As of writing this post, the Maui wildfires are still ongoing after starting around the beginning of August 2023. We stayed near Lahaina, which is where the deadliest fire burned an estimated 2,170 acres and completely destroyed the historic town. About 2,200 buildings were fully or partially burned, about 86% of which are residential, and the death toll is at 115, though 850 people are still listed as missing. Part of the reason for the severity of this fire is underinvestment in local infrastructure (this wildfire had been predicted many time) and instead a focus on tourism that is damaging Hawai’i in myriad ways, from housing costs to clean water access. If you do intend on visiting Hawai’i, make sure you do so with an investment in the local economy and culture in mind, as well as consideration for the health of the local residents (COVID being brought by tourists to areas without sufficient hospital infrastructure is a huge issue).

If you missed day three from our trip to Hawai’i, go check it out first.

On our fourth day, we headed to the airport (after one last stop at Pine Tree Cafe for Ryan, of course) and flew to Maui, the other island we wanted to visit on this trip.

Accomodations/TransportatioN: MAUI

On Maui, we splurged a little bit to stay at the Aston Kaanapali Shores Resort, which is one of a number of resorts that line the coast near Lahaina. The room was very nice, with a full kitchen, a living room with a t.v. and free DVD rentals, and a bedroom. They had two pools, a poolside bar, and a number of free classes you could take (like a SCUBA intro class, lei-making, etc.). It would be a great spot to come as a family with kids if you intended to spend a lot of the trip at the hotel, playing in the pool, and were generally around the resort enough to take advantage of the “free” amenities. Unfortunately, Ryan and I are (or at least were—who knows after we have a baby!) not those kinds of travelers, so I didn’t feel we spent enough time at the resort and using the amenities to consider the extra money worth it compared to a B&B.

As for transportation, we again rented a car through Thrifty with zero issues.

Day Four: Arrival in Maui

We took it very easy on our first day in Maui, wanting to save our energy for the early start we’d have the next morning. After arriving and getting the rental car, we stopped at the Honoapiilani Food Truck Park near our hotel for lunch. Ryan got a spicy poke bowl from Hooked, which actually ranked fairly high on his list of favorite food spots.

After that, we just hung out in the resort’s pool, which had a nice little waterfall cove where you could retreat from hordes of families throwing Nerf balls across the pool. I will say that the afternoons in Maui (or at least this area of Maui) were much cooler than the Big Island, and I found myself needing to sit in direct sunlight to handle being in the water.

We had dinner at a local vegan restaurant called Moku Roots, then headed to bed for our early start the next day.

Day Five: Snorkeling in Molokini & Turtle Town

That morning, we drove down to the harbor bright and early to embark on a half-day snorkeling adventure. We originally booked this tour but were “upgraded” free of charge to the larger Calypso tour (83 vs. 66 passengers), which, to be fair, had a better food selection, with a hot breakfast and lunch, as well as popsicles, and it had two slides that Ryan could enjoy. The number of fellow passengers was slightly overwhelming to me, but this was a very touristy excursion, and I’m not sure we would’ve gotten a less crowded experience either way.

The first stop to snorkel was Molokini Crater, a crescent-shaped, partially submerged volcanic crater between the islands of Maui and Kahoʻolawe. The reef has visibility up to 150 ft. and is home to 250 species of fish, 38 hard coral species, and 100 species of algae. It is also a state seabird sanctuary.

We rented a Go Pro from the hotel, which allowed us to capture a lot of our underwater adventures! We saw plenty of parrotfish, yellow tang, and Moorish idol, and it was wild how accustomed the fish were to tourists, as the schools of black triggerfish practically let you swim right through them.

The second snorkel stop was Turtle Town, which is one of the most popular snorkeling spots in Maui because of the prevalence of sea turtles. Honu, or Hawaiian green sea turtles, are sacred in their culture, and it is illegal to touch or harass them. They are the largest hard shell sea turtle in the world, and the green color of their bodies comes from eating algae and seaweed. They can get up to four feet long and weigh over 300 pounds. All sea turtles are considered endangered species in the United States.

Thanks for reading!

Up Next: Haleakala National Park & Iao Needle State Monument