Maui

Masks were worn and social distancing was done when possible.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to post this blog post. Some may say we were smart, stupid, or reckless traveling during the pandemic. By traveling we were putting ourselves and others at risk of catching COVID-19. In January 2020, we decided we wanted to go to Maui for two weeks in December. We were super excited to go and see our family friends from Canada and soak up the sun. Then comes March, and the whole world shuts down because of COVID-19. As time ticked on, and it was clear that COVID-19 wasn’t going anywhere for a while. We were debating if we should still plan on going to Hawaii, and in September we finally made up our minds. Alaska Airlines was running a Russell Wilson touchdown discount. Every home game for every touchdown Wilson scored, would equal some percentage off maxing out at 40%. That night, Wilson had scored 4 touchdowns, so we checked to see if a flight to Maui was part of that sale, and it was. We decided to extend our trip from 2 weeks to 6 weeks, flying out on November 1st and coming back in mid-December. In October, Hawaii opened up its islands to tourists who could skip self-quarantining for 14 days if they took a COVID-19 test from a trusted partner within 72 hours of departure. If it comes back negative, you don’t need to quarantine. We decide to go because in Hawaii, it’s nice weather, and we are able to enjoy the outdoors (unlike in Seattle, where the weather is gloomy).

Food We Ate

Well, it wouldn’t be a Zoe blog if I didn’t talk about the food. I found one of my new favorite restaurants. It’s called Tin Roof. I got the Mochiko Chicken, which is double-fried chicken with seaweed topping, and got garlic noodles, which were incredible. This is a must if you are going to Maui. I dream about eating there again. We discovered a cute little food truck called Maui de Nata which sells Portuguese pastries/egg tarts. We got them for Thanksgiving and they were delicious. They have some regular flavors and some rotating flavors as well. We got Chocolate, Regular, and Pecan Pie. We loved all three, but we did eat them a day later because we picked them up on Wednesday. The pastry was a bit chewy but probably would have been better eaten the day we got them. We went back again a second time and got Chocolate, Regular, Purple Sweet Potato, and Passion Fruit Liliko’i. I liked all except for the purple sweet potato. During COVID (not sure before/after the pandemic), they have very limited hours. They are only open on Fridays from 9-12. You order online and then can pick it up on Friday.

We tried Manolis Pizza and got the Hawaiian Honey and the Kozy. It wasn’t my favorite pizza place, but the toppings were good. It was a bit pricey for pizza and the crust was a bit too thin for me. We went back to the Paia Fish Market, which is one of my favorite places in Maui. We recommend ordering online to avoid long lines. We got tuna and salmon and you can choose how it is prepared. We had breakfast at Kihei Cafe, which was very good and fast. They have outdoor seating (we never ate inside due to covid). It can get very busy in the morning, so if you want a seat, make sure you get there early. We got Fat Daddy’s BBQ one night. A place that we haven’t gone to before and it was really good. I got the truffle mac n cheese side and yummy! The cornbread is a bit oily, but that is what makes it delicious.

We were recommended by family friends to go to Star Noodle in Lahaina, and it was so good (recommend making a reservation before heading there). The special for that day was poke nachos. It was tuna on top of crispy wonton chips and a yummy dipping sauce. I also got the clams with black beans and garlic noodles. I prefer Tin Roofs garlic noodles, but these were still very good. We were also recommended to go to Sushi Paradise, and it was very good. Kind of expensive, but well worth it. I got the California Roll with Masago, and my parents got the Sushi Platter or the Sashimi Platter (not sure), but they said it was good. We went to this cute food truck area that has about 8-9 different food trucks with an outdoor eating area as well. I went to Da Nini Pirates and got fish and chips. The fish was good, but a little too salty. It came with really good curly fries though, with yummy breading, and it wasn’t the usual huge greasy stack of fries. We went back there again another day and I got food from Vidad’s Local Kine Grindz. I got salmon with rice, and it was food, also a bit too salty. Leodas Pie Shop had some delicious pies. We got the coconut cream pie and the Olowalu lime pie, and both were delicious.

Things We Did

Haleakala

We went up to Haleakala for sunset this time. We have done sunrise before, but now they require a ticket to get into the park for sunrise, and we didn’t feel like reserving tickets for that. They have some good hikes there as well, so we hiked the Halemau’u Trail which was very pretty. We only did part of the trail and turned back around before the downhill switchbacks into the crater. When we were driving up, we got a notice that we had low tire pressure, so we were keeping an eye on it for the rest of the drive. After the hike, we drove up to the summit to see where the best place to take photos for sunset.

Tip: Pack warm clothes if you are going up to the summit. It was about 35-40 degrees up there compared to lower land where it was in the 80s. We packed warm jackets and wore pants but we were still really cold. Also, make sure to pack a lunch and/or dinner and snacks, and lots of water because of the high elevation.

I decided that I didn’t the view that I wanted from the summit, so we decided to drive down a little bit and we’d stop at a pull-off when I thought the view was right. We found the perfect place. We started a little trend because there were about 4-5 other cars that pulled off at the same place. It was the best sunset I’d seen there during my entire stay. It was just magical. Unfortunately, my dad fell getting back up the small hill (where we were taking photos), and scraped his knee, hurt his wrist, and was a little dizzy (he’s ok). My mom drove back down to a lower elevation, and of course, it started to pour. It was very dark and raining, and then suddenly some cows walked out into the road, and we almost hit them. We honked at them nicely, and they gave us the death glare and moved.

Half of Road to Hana

We decided to spilt the Road of Hana drive up into two separate days. We went clockwise this time and we stopped at Twin Falls. We found my favorite coconut candy there. We hiked to the waterfall, but I don’t think we found the right one. It wasn’t my favorite waterfall, but maybe it would have been better if we found the right one. Also, there wasn’t as much water flowing through, so the waterfalls weren’t as heavy as they normally would be. I also got 17 bug bites there, so much sure to spray on your bug repellent. We then went to Waiʻānapanapa State Park, where one of the black sand beaches is. We packed a lunch, so after we explored the park, we sat and ate lunch. I am a sucker for banana bread, and I wanted to do a taste test. We got banana bread from three different locations on our trip. Aunty Sandy’s, Halfway to Hana, and Cafe Banana Bread (1635 Hana Hwy, Haiku, HI 96708). When we got home, my mom gave us slices of each one and didn’t tell us who was who. We all chose different ones that we liked the best, so you can do no wrong. Also, at Halfway to Hana food stand, we got a pineapple smoothie that was super refreshing. I got very car sick going on this road trip which wasn’t fun, but the views make it worth it.

The other Half of the Road to Hana

About a week later we went on the other half of the Road to Hana. We went clockwise this time. This side had much different terrain. Much more hilly, grassy, and not as many dramatic cliffs and switchbacks. I would check before going this way though because sometimes it does flood and some of the roads are dirty and very bumpy. I do think a lot of rental car companies don’t like you driving this way if you don’t have a 4WD. We wanted to go on this hike we’ve done in the past called the Pipiwai trail. It’s located inside Haleakala Park (you’ll need to pay a fee), so the trail closes at 5 pm. So don’t start the trail after 3, because you don’t get back in time. The hike took us about 2-3 hours, with lots of stops for pictures on the way. It is a nice hike that leads you through bamboo forests and the end has two big waterfalls. The last time we were there, it was soooo muddy. People were slipping and sliding and hanging onto branches trying not to fall.

West Maui North Shore

Another road trip we went on was on the North West side of the island (towards Lahaina). I found this place on Instagram called Honolua Bay, and saw they had these beautiful trees there. We found the place and walked through the forest and then on the lefthand side by the water, were the trees. It looks like something out of a fairytale. They were so beautiful. This is a must-see if you are able to go. People also go snorkeling in the bay. We then went to Olivine Pools, which were very pretty. Some people go all the way down to the water, but it is technically illegal to do that, and there are sneaker waves that take people with them, so just be careful. We also stopped at the Nakalele Blowhole which was cool. It had just started to rain and became very windy, so we didn’t stay long. We then went to Karen Lei’s Gallery, where we stopped to eat our lunch that we packed and did some souvenir shopping. We wanted to go hiking on this trail called Waihee Ridge Trail if it wasn’t too rainy. If it is super rainy and cloudy, you don’t get a good view at the top. Luckily it wasn’t too cloudy, so we decided to do it. It was a very rewarding hike, but lots of switchbacks. The start can be very intimidating because it’s just this cement incline. I also got a lot of bug bites there, so put some bug repellent on too. Throughout the hike, I kept thinking I was getting close, but it was actually three mountain peaks away from where I originally thought the lookout was.

Jaws

We were lucky enough to go see Jaws in action. I found this place on Instagram and knew I wanted to go. It isn’t much different to other bluff locations usually until it isn’t. Every year, from November to March this area gets days where the waves are 25-50ft high. We were going to go on Tuesday, but that Tuesday morning, I saw this Instagram account I follow post about prepping for Jaws the following day, Wednesday. I looked it up on this website for the surfing forecast and saw that the waves were supposed to be 20-40ft high. I researched a bit and found the location and some tips on how to get there. The end location is high above the water and about .5 mile from the actual action. I wasn’t prepared to take any super long-distance photos, so all I had was my 15-300mm lens. You really need probably at least 800mm if not more to get right into the action. Here are some tips on getting to Jaws and photography at Jaws.

TIPS:

• To get good views of the surfers, you have to arrive before sunrise. We left the house at 5:15am from South Kihei and once we got to the lookout, all the “good” spots were taken (about 30-40) people and photographers were already set up, got there around 6:45ish.
• There is the parking lot here, and we went down the trail and found another spot, that was good except there was lots of tree brush in front of it, making photos hard to capture
• It’s muddy! Don’t try to drive down the road to the parking lot unless you have a 4WD. We knew this, but we wanted to go to the middle parking lot (which isn’t actually there) and were yelled at not to do that, so we parked at the triangle near the road.
• Walking from the main road to the lookout is only about 1.3 miles, but it takes 30-45 minutes to walk down there. Lots of muddy watery places and its easy to slip. When going down there, sometimes the people driving down will offer you a ride, take it, it’s worth it.
• If you get there after 9am-ish be prepared for crowds and not having a good view. Even during covid times- this event attracts lots of people.
• Bring binoculars- the best way to see the actions is with binoculars. The actual action happens probably 1/4-1/2 a mile away from the shore, so all the surfers look like little dots without binoculars or a camera.

Iao Valley

When I originally looked at visiting, it was closed due to COVID. We looked again a couple of days before I was going to leave, and it was open. We decided to make an afternoon trip there and were happy that it wasn’t raining (it usually is pretty wet). It was pretty overcast over there, but the sun decided to make its appearance a couple of times which was nice.

Snorkeling

I got really into snorkeling. I snorkeled almost every day that we went to the beach. We even tried going to some other beaches besides our regular beach (Kamaole Beach III). We went to Maluaka Beach to hopefully see more turtles. We didn’t see any turtles there, but we did see some really pretty fish and cool-looking coral reefs. We then went to Makena Landing Park, where we did see two turtles. Please enjoy my photos of the various sea turtles that I saw while snorkeling over the past 6 weeks. I saw this one turtle I named Ted. He is a baby turtle and was so cute.

Other Things We Did

My parents had done this hike before and wanted to do it again. Last time they saw lots of whales from the top and they highly recommended doing it with me. It’s called Puu Olai Cinder Cone Trail, and we approached it incorrectly. When you get to the parking lot, it’s $10, and then we walked to the big beachside (Makena beach), and then we tried to find it when we went up the rocks looking onto the nude beach. We apparently approached it from the backside, and it was this scramble getting up the hill. There were a lot of thorns that would stick through the sole of our shoes. Once we made it to the top, we found the actual trail and made our way back down. We didn’t take the right trail down to where we had parked, so we walked on the road a bit to get to the car. It probably is one of my least favorite hikes I’ve ever done. We found out later that they no longer consider this a trail, and have stopped maintaining it, which is why we couldn’t find the trailhead. We went to see if we could find some whales (it was still a little bit early in the season to see whales), but we spotted two whales from afar from the lookout point, Papawai Point.

We did a couple of nights of stargazing from the beaches. One night there was a meteor shower, so we laid out on the beach and watched lots of shooting stars.

Overall I am so glad that I went. My parents decided to stay longer, but I wanted to get back home and see my dog, Moxie, my best friend. The flight back was smooth sailing. It was actually a pretty empty flight, three rows behind me were completely empty, and towards the way back there were probably 4-5 other empty rows. I probably won’t be doing any more plane traveling until COVID is under control.

Until next time!