On our fifth day in Maui, we woke up at 3am and left the cottage at 4am to drive up to the Haleakala Crater summit, in hopes of watching the famous sunrise which is said to be the most beautiful when seen from the volcano’s highest point at 10,023 feet. The drive took over an hour and a half, but we got there just in time for when the sun was scheduled to come up. It was freezing up there, but we bundled up and eagerly waited with cameras on hand.
View of the sun about to rise, from the Haleakala Summit
…and then came the most disappointing moment of the entire trip. It had looked like the sun was about to shine through the clouds and light up the valleys below, and then a massive fog came in and shrouded everything. It became dark, and we couldn’t see a thing.
Darn you, fog!
You can see what happened in the time-lapse that Dan created, below.
We were really bummed, as this was supposed to be one of the biggest highlights of the trip and was one of the top attractions in Maui, probably second only to the Road to Hana. We found out afterwards that there was a hotline you could call the night before with a rating/forecast of how the sunrise would look the following morning. If only we’d known about it, we could have saved ourselves the early wakeup and long drive up and down the summit that had all been for naught.
At least we got some stunning views of the sunlit valleys of Maui on the drive down for the summit. I guess it wasn’t a complete waste of time…
We went back to the cottage to take a nap, and then drove over to Polo Beach, where we spent much of the afternoon.
We checked out of our lodging in Lahaina on the morning of July 29, and would spend the rest of our day making our way over to central Maui until we got to the cottage we were renting in Kihei for the rest our stay in Maui. Before we left West Maui, though, we all agreed that we wanted to make one last stop in downtown Lahaina to get another taste of Ululani’s before we left the area.
This time, I got the Rising Sun shave ice from Ululani’s – a combination of green tea, almond, and lychee flavors, topped with homemade mochi. I loved the Japanese-inspired combination of flavors – it became an instant favorite for me!
The rest of the fam ordering their shave ice.
Miwa digging in.
Me, visibly sad that my shave ice went all too quickly…
We spent about an hour doing some souvenir shopping in downtown Lahaina.
Beautiful sky and waters in Lahaina
Mio and I on the bridge overlooking the shore.
“Goodbye, Lahaina!”
Dan loves getting fresh fruit in Hawaii, so he had to make a stop when he saw this large fruit stand.
We then drove over to Iao Valley State Park, which is one of the top attractions in Maui. Iao Valley is formed from the remnants of Maui’s first volcano that created the western part of the island, and the valley is a narrow gorge 5 miles long, flanked by heavily forested walls almost a mile in height. Iao Valley is also the site of one of the Hawaii’s most famous battles, the battle of Kepaniwai in 1790 when King Kamehameha I destroyed the Maui army of Kalanikupule in an effort to unite the Hawaiian Islands.
Iao Valley State Park
The Iao Needle (on the left side of the photo) is a volcanic monolith 2,250 feet high, soaring nearly straight up 1200 feet from the valley floor. This is widely considered a lookout for warriors of Maui, and the view from the bottom is quite impressive.
The Iao Valley was very lush, green, and beautiful.
Mio looking uncomfortable on Dan’s back.
The family at Iao Valley State Park
Ted and Miwa are mimicking Dan’s pose. Kosei was not a very good sport and didn’t want to play along.
Miwa and I against the lush mountains of Iao Valley
It is said that during the battle of Kepaniwai (“damming of the waters”), the Iao river ran red with blood all the way to the ocean and that the number of warriors fallen held back the waters of the river, thus the name given to the battle. There’s some morbid historical background for ya…
Look at these ginormous leaves! You could use them as umbrellas, like in Totoro!
For lunch, we stopped by Pukalani Superette and bought a whole bunch of poke, musubi, and other Hawaiian dishes to share and ate picnic style.
In the afternoon, we checked into the private cottage rental in Kihei and got settled in, resting and cooling down.
Mio was so hot that she refused to wear clothes.
Although I have to admit, there’s something really adorable and cherubic about a baby clad only in a diaper…
Mio, only a few days away from turning 16 months old.
Cheesing with Mama’s sunglasses.
After getting some rest and settling in, we walked over to the ocean which was right by the cottage, so we could get some beach time before we lost daylight.
Making our way down to the beach in Kihei
The beach was conveniently right by our cottage.
Sharing a mother-daughter moment on the beach.
There was no one else there, and we had the whole beach to ourselves! Although the beach wasn’t as breathtaking and manicured as those in West Maui, it was really peaceful.
The ladies! 🙂 All of us (with the exception of Dan, so all of the Yokoyamas) were frequently mistaken as locals. With our darker complexions and Asian background, I guess we look Hawaiian to some people.
Soaking in the last of the sun’s rays.
The boys frolicking on the beach. Mio couldn’t stop laughing as Daddy held her and her uncles ran circles around her.
We retired early that night, since we had an early wakeup ahead of us the next day to catch the sunrise at the Haleakala summit! 🙂
With the rest of the family having arrived the night before, we could finally get our vacation off to a start with everyone on our second day in Maui. We fixed breakfast together, took a dip in the pool at our lodging, and then set out to hit the beaches!
A sleepy Mio with her morning pick-me-up. lol
Preparing breakfast in the kitchen of the 2 bedroom condo we rented during our first three days in Lahaina.
My brother Ted swimming in the pool.
Mio had a great time in the pool with everyone!
Driving to Kaanapali Beach.
Mio and I at Kaanapali Beach.
A sandy-faced Mio.
Dan teaching my brother Kosei how to snorkel.
The girls soaking up some sun.
Kaanapali is one of the resort areas of Maui, and it was really gorgeous with its clear blue waters, smooth sand, and well-manicured grounds.
Dipping our feet in the water… Mio does not look very excited, probably because she’d just woken up.
A video of Mio giggling while playing on the beach with Uncle Ted:
After a couple hours at Kaanapali Beach, we moved a little further south in West Maui to Launiupoko Beach, which had a rocky cove, and had sand that was a lot darker, almost like a black sand beach. It was different from Kaanapali but still very beautiful!
A beautiful photo taken by my brother Ted.
My sister Miwa and I at Launiupoko Beach.
Gorgeous skies and water!
My sister and I trying not to crack up while posing for our “candid” photo.
It was so relaxing to just sit on the beach!
Dan and Mio playing in the sand
Sand creations in the gray (black?) sand.
Our family at Launiupoko Beach
My brothers and sister playing frisbee in the water.
Meanwhile, Dan, Mio, and I played in the sand.
Watching the waves come in.
Mio was a little apprehensive of the waters, but she felt safe with her aunt and uncles.
Later in the afternoon, we drove over to downtown Lahaina area to visit the Banyan Tree Park.
Mio is all smiles with Daddy!
Our family by the Banyan Tree
The Yokoyama siblings
Our first time in Maui!
The Banyan tree forms multiple trunks from roots that drop down from its branches. Here’s Dan and I by one of the clusters of its several trunks.
The huge central trunk of the Banyan Tree.
Mio’s face in this picture cracks me up…
We then walked around downtown Lahaina and did some souvenir shopping, and enjoyed an afternoon snack at Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice stand.
We had heard from our friend that Ululani’s had the best shave ice in all of the Hawaiian islands, and we were at first skeptical. Our favorite shave ice during our last trip to Hawaii was Waiola Shave Ice in Honolulu, which we’d found out about from our friends who had lived in Oahu who told us it was so much better than the more famous Matsumoto’s Shave Ice (and sure enough, Waiola was 10 times better than Matsumoto’s)! Dan and I have been having cravings for Waiola since our trip two years ago, so it was hard to imagine any shave ice could be better than Waiola — but we were pleasantly surprised to find that Ululani’s ice was really similar to Waiola, but even better! The ice was really fine and soft, the flavor variety expansive with their locally made syrup, combined with lots of great topping choices (like sweet cream, azuki beans, mochi pieces, and the option of adding ice cream at the bottom), and they poke holes throughout the shaved ice before pouring the syrup on so that it gets evenly saturated. It was truly shave ice perfection — so amazing! Ululani’s has since dethroned Waiola in our minds, and it’s now the new shave ice we dream of tasting again. (Thank you Komy for recommending it to us!)
The wait was really long, but it was well worth it!
I had watermelon, mango, and lychee flavored shave ice with mochi pieces.
Obligatory pictures of every one with their shave ice…
Kosei in mid-complaint about Ululani’s being out of azuki beans.
Mio got to try a couple bites, too!
After a fun-filled day, we headed back to the condo to wash up, cook and eat dinner, and play board games at night (our favorite thing to do when we’re reunited with my siblings). I’ll post about Day Three next, in which we explore more of West Maui! 😀
(Special thanks to my brother Ted for taking some of the amazing photos that were used in this post.)
An oldie but goodie… a video of Mio “dancing” — or flailing her arms and bobbing her head — to LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem with her Auntie Miwa and Uncle Ted, during Christmastime when we were visiting Virginia. (You can hear my mom’s worried shrieks in the background…)
Mio has actually loved Party Rock Anthem since her Auntie Miwa kept playing it for her when she was 3 months old when we visited in June. When she hears the song, she’ll stop what she’s doing and start bobbing her head to it and clapping!
