the sunken ship. It is so simple and beautiful. Once you’re finished at the memorial you get ferried back and

USS Missouri

can continue to look around. The total time from the start of the movie to docking after the memorial is around 70 minutes.

The Battleship Missouri Memorial sits on the opposite side of the harbor from the visitor’s entrance. There are buses that run on a circuit about every 10-12 minutes that can transport you over there. Once you’re on the Missouri I would suggest doing the free tour that is offered of the main deck. From there you can explore the cabins below and climb up five stories to the very top. Depending on all you want to do I’d allow 1-2 hours.

Things I would Do Differently

1. Wear sunscreen: I had it in my mind that the majority of our tour would be indoors inside an actual museum. Like most things in Hawai’i, however, it was of course all outdoors. This started off my vacation with a nice sunburn. Not the smartest thing I’ve done.
2. Don’t bring bags: we found out upon arriving that since this is an active military base they do not allow visitors to bring in any bags besides small camera cases. They do have a check point at the front where you can pay $3 for them to keep your bag/purse in a locker, but it would have been easier and cheaper just not to bring it at all.
3. Don’t do a tour: I’m torn on how I feel about the tour. It was nice because we didn’t have to find anything and were able to jump right in the front of the line to get in. However, I’m a very independent traveler, and it was difficult to have someone else plan my day. The tour lasted a good 6 hours and I probably could have done it by myself in about half the time leaving several extra hours to spend elsewhere. And trust me, there is plenty to see and do in Honolulu.