Two Days in Maui

The final leg of our trip to Hawaii ended in Maui. We had two full days on the island, plus a half day when island hopped from The Big Island. We didn’t do a lot of sight-seeing on our travel day, instead hitting up a few spots to find souvenirs.

Maui was also the island with the most whale activity and we were there at peak whale season. You could see them off the coast, even driving down the highway looking out over the ocean and seeing the spouts was a cool experience.

Our first full day was mostly spent in Haleakala National Park! I was too nervous to get up at sunrise and drive up the summit, but a lot of people enjoy that. No matter what time you go, the views are absolutely breathtaking – quite literally as the altitude is over 10,000 ft.

At the summit, you can see above the clouds out onto to an amazing landscape that mirrors Mars. Be on the lookout for sillverswords, a native Hawaiian plant that looks super cool. Nene, the Hawaiian goose, is also frequently spotted in the part, however we didn’t see any while we were there.

If you decide to hike the Sliding Sands trail down into the crater, you will get some gorgeous views and it’s said that the crater floor is one of the quietest places on earth. We only did about a mile of the trail because of time, but it would be quite an experience to do the whole 12 miles!

Many said this road was a scary drive, but I found it to be less stressful than the Road to Hana. I wouldn’t want to experience fog or rain that might obstruct your view, but there have been many other roads that have been much more stressful (Pike’s Peak, anyone??) On the way out of the park, shift your car in low gear and you’ll be just fine!

After spending about half the day at Haleakala, we grabbed some snacks and beach stuff and set out in search of a good snorkeling spot for my mom. We really didn’t have much success because the surf was pretty rough, but there were lots of people out enjoying the waves and that was fun to watch.

The last day of our trip was solely dedicated to driving the Road to Hana. I downloaded the GuideAlong app (formerly GyPSY Guide) and it was great for our drive! You likely won’t have cell service for much of the day, but this app works by using your phones GPS trip and will give you lots of great information on your drive as well as Hawaiian history on your way back.

You’ll drive past so many lush waterfalls, a rainbow eucalyptus forest, jagged coastlines and even a black sand beach. It’s definitely a very touristy thing to do in Hawaii, but one not to be missed if it’s your first trip.

I didn’t think the drive was hard, but it was tiring. You have to be on alert because there are so many narrow, blind curves and one lane bridges that if you’re not paying attention, you could really be in a serious accident. The locals will fly by you, so be sure to pull over and let them pass if you can.

Nearly half-way to Hana, stop at Aunt Sandy’s banana bread stand and enjoy some hot, fresh bread and maybe even buy a loaf to bring home with you.

Once we got to Hana, there really isn’t a lot to do in the town, so we tried to drive past it to go to the other side of Haleakala National Park to hike in the bamboo forest and see the Pools of Oheo, but the road was very rough and I didn’t want to get a flat tire in the rental, so we had to turn around and skip that.

On the way back, we stopped for shave ice and then made our way back to the town we stayed in near the airport. I also grabbed a pineapple to put in my carryon and brought fresh fruit back to my husband who stayed in Indiana.

I hope you have enjoyed following along on our three island Hawaiian adventure. Maybe someday I’ll get back to see the other islands we didn’t have time for on this trip. You can also check out my Maui vlog for even more pictures and video from this beautiful island.