This morning our internal alarm clock had us up bright and early (likely a combination of an early night and the time difference). Surprisingly, we were feeling pretty refreshed thanks to our comfortable campervan bed. We weren’t upset about the early rise and actually took advantage of it…hey who doesn’t love an early start to our adventurous day! We began our morning with a homemade breakfast (BEC on sweet Hawaiian rolls) hawaiian sun juice and coffee…so nice having our own kitchen in the van!
After a homey breakfast, we made our way north up the west coast to check out Napalele Blowhole and the Acid War Zone Trail in Wailuku.
The blowhole is most prominent during high tide, so it’s worth checking the local tide charts prior to arriving. It’s also worth noting that north of Kapalua the road gets pretty windy and the elevation begins to increase. The blowhole can be found right after mile marker 38, so we were on the lookout for it, as it’s one of the only ways to find it.
Careful driving is a necessity in northwest Maui, especially with a vehicle as wide as our campervan.
As we reached mile marker 38, there was a parking area to the left. There were a few paths right off the parking lot so we figured this was the trail towards the blowhole. We soon found out that we were on the Acid War Trail (which leads to a slightly different cliffside), so we continued on!
We walked along the cliff to look for the blowhole further down the trail, but we couldn’t find it exactly. We saw crashing waves that sprayed up in the area, but we’re positive it was the “blowhole.” After taking some time to appreciate the landscape and geology of this area, we made our way back to our car and began driving south towards Honolua Bay.
Honolua Bay is a very popular spot for snorkeling. There are a few different parking options right off the road, which lead to a trail to a pretty rocky beach. Because of the rockiness, it’s not really a typical beach, but don’t let the rockiness deter you…this is one of the best snorkeling spots on the island, and the reefs begin right off shore.
We swam around the bay for a little over an hour because the underwater wildlife was just so amazing! By the time we made it back to our campervan and rinsed off, we realized just how hungry we were. It was only around 11am, but we were hungry and decided to head towards the town of Kapalua for a highly anticipated lunch at Joey’s Kitchen. It’s a total coincidence that this kitchen is named after Joey AND serves Filipino cuisine! We ordered lechon kawali (crispy pork belly) with white rice and macaroni/potato salad, and their famous loco moco (Guy Fieri approved). This is definitely a must-stop if you’re in Maui! Everything was delicious, and we’re always encouraging others to try Filipino food.
After our DELICIOUS lunch, we drove down to the town of Lāhainā to check out a local brewery. This is another must-do when visiting Maui. There are a few different options, but we already had a fridge full of beers from Maui Brewing Company and Kona Brewing Company, so we wanted to try something more local and landed at Koholā Brewery. We shared a flight and were not disappointed. All of their beers were so good and unique to Hawaiian flavors…from macadamia nut to lilikoi (the local name for passionfruit named after a Hawaiian district in Maui)!
After our flight, we walk around Front Street, where you can find all the shops, restaurants, and art galleries along with picturesque views of the harbor and water (with the nearby island of Lanai in the distance). It was a pretty hot day and wanted something to cool us off, so we decided to make a quick stop at Lappert’s Ice Cream shop for their famous Lāhainā Dole Whip.
It absolutely hit the spot and by the time we finished it, we found ourselves in a nice little public park built around Maui’s oldest living banyan tree. It’s called Lāhainā Banyan Court and is right next to the historic courthouse, but also across the street from the historic Baldwin Home and our favorite store in Maui…Maui Hands (a local handicrafts store with everything made by island residents).
After we finished walking up and down Front Street, we made our way back to our van and drove back to camp to take a cool shower and rest before dinner. We decided to find something back in Lāhainā for take-out so that we can enjoy dinner at our campsite. We called in our order and decided to stop by a beach to enjoy the views while we waited for our order.
We were both craving seafood, so we decided on Paia Fish Market and ordered a blackened mahi-mahi with Cajun rice. It did not disappoint and was probably one of the best blackened fish dishes we’ve ever had!
We went to bed early because we have a pretty early morning ahead of us tomorrow. We planned a full-day snorkel adventure out to Molikini Crater through the Pacific Whale Foundation…so stay posted!