Back from Maui...

So we are back from vacation. (Okay, so we've been back for several weeks, but blogger was mad at me and wouldn't post my pictures...) Anyway, Hawaii was so beautiful! We did so many cool things, and I'm really glad we were able to spend so much time on one island so that we could really explore it. I could retire on Maui!

Our first few days on the island were a little rainy, so we just stayed at our hotel and played at the beach there. Jason and I went for a walk through Kihei and soaked up the sights. Along our walk we saw a ton of turtles surfacing for air in the water. It was so cool! I wish it would've been a warmer day--I would've jumped right in the water to swim with them!

Here are some photos from the trip:




We snorkeled (lots!). It was awesome. I love being able to go right in off the beach and see so many colorful fish and coral. Plus it was a very inexpensive way to spend our time!


We hiked to several waterfalls. The best was on a hike around the Pools of O'heo Gulch called the Pipiwai trail. Half way up the hike there is an overlook to a 200 foot tall waterfall, and right after that you hike through a half a mile of bamboo forests. It was unreal! The last of the hike is the beautiful 400 foot tall waterfall. Pictures don't do it justice. It was absolutely gorgeous and SUPER tall. This hike was well worth the 4 mile trek.

We drove the Road to Hana (one of the most scenic rides in America according to MSN!). It was a windy, curvy road with several one-lane bridges. The views were spectacular. You pass several waterfalls during the drive, and you follow the coast nearly the entire time. It was even better because we had the convertible!
We went to the beach(es). Lots of beautiful beaches to be seen on Maui, so we went to several. The water is so beautiful!

We went whale watching and saw many, many whales and a school of dolphins. Definitely worth the money to go on the boat! We were lucky. We went on April 13th and the end of whale watching season is April 15th so the guides said we would be lucky if we saw anything, but we saw lots of whales and some up close. Super fun!


We went to a luau. It's a hawaiian tradition! We went to Feast at LeLe in Lahaina town and it was fabulous. They had good food, and great fire dancers. Definitely worth the money, even though they are stupidly expensive....


We went to Iao Valley which is the second wettest place in the world. It gets 300-400 inches of rainfall each year. It was a beautiful jungle valley with tall steep mountain cliffs covered in lush vegetation. So pretty! The mountains were almost always covered in a misty fog.



We also woke up at the butt crack of dawn to drive to the top of the Volcano on the island--Haleakala. It has an elevation of 10,023 ft so it can be pretty cold and windy at the top. We drove up there to watch the sunrise, and it was so beautiful. You are above cloud level there so the sun rises above the clouds. I felt like I was on an airplane!

We also went to Wainapanapa State Park (I know I must have spelled that wrong)... It is a beautiful black sand beach with lava rock sea arches and sea caves and a very angry ocean which makes for awesome views. The waves slam against the black rocks and splash like crazy. There were also several blow holes to see and listen to. The blow holes make scary sounds. I could've stayed here all day!


Those are some of the top highlights from the trip. It was so much fun and I can't wait to go on another vacation. I'd love to go to all the different islands at some point in my life. Jacque and Reid were so awesome to invite us along on this trip so that we could enjoy Hawaii right along with them. We can't wait for our next adventure! We are headed to Zion's this weekend for some hiking and mountain biking...I'll have pictures of that soon!