A couple of days ago, Kevin and I got back from our honeymoon (yes, it was almost a year after our wedding but whatevs, right?). We went to Maui for an amazing two weeks.  We stayed on Kaanapali Beach and spent most of our days on the beach and/or the pool relaxing. But we did have a few little adventures and outings that I’m sharing here. (I apologize in advance what the long post.)

Race

Pre Race

Of course I had to find a race while I was there! Before we left, I did some searching and found an inaugural 5k the first weekend we were in Maui. I thought it would be pretty small since it was the first year and the race organizers thought the same thing. But over 600 people showed up and it got a little chaotic. Kevin and I waited in line for about half an hour to pick up my race stuff and the race organizers had to push back the start time to accommodate for everybody. By the time the race started, it was hot and the runners were ready. We had a pretty funny false start but the race itself went smoothly. I felt pretty good maintaining a 7:06 pace in the hot and humid weather. I thought I was in 3rd place for the women (I never saw the girl in 1st!) but came in 4th (just seconds after the 3rd woman) and came in 1st for my age group. We hung out for a while after the race to get my medal, but were treated to a free breakfast and shave ice as we waited. Click here to read an article about the race.

All the race photos were from a runner’s GoPro, so there’s lot of photos of me running in front of the guy, haha.

Snorkeling
When we first started planning our trip, we knew we wanted to do some snorkeling. I envisioned it to be in shallow, flat water. Then our buddy told us about a boat trip out to Molokini that included two snorkel stops, breakfast, lunch, and cocktails. I do not consider myself a strong swimmer and was terrified of this idea. But I wanted to be a good sport, so I agreed to go along. That same friend also hooked us up with snorkel gear for our entire trip (thanks Casey!). We decided before the trip I should get some practice snorkel time in at Black Rock. The first two times, I was super scared even though I had a floatie (ok its a float belt thing, but whatever). But it was beautiful! I saw at least one sea turtle every time I went out as well as a million types of fish. Finally the snorkel trip day arrived and, yep I was scared. It had been windy and the water was choppy. Too choppy in fact and our trip got changed from Molokini to Coral Gardens and another stop that neither Kevin nor I can remember the name of. But both times we saw turtles and tons of sea life. It’s amazing how clear the water is in Hawaii. And the free mai tais after we snorkeled didn’t hurt either! We snorkeled a few more times at Black Rock and the last time I saw a spotted eagle ray! I don’t have any photos from our snorkeling but believe me, it was amazing!

Luau
The first Monday we were in town we went to a luau with a couple buddies (a few guys who live in Maui and our good friend Pat who was visiting those friends during part of our trip). The luau was awesome! Good food, drinks, and entertainment! Rather than describe it, I’ll just share some of the good photos.

Buddies!

Hula Dancers

Fire Dancer!

Oh yeah, Kevin hula danced too! What a good sport.

Hana
One of the coolest things we did while in Maui was drive the Road to Hana. Hana is a small town in South Maui, but you want to take the drive not just to see the town but for the drive itself.  You weave through 68 miles with 620 curves and 59 bridges (46 of which are one lane only) hugging the coast with rainforest along the way. We stopped multiple times to hike, see waterfalls, and see the ocean for all its glory. Two of our favorite stops were the Wainapanapa Black Sand Beach and the O’heo Gulch Pools (also known as the Seven Sacred Pools, but note there are neither seven pools nor are they sacred). After we got to Hana, we kept driving around the island and took a crazy dirt road that provided amazing views and entered a lava wasteland that made us feel like we were on the moon. After an entire day of driving and hiking, we were exhausted. So we treated ourselves to one of our favorite spots, Maui Brewing Co and a pie from Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop (soooo good!). Here are just a few of my favorite photos from our Hana road trip.

Upper Waikani Falls

Inside a lava tube at the black sand beach

Self portrait by Kevin at Seven Sacred Pools

The falls at Seven Sacred Pools and the bridge we crossed to get there

Favorite Eats
We ate amazing food while we in Maui. I thought I’d list some of our favorites with links.
Aloha Mixed Plate – Real Hawaiian food, so yummy! And if they have Hula Girl as their special drink, make sure to order it!
Maui Brewing Co – Lots of yummy beers, the only ones actually brewed on the island. And the food is good too!
Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop – Chocolate Macadamia Nut Praline and Apple Crumb Pies, so good!
Lahaina Pizza Co – Deep dish pizza
We at the following places at Kaanapali Beach
Hula Grill – Ahi Sandwich is the best, order medium rare
Leilani’s – We ate here twice. The first time our waiter wasn’t great, but the second time we got amazing service and the most delicious fish (Opakapaka).
Maui Fish & Pasta - We ate here for breakfast. They have Eggs Benedict over crab cakes… yes, it’s true. So good!

Photo from the Westin

In short, our trip was amazing! And we came back relaxed and tanned. We can’t wait to go back!