2021 Hawaii Budget Travel Diary - Maui
This content was automatically generated by gpt-4o-mini (No human review). The original post is in Chinese.
During the Christmas holiday of 2021, we spent 6 days in Maui, camping for 5 nights in a row, watching the sea of clouds at sunrise and sunset at an altitude of 3000 meters, experiencing the best snorkeling, seeing over ten humpback whales and nine sea turtles, accompanied by morning glows and rainbows every day. We hiked two very different trails and drove the most challenging road I’ve ever encountered. This blog will share the itinerary of this Hawaii trip in a chronological manner.
Difficult Travel Planning
Originally, we planned to visit several national parks in the southwestern United States during the Christmas and New Year holidays (Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend). Perhaps I felt a bit bored (having visited Zion and Bryce in early 2021 and the Grand Canyon at the end of the year), so I started thinking about Hawaii. I began looking for flights to Hawaii around December 2nd, and at that time, one-way tickets from SAN or LAX to several islands in Hawaii in late December were sometimes under $200, with similar prices for return flights, which didn’t seem too expensive. So I started planning the itinerary, mainly focusing on booking flights, renting a car, and finding accommodation, as well as figuring out which days I could take off from work. Considering I had only been in my job for two months and had accumulated only 3 days of vacation, and our company only offered one day off for Christmas and New Year, I could only arrange a maximum of 6 days for the trip (if I wanted to avoid the Christmas and New Year holidays, I could only arrange 5 days).
We wanted to enjoy Hawaii without spending too much money, so we set a goal to keep the total expenses for this trip under $1500. However, after two days of research, I realized that keeping a budget of $1500 for two people over 6 days in Hawaii was nearly impossible.
First, for the flights, I created several tables to track the prices of flights from three nearby airports (LAX, SAN, SNA) to five airports on four islands in Hawaii (Kauai, LIH), (Maui, OGG), (Oahu, HNL), (Big Island, KOA ITO) for different dates. After considering the inter-island flight prices, I concluded that flights to Maui (Maui, OGG) were the cheapest, with many round-trip one-way tickets available for just $129 on various dates.
Next, for car rentals, by early December, many platforms had already run out of cars for the Christmas holiday in Hawaii, and the few rental options available were charging around $300 per day. Fortunately, we found many affordable options on the UCI car rental platform. I highly recommend the UCI rental platform for employees, which saved us a lot of money for our trips to Alaska and Hawaii. Through the UCI rental platform, we discovered that Hertz had cars available on all four islands (KOA had no cars available, but we could rent at ITO and return at KOA), with prices mostly around $30 per day, totaling over $200 for a week. Most dates had availability, but some islands required a minimum one-week rental, and it was hard to rent for just 1 or 2 days.
The accommodation issue was the most troublesome because hotels near Hawaii during the Christmas holiday are really expensive. Among them, Maui had the highest accommodation costs, with the cheapest hostel (the northshore hostel maui) charging $199 per night for a private room, and shared rooms for 6/8 people costing over $80 per person, with only a few days available for booking. Most hotels charged around $300 per night. Other islands had slightly cheaper accommodations, but I didn’t look into them too much.
After considering the four aspects of taking leave, flight prices, car rentals, and accommodation, we decided to visit only one island during the 6-day Christmas holiday, and that would be Maui. Since the flights to Maui were the cheapest, we used Delta SkyMiles to redeem 2 tickets for the outbound flight (only paying an additional $11.2), and for the return, we booked Alaska Airlines for $126 per person. Renting a car for a week was cheaper, as renting for 1 or 2 days would be rounded up to a full day’s price, for example, renting for 25 hours would count as 2 days, or it might not be available at all, and inter-island flights were also not cheap. We considered many options, including going to Maui first, then Oahu, and then the Big Island, but found that adding another island would increase the costs by $400 for flights and car rentals. Plus, we only had 6 days, so it made sense to visit 1 or 2 islands. Since we wanted to save money, we decided to stick to just one island. As for accommodation, we decided to camp in Maui, or if that didn’t work out, we would sleep in the car. We made a table to record all the campgrounds in Maui and found that most were fully booked around the end of December, making it impossible to reserve a spot. However, we went ahead and booked the flights and car rentals, thinking that with more than half a month left, we would surely find cancellations for campsites. In the end, the anxiety of not being able to find accommodation accompanied us for two weeks until December 13th, when after over a week of checking reservation websites, we finally secured a tent campsite at Camp Olowalu from 12/24 to 12/29 for 5 consecutive days at $50 per day, with flush toilets and hot showers.
In addition to flights, accommodation, and car rentals, we also needed to book some tours, as Christmas is peak tourist season in Hawaii, and it’s essential to reserve tours in advance. So we started planning what we wanted to do in Maui. My biggest expectation for this trip to Hawaii was snorkeling, as my previous snorkeling experiences in San Diego were quite disappointing. I heard that the water in Hawaii is warmer, so I was really looking forward to it. Additionally, December to March is whale watching season in Hawaii, and I had previously gone kayaking in SD twice to look for whales but hadn’t seen any. Therefore, we signed up for snorkeling and whale watching tours. Booking tours was also challenging because initially, we hadn’t confirmed our accommodation, so we couldn’t finalize our itinerary or know which days to book tours. By the time we secured our accommodation, the cheaper tours were already fully booked, and we ended up having to call to book (even though they showed as unavailable on the website).
Once everything was booked, it was time to pack. Since we planned to spend the night at a mountain at an altitude of 3000 meters to watch the sunset and sunrise, we needed to bring clothes suitable for temperatures of 5-10 degrees Celsius. Additionally, by the seaside, the temperature ranged from 17-25 degrees, so we also needed to pack summer clothes. We also had to bring hiking, camping, and snorkeling gear, and since the weather forecast predicted heavy rain in Maui, we needed to pack rain gear as well. In the end, we brought 2 28-inch suitcases (checked baggage), 1 20-inch carry-on suitcase, 2 hiking backpacks, and 1 bag.
In summary, this was the most challenging travel planning we had ever done, taking several weekends and at least 50 hours combined for both of us to plan and pack for the trip.
12/24 Day 1
Flight Cancellation
On the first day, we woke up at 3:50 AM, freshened up, and packed up before heading out from our accommodation in San Diego. We chose to depart from SAN because the San Diego airport is very close to downtown, while LAX is too far from Irvine, and no one could give us a ride, plus taking a taxi would be too expensive. The tickets from SNA were also much more expensive than the other two airports, and there were fewer options, so that was the first one we ruled out. I could park my car at my company’s parking lot (next to Santa Fe Station, since I paid the monthly parking fee, I could park there for a few days without paying extra), and then take the 992 bus to the airport, which saved us the cost of a taxi to the airport.
As a result, on the morning of 12/24, it was pouring rain when we set out. Driving on the highway, we could feel the weather was terrible, with strong winds and heavy rain, joking that our flight might get canceled. After braving the heavy rain to take the bus to the airport, we found out that Delta’s flight was indeed canceled. It was unexpected that we encountered such weather in San Diego, a place known for its good weather, especially since it rains only a few times a year. The Delta app automatically rebooked us on a Hawaiian Airlines flight, with the departure time changed from 6:18 AM to after 10 AM, and our arrival in Maui was delayed by over two hours compared to our original schedule. To make matters worse, we had to pay $60 for two checked bags (with Delta, we could check one bag for free per person). We negotiated with the Delta airport staff, who said this was our only option, or we could take a Delta flight to Maui that night at 8 PM (which was obviously unacceptable). The Delta ground staff offered us each 500 SkyMiles (equivalent to $5) as compensation, which I declined, planning to call Delta customer service later to negotiate for compensation. In any case, we had to switch to the Hawaiian Airlines flight arriving in the afternoon around 2 PM. Although it was only a two-hour delay, it caused a lot of inconvenience to our plans.
Since today is Christmas Eve, many stores closed early (and would be closed tomorrow), including ACE Hardware, where we wanted to buy fuel (Fuel Canister). According to our pre-trip research, this was the only store that might sell fuel canisters suitable for our Camp Stove, and they closed at 2 PM. Due to the flight cancellation, we couldn’t arrive before they closed, and without fuel, we wouldn’t be able to eat instant noodles for the next few days. So after we got off the plane, we went to Costco to stock up on supplies and ended up not buying instant noodles at all.
This time we rented a Mid-size Sedan because we couldn’t find an SUV, and the ones available were very expensive (like $300 a day). In the end, we got a black 2021 Nissan Altima, which felt brand new, as if it hadn’t been driven at all, with the odometer showing only 10.2 miles. (Driving a new car is great; it has many new features and is much more advanced than our 2016 car.)
Haleakala Sunset
The flight cancellation made our first afternoon particularly tight, with the expected sunset time at 5:50 PM. Our plane landed at 2:18 PM, but it took us some time to get off the plane, collect our luggage, and pick up the car at the airport, which meant that by the time we finished shopping at Costco and were ready to drive up the mountain, it was already past 4 PM. The drive up the mountain was actually quite interesting; it took over an hour from Costco. At first, it was sunny with a rainbow in the distance. As we drove closer to the rainbow, we eventually found ourselves in the rain. The road up the mountain was very winding, with cliffs on one side, and the elevation rose from sea level to 9,740 feet. As we ascended, the weather changed rapidly. It was sometimes cloudy and sometimes sunny, and before we knew it, we were above the clouds. We estimated we would reach the summit by 5:35 PM, and fortunately, the line at the Haleakala National Park Entrance was not too long, delaying us by less than 5 minutes. By the time we arrived at the Haleakala Visitor Center, the parking lot was already full, and there were no parking spots left; many people were already standing by the roadside waiting for the sunset. The road to Puu Ulaula Summit was blocked with a sign saying “Lot Full,” so it seemed we couldn’t drive up there (the summit is the best sunset viewing point). Under the guidance of the national park staff, we parked in a spot where we technically shouldn’t have. The temperature at the summit was indeed very low, so we quickly put on our down jackets and grabbed our hats and gloves. With only 10 minutes until sunset, fearing we wouldn’t make it to the summit, we had to give up on that and wait for the sunset near the Visitor Center.
The weather at the summit today was clear, completely cloudless, with only the sea of clouds below us. In fact, the sea of clouds today wasn’t very dense; in some places, we could still see the city and the ocean through the clouds. Therefore, today’s sunset wasn’t particularly spectacular, as there was no afterglow. The sea of clouds below remained white and slowly darkened during the sunset. Unlike the clouds above us, which would turn orange and pink at sunset, making for a beautiful sight.
After watching the sunset, it was already dark. We returned to the car to have dinner. The tight schedule due to the flight cancellation meant we had no time for lunch down the mountain and no time to buy dinner, so we only went to Costco. Fortunately, I bought a Costco rotisserie chicken, and eating hot rotisserie chicken at the cold summit, along with bread and celery, became our dinner. There was a little twist: one of my high school classmates happened to be in Maui these days, and coincidentally, they also came to Haleakala to watch the sunset today. So we ran into each other at the summit (it had been 5 or 6 years since we last met), watched the sunset together, and shared food. This was my first time encountering a high school classmate in the U.S., especially on Christmas Eve, which was quite rare.
Hosmer Grove Campground
On the first night, we planned to camp on the mountain because we wanted to see the sunrise the next day. Haleakala means “House of the Sun,” and watching the sunrise at Haleakala requires a reservation. From 3 AM to 7 AM, you need to show your sunrise ticket to enter the park. It is said that staff will check the parking lot in the middle of the night to prevent people from staying overnight to watch the sunrise. Fortunately, we managed to secure a campsite at Hosmer Grove Campground (yes, our experience in Hawaii has been that many places require advance reservations, and many tickets are hard to get, but luckily we have solid ticket-snatching skills). With the campsite reservation, we didn’t need to scramble for sunrise tickets.
The thing I dislike most about camping is checking in after dark. Setting up a tent in the dark is inconvenient, and it’s hard to get familiar with the campsite. But there was no choice since our flight was canceled. After watching the sunset from the summit and having dinner, we drove down to Hosmer Grove Campground (about a 30-minute drive from the summit). This campground is very small, with only six campsites, one toilet (non-flush), one sink, a parking area, and a patch of grass. The grass has campsite numbers marked, the ground is quite wet, and the grass isn’t very dense, so we camped directly on the soil. The campground is at a lower elevation, so the temperature isn’t as low as at the summit, and the wind is light, making it very quiet. Although it rained at night, our tent performed well against the rain, keeping dry inside, and we slept quite well. The new Kelty Cosmic 20 Down sleeping bag performed excellently (the lowest temperature at night might have been 45F), and I even felt a bit too warm. Who would have thought this would be the best night of sleep during our trip?
12/25 Day 2
Haleakala Sunrise
Woke up around 5 AM and had to pack up the tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and other gear because today’s hiking route is quite long, and we estimate we’ll finish around 2 PM, which is past the campsite checkout time. We drove to the Haleakala Visitor Center and arrived around 6 AM; there were already quite a few people there. Since watching the sunrise requires a reservation, there were plenty of parking spots at the summit. The sunrise was around 6:55 AM, so we had plenty of time to use the restroom and have breakfast in the car. The sky today looked almost identical to yesterday’s sunset, with no clouds above us and a sea of clouds below. By 6:30 AM, the sky was already very bright, and many people were gathered by the railing, quietly waiting for the sunrise. Just as the sun was about to rise, a few people who looked like locals from Hawaii suddenly started singing a chant. I couldn’t understand the lyrics, but it felt like they were praising the sunrise. I found a video on YouTube that resembles our sunrise that day, accompanied by the chant, making the sunrise feel particularly sacred. If you’re interested in this chant, I found the lyrics and audio.
Sliding Sands Trail Hiking
Sliding Sands Trail is an 18km hiking route that takes about 6 hours, with an elevation gain of 850 meters. It starts from the Haleakala Visitor Center at an altitude of 2968.7 meters, then descends about 850 meters, mostly within the first 6km, followed by a flat 3km stretch, ultimately reaching the Kapalaoa Cabin, a small wooden cabin, before returning the same way. As you can imagine, the final 6km ascent will be quite challenging.
After watching the sunrise, we spent an hour packing our gear, each carrying 2.5L of water, along with food, clothing, sunscreen, and a pair of trekking poles. The weather was particularly nice today, with a clear view of the volcanic crater (Mars-like terrain). There were quite a few hikers on the trail, mostly serious trekkers who started early in the morning. Everyone was moving quite fast, and we felt relatively slow because we were carrying a bit more. What impressed us the most was a couple who hiked with three children (none of whom walked on their own). The dad carried a large pack on his back and a smaller one in front, while the mom had a large pack on her back. The oldest was probably around 4 years old, and the youngest looked like they were only a week old. We referred to them as Super Mom and Super Dad, and what surprised us the most was that they were not slow! At first, they walked at a similar pace to us, but later they even moved faster and eventually disappeared into the distance. We felt so embarrassed!
The scenery along the way changed little; we started at a high point with many conical volcanic craters in front of us, and as we descended, the craters became higher and closer. The change in vegetation was quite noticeable; initially, there were only some beautiful and rare silvery flowers called haleakala silversword. Gradually, we saw some green plants and ferns. Interestingly, the changes in vegetation often occurred in patches, for example, one area was filled with Haleakala Silversword, while the next patch was covered with dried ferns. The trail surface was mostly wide, and the route was clear. When we reached the cabin, which was the turnaround point for this hike, we sat down to rest, ate our snacks, and there was even a restroom available before we headed back.
On the way back, it felt like the clouds around us were drifting in the direction we were returning. Looking at the reviews on Alltrails beforehand, some people mentioned that it was raining on the trail with low visibility, and others said the weather changed quickly. So far, we had sunny weather, but we were prepared for rain, bringing raincoats, rain pants, and a rain cover for our backpacks. Watching the clouds drift by, we quickened our pace because we didn’t want to hike in a downpour. So on the return trip, we kept looking back to see where the thick clouds/fog had moved, almost racing against the clouds. Fortunately, although the clouds moved quickly, they also changed rapidly, seeming to disappear shortly after arriving, and there was even a brief light sun shower.
This was the most challenging hike we had done, especially the last 5 kilometers, when we clearly felt a bit tired (having already walked 13 kilometers in 4 hours), but we still faced an 850-meter elevation gain while hiking in the 2000-3000 meter altitude range. It felt like running a marathon, with the last few kilometers being a lot of stop-and-go. We were very grateful that each of us had a pair of trekking poles, which saved us a lot of energy. Along the way, there were a few groups of people hiking the same route at a similar pace. However, on the way back, we gradually pulled ahead, and in the last few kilometers, it was evident that everyone was struggling, needing to rest every few hundred meters. In the end, we took 6 hours and 24 minutes to complete the entire route, and my watch showed that I walked 18.83km.
By the time we finished the hike, it was already 3 PM, an hour later than expected. We drove to Puu Ulaula (Red Hill) Summit (3055m) and Kalahaku Overlook (2842m) to take a look, and it felt like only the Summit was worth visiting; the views from the other Overlooks couldn’t compare to what we saw on the hike. On the way down, we passed the park entrance and saw a long line of vehicles waiting to enter, which was extremely long. It was around 4:30 PM, and it seemed like the wait would take over half an hour. Today was Christmas, and many shops were closed. After buying dinner, we arrived at Camp Olowalu campsite after 6 PM, and it was very dark. We had to set up our tent in the dark, and worse, we were both extremely tired. Knowing we had to go on a Sunrise Whale Watching Tour the next morning meant we had to wake up at 5 AM and leave around 6 AM, leaving us very little time tonight for a shower, packing, and sleep!
12/26 Day 3
Sunrise Whale Watching
We signed up for the Ultimate Whale Watch 1.5HR SUNRISE TOUR, priced at $49 per person. The experience felt quite average, and I wouldn’t recommend this company. Most whale watching tours are 2 hours long, but this sunrise tour is only 1.5 hours. According to my watch, the actual time spent on the boat was only 1 hour, which is significantly shorter. Another issue was that their boat is a small one similar to a rubber dinghy. At the beginning, the staff mistakenly mixed up our boarding passes, causing us to get on the wrong boat, then we had to disembark and board again. As a result, we didn’t have seats and had to sit on the edge of the boat. This boat moves quite fast, and those sitting on the edge must hold onto the rope with at least one hand, or they might fall off. Additionally, many people were sitting on the right side of the boat, while only Cuihao and I were on the left. The crew initially said they would rebalance the boat but ended up forgetting. This caused the boat to tilt slightly to the right, and we couldn’t move around (otherwise, it would capsize). Consequently, the whales were always on the right side of the boat, and we were essentially sitting in the back, which limited our view significantly. I asked our guide if we could change the direction of the boat (to go towards the whales on the left), but he said no, because the sun was on our left side, and changing direction would make it blinding. Moreover, to protect the whales, our boat had to maintain a distance of over 100 yards from them. With one of my hands restricted, even though I brought binoculars, we couldn’t take them out to use, and it was inconvenient to take photos with my phone (back row + far away + only one hand free). Plus, the actual time was so short; we barely watched for an hour before heading back (and we even stopped for over 10 minutes before entering the harbor to promote their company—if they had that time, why not let us watch a bit longer!). Overall, I felt the experience was quite poor. I recommend booking a 2-hour tour on a larger boat where you can move freely around.
I would still recommend participating in a whale watching tour; this was probably my first time seeing whales. We saw a total of 6-7 humpback whales. Among them, 4 were together and very active, likely one female being pursued by three males. They were very lively, often spouting water and showing their backs and tails above the surface, but they didn’t breach the water. It definitely couldn’t compare to the clear photos/videos seen online (after all, they use telephoto lenses). Later, we also saw whales from the snorkeling boat. If the snorkeling boat has 1-2 hours of time, it’s very likely to see whales, so it’s not necessary to book a separate whale watching tour.
Black Rock Snorkeling
We finished our whale watching tour at 8:30 in the morning, leaving us plenty of time to do many things. We checked the Maui Snorkel Report for recommendations. The report for that day was as follows:
| Sunday, December 26, 2021 | Locations/Beaches | Scores |
|---|---|---|
| North West | Napili, Kapulua, Honolua | 3.5 |
| Near Ka’anapali | Black Rock, Airport-kahekili | 7.0 |
| South Shore | Olowalu, Kihei, Makena Landing | 6.0 |
It also mentioned that the South face of Black Rock is the best, so we decided to go snorkeling at Black Rock. There is a free public parking lot (Kaanapali Beach Access and Limited Parking) nearby, located close to the Sheraton Maui Resort. The entrance was a bit hard to find, and there weren’t many parking spots, but we were lucky to find a free spot.
Before coming to Hawaii, I did some research on whether a wetsuit is needed for snorkeling in winter. Most answers I found online said it wasn’t necessary. However, a high school classmate of mine who went snorkeling in Maui a couple of days ago said the water was quite cold, and she rented a wetsuit. Another friend who kayaks also suggested we bring wetsuits. So we brought our own; renting one would cost at least $10 if we booked a snorkeling tour. Our conclusion from experience was that wearing a wetsuit is indeed necessary for snorkeling in Hawaii during winter. When I first got into the water, I was shocked by the cold; although it wasn’t as freezing as in San Diego, the water felt quite chilly at first. Luckily, once I got used to it, it didn’t feel cold anymore (as long as I was wearing a wetsuit).
There were a lot of people at Black Rock that day. The weather was clear in the morning, and the wind wasn’t too strong, but the current was very strong, and visibility wasn’t great. The experience was similar to my best snorkeling experience at La Jolla Cove, so I felt somewhat disappointed. Although we saw two sea turtles and many fish in the water, I couldn’t fully enjoy it. On one hand, I was holding a dry bag containing my wallet, phone, car keys, and other valuables, and I was worried it would get wet (it didn’t, but next time I should just put my valuables in the car trunk). On the other hand, the water kept pushing us around, and it was obvious that the fish were moving back and forth due to the waves (against the rocks). Plus, there were so many people, it felt like a pool, and I often kicked others while swimming. Overall, I was quite disappointed with this snorkeling experience. Changing clothes and applying sunscreen took about an hour, and we probably only spent about 20 minutes actually swimming in the water, which was very similar to my snorkeling experience in San Diego.
After snorkeling, we went to Fish Market Maui for lunch, ordering Fish Chips and Fish/Shrimp Tacos, which cost us a total of $26. It felt like a good value. Thinking back, this was our first proper meal on our third day in Maui; before this, we had only eaten bread, roasted chicken, celery, beef jerky, and McDonald’s.
Kapalua Coastal Trail & Nakalele Blowhole
In the afternoon, we walked the Kapalua Coastal Trail, which is a total of 4 kilometers (yes, we just hiked 18 kilometers yesterday and are hiking again today). It runs along the coast, featuring the lava rocks by the shore. The waves here are particularly strong, and the sea breeze is very powerful, with waves crashing against the rocks and splashing up a lot of white water. I think it’s definitely worth a walk, as it’s relatively easy and takes just a little over an hour. We parked at Kapalua Parking and walked from Oneloa Beach to Kapalua Bay Beach and then back.
After finishing the trail, we drove to Nakalele Blowhole. Our route today was actually a drive north from Camp Olowalu, going from Camp Olowalu -> Lahaina Harbor -> Black Rock at Kaanapali Beach -> Kapalua Coastal Trail -> Nakalele Blowhole, all very convenient. The road becomes very narrow and winding before reaching Nakalele Blowhole, so you need to drive carefully. The Nakalele Blowhole requires a walk down from the parking lot for about 500 meters (getting too close is dangerous), making the round trip about 1 kilometer. The path is very rough, consisting of stones that can easily cause ankle sprains. After hiking so much yesterday, this short 1 kilometer was quite challenging for us, and we felt significant soreness in our leg muscles. The sea breeze by the shore is extremely strong, and without a strap on our hats, they would almost certainly be blown away. We didn’t get too close, watching from a distance and waiting for the water spouts, which were quite spectacular on several occasions.
By the time we finished watching the blowhole, it was already 3:30 PM. Today, we finally managed to return to our place before dark to shower and tidy up. Tomorrow morning, we have the Molokini Crater Snorkeling Tour, which means we need to get up at 5 AM and leave around 6.
12/27 Day 4
Molokini Crater Snorkeling Tour
Molokini Crater is the best snorkeling spot in Maui, bar none. There are many tours for Molokini Crater, most of which are half-day (5 hours), with some lasting 2 hours. Prices range from $100 to $200. We signed up for the tour with Aqua Adventure, which had good reviews (another reason is that it shares the same name as Aqua Adventure in San Diego Mission Bay). The price was $115 per person (after tax, it was $128), which is quite affordable, and the 5-hour tour included breakfast and lunch, visiting two locations: Molokini Crater and Coral Garden (AKA turtle town?). They said the snorkeling time would be 2.5 to 3 hours. In reality, we left at 7:30 and arrived at noon, totaling 4.5 hours, with 2.5 hours of boat time, 1.5 hours of snorkeling, and 0.5 hours likely for preparation, like when the boat is anchored and people haven’t entered the water yet. The long boat ride isn’t necessarily a downside, as we saw about 10 whales on the way back and forth.
The Molokini Snorkeling Tour was simply amazing; the snorkeling experience was on a whole different level compared to yesterday. This is what I envision snorkeling should be like! As soon as I got in the water, I was stunned by the visibility; I could see straight to the bottom, which felt like it was 10 meters deep. Swimming closer to the shore, there were lots of corals. I swam for 30 minutes the first time, took a break, and then swam for less than 10 minutes the second time before being called back because the boat was leaving. Next, we went to Coral Garden, which also had great visibility, just slightly worse than Molokini, but still clear enough to see the bottom. I only saw one turtle, but I swam alongside it for a long time; this time I was in the water for 45 minutes. I also learned to dive down a little, but I still can’t go down too well and keep floating back up. I tried to dive down to hear the whales, but I didn’t hear anything. One crew member was very enthusiastic about taking photos for everyone, and in the end, he asked if we wanted to buy the photos for $40 each or $95 for all. We thought it was too expensive and declined, but he proactively lowered the price, and we ended up negotiating to $60 for the photos he took. Overall, today’s snorkeling finally satisfied me and made me feel that snorkeling is an enjoyment, not a survival challenge in the sea. From now on, my snorkeling experience has reached a new level; this trip has set the benchmark.
After returning home, it took about a week to receive the paid photos. Friends said the money spent was worth it. In fact, on the boat, they had already imported the photos to an iPad for everyone to see their pictures. If I had known we were going to buy them, I should have cooperated more for photos, since the price was the same regardless of how many pictures there were. In reality, we received all the photos of everyone (yes, what about privacy?), because the crew didn’t have time to organize them individually, so it was just a shared Dropbox folder link. The breakfast and lunch on the boat were also passable; breakfast included fruit and bread, while lunch had sandwiches, chips, cookies, and unlimited drinks. I would recommend booking the Aqua Adventure trip. If all major websites, including their own, show that the tour is sold out, I suggest calling them directly; I was able to book the tour by making a phone call.
Iao Valley - Kepaniwai Park
I was really tired after snorkeling because I swam in the sea for almost an hour and a half, which I had never done before. I originally planned to go to Īao Valley State Monument, but we ended up at the nearby Kepaniwai Park, which turned out to be quite nice. Kepaniwai Park has no entrance fee, free parking, and there’s a statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen (similar to the one in Sun Yat-sen Park on Back Road, but much nicer). When we went to Īao Valley State Monument afterward, we found parking to be very difficult (lots of cars) and there was also a parking fee plus entrance fee totaling $20. We were too tired, so we decided not to go in and headed back to the campsite instead. Today was one of the earliest returns we’ve had, so we could take a shower, wash the wetsuit, and tidy up during the day.
Camp Olowalu
The Camp Olowalu we booked was the only campsite we could reserve during Christmas. The advantage is that it has clean restrooms (flush toilets), hot showers (outdoor bathrooms, small wooden cabins without roofs), and the campsite is well landscaped. There’s also a charging station to use our own hairdryer. Plus, it’s right next to Olowalu Beach, making it convenient for kayaking or snorkeling.
Speaking of which, we encountered some issues while camping. We originally planned to stay at campsite 35 on the nights of the 25th, 26th, and 27th, and at campsite 21 on the night of the 28th. This was because we first managed to book the night of the 28th, and later secured the nights of the 25th to 27th, but didn’t cancel the 28th reservation. The Camp Olowalu website states that the campsite number reserved may not be the actual campsite number assigned, so after checking in, we informed the staff and hoped they could arrange for us to stay at campsite 35 on the night of the 28th as well. However, they said it wasn’t possible and that we could only stay at the campsite we booked. I pointed out that this contradicts the information on their website, and they explained that they wrote that due to recent flooding, some campsites were unavailable. I mentioned that the website didn’t specify the reason, which misled us; otherwise, we could have canceled campsite 21 and rebooked campsite 35. They said they couldn’t meet our request and refused to acknowledge that their website was unclear, insisting it was our fault. The conversation wasn’t pleasant, and we thought of many solutions, but their campsite management was very strict, and none of our ideas worked. In the end, we had to pack up the tent on the morning of the 28th, stuff everything into the car, drive the Road to Hana that evening, check back into the campsite, and set up the tent again. Packing and unpacking took at least an extra hour, which was quite inconvenient!
Another thing I must complain about is last night’s camping experience, which was the worst since we bought the tent. The wind was howling, and the tent was almost damaged; my phone showed a maximum wind speed of 37 km/h, but we thought it was even higher. Before going to bed, we found a layer of dirt on everything inside the tent, so we started wiping it down with wet wipes, using up half a pack before finally getting it clean. When we woke up, the sleeping pad was covered in dirt again… We went camping to avoid dirt, but ended up eating dirt instead. The wind was so strong that it kicked up a lot of dust, so the inside of the tent was full of dirt… Then there was the noise; the night before it was the sound of waves and fast cars, but last night it was the wind, making the tent flap loudly, and we were really worried the rainfly would blow away. Plus, there were wild chickens everywhere, starting to crow around 3-4 AM every morning. Overall, it was a miserable night.
So after snorkeling today, we started considering whether to book a hotel for the night of the 28th. Ideally, we wanted to book a hotel or camp along the Road to Hana, so we could spend a day and a half exploring it. However, I called many hotels, and they were all fully booked for December and even January. The only place with availability was the Hyatt - Hana-Maui Resort, which costs $1200 a night after tax, a price we obviously couldn’t afford. We also found hotels near the airport that were available for about $300 a night. After thinking it over, we decided to stick with this campsite to save $300, so we chose to endure and continue eating dirt. (Fortunately, the wind was a bit calmer on the nights of the 27th and 28th, so there was much less dirt blowing into the tent.) In summary, I think the camping experience at Camp Olowalu was quite disappointing (even though the daytime environment was nice, the sleep quality at night was terrible).
12/28 Day 5
Road to Hana
This is our fifth day in Maui, and today’s plan is to drive the Road to Hana. We still need to wake up at 5 AM and leave by 6 AM. Since the Road to Hana takes about 3 hours one way, that’s 6 hours round trip. We also plan to hike the Pipiwai Trail (2 hours), which will take a total of 3 hours in the Haleakala National Park Kipahulu Area. If we add up another 2 hours for stops along the way, that makes a total of 11 hours. Currently, sunrise in Hawaii is around 7 AM and sunset is at 6 PM, giving us only 11 hours of daylight, so we can’t waste any of it. I really don’t want to be on the Road to Hana or the Back Road after dark; it’s very dangerous.
Speaking of which, we managed to snag a car camping campsite at Waianapanapa State Park the day before we left (12/23), only to find out that our car is not allowed for car camping in the park (yes, in Maui, not only do you need reservations for everything, but there are also a lot of strict rules). Only camping vans or vehicles with rooftop tents are permitted. But we couldn’t get tickets to enter Waianapanapa State Park after 10 AM (yes, you need reservations to enter this State Park, and they sell out quickly). So we booked tickets to enter before 10 AM, which means we have to leave the park by 10 AM (later we found out that no one really checks when you leave). So we set off early and headed straight to Waianapanapa State Park, not stopping at many points along the way, as I felt that one day to drive the Road to Hana was really tight on time, so we had to make some choices. Actually, the Road to Hana was quite easy to drive at first, and since it was early, there were very few cars coming from the opposite direction. There are indeed many curves and one-lane bridges, but the road conditions are actually very good, and it didn’t rain much.
Waianapanapa State Park
Speaking of which, I don’t think Waianapanapa State Park is very stunning, especially the Black Sand Beach. I can’t see what’s so beautiful about it; it’s just black sand, right? Moreover, the waves here are very strong, making it completely unsuitable for swimming. The park also has a Blowhole, and compared to the previous Nakalele Blowhole (which sprays higher), this Blowhole sprays water more widely (but we couldn’t see a hole and didn’t dare to walk closer). The shoreline is also filled with Lava Rock, quite similar to the Kapalua Coastal Trail area. The only difference is that Waianapanapa State Park is on the east side of Maui, which is the wetter side, with more rain, so the vegetation is much more lush and green. Even by the seaside, the plants are thriving. (This is more evident compared to Southern California, where the coastline is very dry, and the plants often wither, with only succulents being relatively abundant). Given that parking and admission to Waianapanapa State Park cost $20, I think if you have the time and money, it’s worth a visit; if you don’t have time and miss it, there’s no need to feel regret. It’s just a view of the seaside, and as San Diegans, we don’t lack for ocean views!
Hana
We couldn’t book accommodation in Hana, but we had lunch there. We ate at Ae’s Thai Kitchen (food truck), ordered the most popular burger (I forgot the exact name, mama’s xxx burger), and a serving of fries, totaling $23 and they only accepted cash. The burger was quite large, cut in half for two people to share, and it tasted really good—possibly the best burger I’ve ever had. Highly recommended.
Pipiwai Trail
After Hana, it really isn’t the Road to Hana anymore; the road conditions start to get worse. What attracted us to drive the Road to Hana was to hike the Pipiwai Trail. This hiking trail is located in the Haleakala National Park Kipahulu Area, which feels completely different from the park’s Summit Area. Pipiwai truly deserves its title as the number one trail in Maui, stretching about 6 km with an elevation gain of around 300 meters. The scenery along the way is incredibly diverse, and the plant life is abundant. The first 1.5 kilometers are filled with lush forests, with various plants thriving, but it can be quite humid and warm. As we continue for another 1.5 kilometers, we enter a dense bamboo forest, where it suddenly becomes much cooler; the bamboo is thick enough to block out the sun, and a gentle breeze flows through. Along the trail, we can see two waterfalls: Makahiku Falls (with a drop of 61 meters) and Waimoku Falls (with a drop of 122 meters). The sound of water accompanies us throughout the hike as we walk alongside the stream. We initially thought this trail would be easy, so we didn’t bring trekking poles, but later realized they would have been helpful, especially since there is some elevation gain and certain parts of the trail are not easy to navigate (though perhaps we were just quite tired after four days of hiking, snorkeling, and more hiking). This trail is indeed classified as easy on Alltrails.
After completing the Pipiwai Trail, we also hiked a short Seven Sacred Pools Trail (‘Ohe’o Gulch) (1 km, easy) to take a look at the ocean and see the stream flowing into it, but it didn’t leave a deep impression on us. This was our last hike in Maui.
Back Road
Having completed the Pipiwai Trail, we had achieved our goal for the day. Next, we needed to decide whether to return via the Road to Hana or continue forward on the Back Road. It was only 2:30 PM, and the weather was nice, so we decided to keep going on the Back Road. Up until now, Cuihao had been driving on the Road to Hana, but after passing Waianapanapa, it was my turn to take the wheel. The most challenging part of the Back Road is a stretch of unpaved road that often only accommodates one vehicle. If there’s a car coming from the opposite direction, one of us has to yield. We encountered oncoming cars a few times, but we managed to meet at places where it was easier to let each other pass. The only time I really couldn’t yield was on an uphill section, but fortunately, the other driver backed up voluntarily, allowing us to get through. Overall, the road was indeed quite rough, with many potholes, so I could only drive at about 10 to 20 miles per hour, which is likely slower than most vehicles, requiring me to occasionally let cars behind us pass. Luckily, there weren’t many oncoming cars, and we finally made it through the toughest part of the Back Road.
At first, we were a bit puzzled. Many guides say the scenery on the Back Road is beautiful, but we thought it was just average, especially on that difficult stretch where there was hardly any view. Later, when we reached the paved road, there was indeed a section with decent scenery. I think the most worthwhile part was that while driving on the Back Road, we saw the observatory at the summit of Haleakala, which helped us understand the geographical layout of the island better. It turned out that just south of the high mountain we hiked on the Sliding Sands Trail is the Back Road, which explains why there are so many green plants on the southern mountain. We randomly stopped at a few points along the Back Road to take photos, and we ultimately ended up at a park, but it felt quite ordinary and even a bit too basic, far inferior to the Kepaniwai Park in Īao Valley.
12/29 Day 6
ho’okipa beach to see sea turtles
This is the last day in Maui, and our flight is scheduled to depart just after 2 PM. Originally, we planned to kayak at Camp Olowalu in the morning to see the corals and sea turtles. Camp Olowalu offers both kayak tours and rentals. The rental prices for kayaks are incredibly cheap: $10/hour for a single kayak and $20/hour for a tandem kayak. You can’t find prices like this in San Diego. I actually brought my kayaking gear for this trip (VHF radio, kayaking gloves, clothes, etc.). Unfortunately, on the 29th, the sea breeze was a bit strong, and Camp Olowalu said they weren’t renting out kayaks that day. With no other places in mind to visit, we had to come up with a new plan.
We thought about just lying on the beach and soaking up the sun since we had been so tired for many days, and today we could finally take it easy. We got up around 7 AM, washed up, had breakfast, and then had to pack our bags. We spent a lot of time organizing our luggage before the trip, and it was surprising that on the last day, we had to spend so much time stuffing everything back into our suitcase. We ultimately decided to go to a beach near Paia to see the sea turtles because our camping neighbors told us they had seen 75 turtles there.
The drive there wasn’t too short, but when we arrived at the beach, we couldn’t find any sea turtles at all. After asking some fishermen, they pointed us to the specific location, and we finally spotted one sea turtle. Gradually, more and more turtles crawled up from the water, and we ended up seeing a total of five sea turtles. We also saw many people surfing, and their skills were quite impressive. By this time, it was already past 11 AM, and we were running short on time, so we hurried to grab lunch before heading to the airport to pack our bags and return the rental car. (I just looked it up, and the best time to see sea turtles at ho’okipa beach is before sunset; afternoons are much better than mornings. We probably went at the wrong time, which is why we didn’t see dozens of turtles.)
Maui Foodland poke
Let’s talk about how we solved our food situation during our days in Maui. Initially, we planned to bring a camping stove and a cooler, then buy groceries to cook instant noodles and other meals. However, we couldn’t find fuel, so we never used the camping stove. At first, we ate Costco’s rotisserie chicken, celery, tomatoes, bread, and beef jerky in the mountains. Later, we started eating at McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, and roadside shops. In the last few days, we wanted to eat poke, and after checking, we found that the poke at Foodland supermarket was quite good. So we had poke from various Foodland supermarkets for three meals.
First, poke is about $15 per pound, and we usually bought half a pound, which costs around $7 or $8. Then we ordered a portion of rice (steaming hot white rice is only $0.99 per serving!!!), and then went to the deli section of the supermarket to buy a dish, like sweet and sour ribs with rice, or tempura with rice, or chicken leg with rice, each dish costing only $5 to $8. With some carrots or something on the side, a meal for two people was done for under $15, and there was no tipping, no waiting in line, and it was quick and convenient. Importantly, the poke was really delicious!
Travel Summary
This trip was all about being tired from start to finish. We were outdoors every day, hiking the Sliding Sands Trail and Pipiwai Trail, both in the same national park but with very different scenery and vegetation. One looked like the surface of Mars with its volcanic crater, while the other was a hot, humid, and densely vegetated tropical rainforest. We snorkeled in three places: Black Rock, Molokini Crater, and Coral Gardens, finally experiencing what I imagined snorkeling should be like. We saw humpback whales on the boat for two consecutive days, totaling more than a dozen. While snorkeling, we spotted four sea turtles, and we saw five more on land. We watched the sunrise and sunset over a sea of clouds from a mountain peak at 3,000 meters. Every day, we could see rainbows while driving, and several mornings had beautiful dawn colors. We also drove the Road to Hana and the Back Road, which were very narrow and winding, and we saw many waterfalls along the way. We visited two blowholes and saw lava rocks by the sea. In total, we went to (or passed by) six beaches in Maui: Black Rock Beach, Oneloa Beach, Kapalua Bay Beach, Olowalu Beach, Black Sand Beach, and Ho’okipa Beach.
Expenses
We spent a total of $1667.63 on this trip, which included about $400 for flights, $250 for car rental, $250 for accommodation, $450 for tours and tickets, $100 for gas and parking, and $200 for food. Remember at the beginning of the article I mentioned a $1500 budget for a trip to Hawaii? You could say we went over budget, or you could say we met our goal. The reason is that our Delta flight was canceled due to weather, and we ended up spending an extra $60 to check two bags, but after negotiating, Delta compensated us with $150 eCredit and 15,000 SkyMiles each, totaling about $500 in compensation. The eCredit is valid for a year, and the SkyMiles do not expire. So we have money for our next trip’s flights.
A little incident: one night at the campsite, Cuihao accidentally bumped into a rock while parking, and the paint on the front bumper was noticeably scratched. We were worried we would be asked to pay for it, but when we received the bill, it wasn’t mentioned. Previously, during our trip to Alaska, we suddenly found a small crack in the windshield of the rental car a few days later, and we were also quite anxious about it, but in the end, it was fine. Maybe rental car companies don’t mind small scratches and dents that appear on the cars.
Maui vs San Diego
Speaking of our time in San Diego, there are also many great beaches for snorkeling, surfing, and kayaking. So what are the differences between San Diego and Maui? Why go to Maui? I think there are several main differences. The first difference is the rainfall; Maui is lush and green due to abundant rain, and there’s always somewhere getting rain each day (which is why you can see rainbows), while San Diego is very dry, with a desert to the east. The second difference is the volcanoes; the Hawaiian islands were formed by volcanic eruptions, so there are craters, and the coastal rocks are all lava rock. The third difference is in the water; the snorkeling conditions in Maui are much better than in San Diego, with high visibility in many areas, lots of coral, and the water temperature is also much warmer than in Southern California. Maui is a small island, so most roads are very close to the sea, and the roads are quite winding, unlike the very straight highways in California. Compared to that, driving in Maui can be a bit tiring.
Reference Content
Our travel guide references a lot of content from the WeChat public account “Far Summer on the Road,” and another source is the YouTube channel The Hawaii Vacation Guide, which I highly recommend.
