Okay, okay so I know it's taken me a while to finish my Hawaii travel diary posts, but this is the third and final recap on Maui!
I had so much content to share and I didn't want to leave anything out. I especially couldn't leave out two of the cutest towns in Maui, which is exactly what this part III is all about.
So let's start, shall we? : )
Lahaina
This is where I saw my first Hawaiian rainbow, not to mention one of the most stunning sunsets over the ocean. It has an old town vibe but sure doesn't lack in beauty.
If you're in Maui, going to Lahaina is a must.
We visited twice and the first time, I wore a unique cover-up over a black bodysuit and black lace shorts. We walked around, had dinner at the cutest restaurant called Kimo's, and explored the town full of cute shops and restaurants. Plus, enjoyed great views along the water.
Our second visit to Lahaina was for the Old Lahaina Luau.
We arrived to the town early to explore before heading to the Luau and I was able to see my first Bayan tree!
It was planted in Lahaina on April 24, 1873. Yes, it's 144 years old.
It was the most incredible tree I've ever seen in my entire life. I couldn't believe that even though I felt like I was surrounded by 40 trees, it was just one giant tree.
I'm not a horticulture expert by any means, but basically the tree drops vines down that eventually reroot and grow back into the ground creating multiple looking"tree trunks" even though it's one continuous tree. Sorry if I did a terrible job explaining that, but it is pretty remarkable to see.
After exploring the Bayan tree, we made it to the Luau and lemme tell ya, this experience was COOL.
The scenery, the ceremony, the setting, the food, the drinks, everything was fun and incredible. They started by giving everyone a flower lei, then had a ceremony where they uncovered the buried hog that we would eat for dinner. This was followed with a giant buffet and endless drinks. The night ended with a show and the sunset.
It was one of my favorite things that we did in Hawaii.
Up Next : Paia
On our first visit to Paia, we ate at Milagros Resturant where I discovered POG juice ( insert heart eyes emoji ).
If you didn't know, I am such a juice lover. Give me any kind of fruit juice and I'm happy. Well POG juice is a combination of Passion fruit, Oranges & Guava... so yes, it's amazing.
This juice is a big thing in Hawaii. I mean, it's sold in cans, like soda cans. Do you think they would ship a case of this stuff to the states? I should look into it; I'll get back to you on that one HA.
Anyways, after a great meal, we enjoyed the town. I found Lahaina and Paia very similar. We came back to Paia the second time for the Road to Haña and the third was for an insane sunrise bike tour.
So we were up and at it around 2am, I am not kidding. We needed to be in Paia and meeting for this tour at 3am.
They packed us into vans with bikes strapped to the top and drove us two hours up a mountain. It was pretty uneventful until we got to the top of the mountain and were able to watch the neatest sunrise over the clouds. Granted it was 45 degrees at 10,023 feet up, so not ideal, but it was still beautiful to see.
The sunrise happened around 5:45am and then they drove us about 30 minutes down again until we were dropped off with our bikes.
Let me clarify that this was not a casual bike ride by any means.
I was flying straight down the side of this mountain. Well technically, I was biking straight down the Haleakala volcano and I was gripping my breaks the whole way down, very rarely having to pedal, and trying not to wipe out around the curves.
It was pretty insane, a little painful on my wrists and mentally a little freaky, but fun!
Part way down, we stopped in the town of Makawao and grabbed donuts at the recommended Komoda Store Bakery ( which has been there since 1916 ). They didn't disappoint.
The complete 27 miles down the volcano went much faster than I thought it would, definitely an awesome adventure that I never want to do again HA.
After finally arriving back in Paia, I rewarded myself with the cutest white and grey striped top from Mahina, an adorable boutique local to Maui. There are a few Mahina locations around the island and I recommend stopping there if you're into some cute clothes shopping.
Lastly, we ended the very long morning with a smoothie from one of my favorite places called, Paia Bowls. I talk more in depth about this little açaí shop in my Road to Hãna post.
Both these towns are fun with interesting activities to do!
Also, if you missed it, read Part I & Part II, my guide to the Road to Haña as well as my favorite swimwear and swim cover-up.
ANNDDD that's a wrap for my 16 day trip to Maui! I hope you loved reading as much as I loved sharing.
+ Stay up to date with my latest trip and read all about NYFW
xo Caitlin
