As someone who has a fear of deep open waters, snorkeling wasn’t my first choice to spend my Saturday morning. However, when you’re in Hawaii with two of your best friends who are eager to go, do you really have a choice? Well, it turns out that my lack of choice was a blessing. We began our adventure with Molokini Snorkeling on a boat ride out to Molokini Crater. Before we started snorkeling, they provided coffee, juice, muffins, and bagels for sustenance.
The weather was still a touch chilly at 7 AM, but the water was so incredibly clear and beautiful that I didn’t notice my goosebumps. Molokini Crater was filled with fish, coral, and water that was clear you could see forever. I do have to admit, I was a little freaked out to start. Between seeing the ocean floor so deep below me and not realizing how odd breathing through a snorkel would feel, it took me a few minutes to adjust to the water. But after a bit, I was swimming around like a pro… until I put my head too far under and gently waterboarded myself. After the humbling experience, I decided to head back to the boat for a breather and some hydration. Lucky for me, we were about to head to our next stop at Turtle Town.
We took the boat back to the shore of Maui along the black rock beaches that are home to sea turtles. We hopped back out with our snorkels and swam around, looking at turtles of all ages bumbling around, napping, and playing with each other. Seeing sea turtles in their natural environment so close (but still the legally required 10+ feet away) was an incredible experience. Paired with a water slide that came down from the top deck of our two-story boat, Turtle Town was an absolute blast filled with beautiful sights and lots of laughs as we catapulted ourselves down the slide.
Saturday night, we decided to hit “The Triangle” and see what we could find for local cuisine. It was here that we saw a line around the block for Paia Fish Market and decided we had to stop in. It is a quaint place where you order at the counter and have food brought to your seats; the food is nothing but. Any place that has house-made tartar sauce in bulk available has already won my heart over, but the real star of the show was their “house sauce”. This sweet, spicy, and sour red sauce was bottled and available at every table and elevated everything I put it on. Don’t get me wrong, my fish tacos were absolutely delectable, but that sauce was the hero of the evening. Paired with another Mai Tai, the tacos, coleslaw, and rice were the perfect meal to fuel my body after a long day in the sun. The line might have been long, but I highly recommend stopping in here if you are ever in the Kahului area. (Forgive me for the lack of photo, usually the phone eats first but I was too hungry to follow the rules here.)
With Sunday being our last day, we decided to explore even more of the island. We hopped into our rental and began the Road to Hana. I must warn you, do not make this trip if you get easily car sick. While the roads were not too nerve-wracking, in my opinion, they were narrow and windy for the full duration of the trip.
An approximately 60-mile drive took about two and a half hours due to limited speed limits, which are understandably in place. Adventurous driving aside, the Road to Hana was a stunning experience filled with waterfalls and gorgeous scenery the whole way. The trip takes you up and around the island until you reach Hana. Here, we stopped for some banana bread and coffee (delicious, of course) before continuing past Hana to reach our final destination. Now, as I warned you on the Road to Hana, I am going to double down here. Once you pass Hana, the roads become even more narrow, winding, and slightly terrifying. However, it was all worth it when we reached the Haleakalā National Park.
The Pīpīwai Trail is a two-mile in-and-out hike with a stunning four-hundred-foot waterfall at the end of it. You travel through a bamboo forest until reaching the waterfall and prepare to have your breath taken away for the duration of your time. Seeing a 400’ waterfall up close and personal was a life-changing experience. The videos and pictures I got do not do it justice, but I do look at them daily when I need a pick-me-up after meetings. Now, keep in mind, I’m not an avid hiker.
It isn’t usually my top choice for activities, but I highly recommend taking this one. The terrain is easy to moderate, with any hilly areas having rock steps built in and the especially muddy areas having bridges for you to walk on. Strolling through a bamboo forest was not something I had on my bucket list, but I am glad I was able to check it off regardless. The slight breeze caused the bamboo to sway and play a delicate song around us that sounded like nature’s lullaby (in a non-creepy way). After we got as much of the beauty surrounding us burned into our retinas as possible, we began the drive back to Kahalui and said our goodbyes to the island.
All in all, my trip to Hawaii could not have been better, especially considering it was my first time being there. The island consistently placed me in shock and awe with its beauty. While the island was a life-changing experience, one of the highlights was the lack of bugs and animals. Very few flying critters pestered us, and were pleasantly surprised to learn there are no natural predators there. You heard me right, no snakes! There were many little lizards crawling around, but they were tiny and adorable (in my opinion, my friends would say otherwise). To put it simply, Hawaii was incredible, and I encourage you to go if you are ever presented with the opportunity. But please remember to treat the island with respect.