A Maui Travel Report Podcast

On this episode of the Torg Stories Podcast, Anne and I talk about traveling to Maui. 

Acknowledgements related to traveling to Maui 

1. There was a devastating tragedy in Lahaina. It was especially mentioned on the Sail Maui sunset cruise we went on. 
2. There’s a loud contingent of Hawaiians who post on social media, put up signs, and behave aggressively toward tourists.  
3. It costs a lot to travel to Maui. It’s an unusual time in our lives that allows us the financial resources to go. 
4. I’m going to pronounce very few of the place names I bring up correctly. 

What resources did I use to plan our trip? 

1. The Hawaii Vacation Guide. Click here for their YouTube Channel Page. Erica and Jordan run the page. 
2. Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook by Andrew Doughty. I bought the paperback and the Kindle book for my iPad. Click here for Amazon page. 

Which island should we visit in Hawaii? 

• For me it was O’ahu or Maui. 

1. For O’ahu, fly into Honolulu. Go to Waikiki Beach, hike Diamond Head, and visit Pearl Harbor.  
2. I can see now there is a lot there I don’t know anything about. 
3. For Maui, Maui, resources pointed to it as a place for families with quieter coves, quieter both from a crowd standpoint and a more calm water standpoint. 

We’re going to look at a map and talk about the geography, what’s where on Maui: 

1. Anne, how would you describe the shape of Maui? 

1. Lopsided dumb bell. Two halves connected by a bar/isthmus connecting the two halves. One of the halves is much larger. 
2. Could be a head as the smaller part, the isthmus as the neck, and then shoulders and a torso. 
3. An AI overview: Maui is composed of two volcanic landmasses: the West Maui Mountains (Mauna Kahalawai) and the larger Haleakalā volcano. These two halves are connected by a relatively flat, narrow strip of land known as an isthmus, which gives the island its unique profile and its nickname, the “Valley Isle”. This central plain was historically used for sugarcane fields.

Let’s talk about the different areas of Maui:

1. West Maui with Napili, Kaanapali, and Lahaina. 
2. Central Maul with Maalaea Harbor on the south end and the airport on the north end. 
3. South Maui with Kihei, Wailea, and Makena. 
4. UpCountry with Haleakala National Park and Summit. 
5. Road to Hana. Twin Falls. 
6. Remember to go back into these areas and go into more detail about what we did, what we recommend, what we decided not to do. 

What did we do that we liked? 

1. We started in disbelief at the scenery. Could be as simple as sitting on a balcony and doing light work on the computer or reading while also looking at the view. 

1. Napili Bay. More of the pools and being on the beach. 
2. Keawakapu Beach. Our VRBO condo rental at the Mana Kai had a great view right from the balcony. 
3. Snorkeled. 
4. We rented gear from Snorkel Bob’s for the week from right by our resort.They have several locations. 

3. Boogie boarded. 
4. We walked on the beach and beach paths. 
5. We purchased fruit bowls and took them to beautiful places to eat. We ate pizza and fish. We went to a great food truck park. There are several. 
6. We shopped. 
7. Some places we shopped included Whaler’s Village, Kihei Market, Shops at Waliea, and the town of Paia.  

7. We hiked. For example the Waihee Ridge Trail. 

8. We drove around and stopped at overlooks or hiked off the road down to the water. 

9. We sailed with Sail Maui. 

Packing Suggestions: 

1. We didn’t check bags. This was really excellent move on our first trip. 
2. Multiple bathing suits. As a guy, I really just wanted a dry fit (or sun) shirt for each day. I ended up wearing the same one most days. 
3. Girls enjoyed clothes to take pictures in during the sunset hours. 
4. Buy sunscreen there. 
5. Walking / running shoes. Slip on shoes. Maybe a Tevo Chaco type sandal. 

Other ideas or observations: 

1. Why did we go at all? My experiences as a player at Olivet Nazarene University. 
2. We rented a car from Enterprise. Ended up with a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. 
3. I might try flying to LA and then trying a different airline once I was there. Tell about the United experience. 
4. Go back, if we went back. 

Hawaii Facts from The Hawaii Vacation Guide YouTube Page. (click here for full video)

1. No billboards allowed in Hawaii. 
2. There are eight main islands. Seven are inhabited. About 137 total islands in the chain. 
3. The island chain extends over 1,000 miles to the northwest. The islands extend up to Siberia and Japan. 
4. Hawaii has four out of the five major climate zones in the world. 
5. Record low temperature in Honolulu is 52 degrees. 
6. Maui is roughly half the size of Rhode Island. The Big Island, known as Hawai’i Island, is roughly the size of Connecticut. 
7. From Napili near the top of the West end to Ahihi Natural Reserve where we snorkeled is 42 miles estimated to take an hour and five minutes. 
8. There are no private beaches in Hawaii. 

Thanks checking out this page and for listening to the Torg Stories Podcast!