We didn’t have any strict plans for the rest of our time in Maui after my brother left, so on our eighth day, we decided to explore more of the Wailea-Makena area (the southern part of the island) to do more snorkeling and visit the beaches there.

Mio, Miwa, and I by our cottage in the morning.
Mio, Miwa, and I by our cottage in the morning.

 

Our first stop was the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Reserve, as we’d heard that Ahihi Bay is a good place to snorkel.

Our family at the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Preserve
Arriving at the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Preserve

 

Kosei and Miwa
Snorkeling time!

 

It seemed a little murkier than some of the previous areas we’d snorkeled in Maui, but we still got to see a lot of coral and fish.

snorkeling at Ahihi-Kinau Natural Preserve

 

snorkeling at Ahihi-Kinau Natural Preserve

 

snorkeling at Ahihi-Kinau Natural Preserve

 

Back with Mio on shore.
Back from snorkeling, on the shore with Mio.

 

Rock those shades!
Rock those shades!

 

Mio and Mama under the hot Maui sun
Mio and Mama under the hot Maui sun

 

After spending a couple hours snorkeling, we headed over to La Perouse Bay, which had the most beautifully clear blue waters! According to the people there, though, it wasn’t a great place to snorkel, so we just walked around and admired the views.

Miwa by the gorgeous blue waters!
Miwa by the gorgeous blue waters!

 

Dan, Mio and I at the La Perouse Bay
Family picture at  La Perouse Bay

 

Kosei looks so stoic... lol
Yokoyama picture! Kosei looks so stoic… lol

 

Our next stop was Makena Bay. Mio had fallen asleep in the car ride there, so my brother Kosei stayed back to watch her while Dan, Miwa, and I had some fun on the beach.

Miwa and I at gorgeous Makena Bay
Miwa and I at gorgeous Makena Bay

 

Wave coming in!
Wave coming in!

 

Dipping our feet in...
Dipping our feet in…

 

Dan and I in paradise
Dan and I in paradise

 

Dan writing in the sand.
Dan’s romantic message in the sand… heehee*

 

Aloha!
Aloha!

 

Sisters with our shaka signs
Sisters with our shaka signs

 

Silly picture
Silly poses!

 

Running away from the wave!
Running away from the wave!

 

Miwa pushed me into the water!
Miwa pushed me in while we were frolicking around…

 

We couldn't stop laughing!
We couldn’t stop laughing! We felt like kids again.

 

Letting the waves crash against us.
Letting the waves crash against us.

 

Us in the water, with the Molokini Crater in the distance.
We could see the Molokini Crater in the distance.

 

Miwa wrote "Hawaii 2012" in the sand
Sad that our time in Hawaii is coming to an end…

 

By the trees at Makena Bay
By the trees at Makena Bay

 

After getting our beach time, we stopped at Bubba’s Gourmet Dog Shack for a quick snack…

Bubba's Gourmet Dog Shack

 

Garlic fries!
Garlic fries from Bubba’s Gourmet Dog Shack! Dan also got some shave ice.

 

We also saw a craft market by the road, so we stopped there to get some souvenirs.

Our family at the craft market

 

Everyone sticking their faces through
Everyone’s in here! Even Mio… sort of.

 

We went back to Kihei to go to the Whale Watching Center / Sanctuary Education Center.

At the Whale Watch Center and Sanctuary Education Center

 

Us at the Sanctuary Education Center
It was nice and cool inside, and there was even a little play area for kids.

 

Entertaining Mio with the fish!
Entertaining Mio with the fish!

 

Kosei playing with Mio
Uncle Kosei playing with Mio

 

Clinging to her newfound friend.
Mio clinging to her newfound friend, the stuffed turtle.

 

Death by turtles.
Death by turtles.

 

We then headed over to Eskimo Candy Seafood Market & Deli for a late lunch — they’re known to have awesome poke! 🙂

Stopping for lunch at Eskimo Candy Seafood Market & Deli

 

Shrimp taco plate!
Shrimp taco plate for me!

 

Shoyu and furikake ahi poke... yum!
Shoyu and furikake ahi poke… yum!

 

We then went back to Makena Bay (because we loved it so much there), laid out on the beach for a couple hours, and then went back to Kihei for some shave ice before going home.

Miwa with her shave ice.
Miwa with her shave ice from Surf Monkey Shave Ice.

 

Dan and I sharing some shave ice.
Dan and I sharing a shave ice together.

 

Mio got some, too!
Oh, and of course Mio too!

 

The following day would be our last full day in Maui! I’m sure everyone is starting to get sick of these posts, so you can breathe a sigh of relief that the next one will be the last of our posts about our trip! 😉 It’s been a lot of work to upload all the pictures and document everything for me, too, so I’m relieved as well! haha* 😛