Oh man, we had to jump through so many hoops to get a chance to travel to Hawaii. We had to get tested for COVID and then register with the Hawaiian health department with our negative test results. We had to wear a special bracelet through the airport to prove we had tested negative and we had to maintain social distancing and wear a mask while in public but it was soooo worth it! As soon as we landed and got settled in our condo we went to the beach and it was such a breath of fresh air. The warm temperature, the peace of the ocean waves. It was really like a weight had been lifted from us and we felt like we could emerge a bit from our pandemic comas...it was fantastic.
Everyone agreed it had been way too long since we were able to fly on an airplane...off we go to Maui!
First night in Maui, on the beach. Relaxing and jumping in the waves and loving this warm evening
The boys had to still do their schooling online while we were there but Daddy took Julian on a "Waffle Break" during his classes. He was one happy boy:)
First chance to snorkel at a beach in Wailea. Julian loved it and stayed out in the ocean for about 45 minutes swimming around the rocks. I was so happy they all had a fun time with this and saw some pretty cool things.
I love this photo. Julian still loves having his Dad with him when he is nervous about trying something new.
Soaking up the sun in Wailea
When we planned our trip to Maui Hyrum and I decided we would skip the road to Hana activity. We had driven it twice before on separate trips and we knew it was a long and windy road and didn't think the boys would be interested. But we found out they had talked with a friend and decided they really wanted to drive all day on a windy road. So, we packed up early and headed out. We drove around the opposite side of the island to take the "Back Road to Hana" so we ended up getting to the Pipiwai trail before very many other people were there. This is such a great hike. It's only about 4 miles round trip but you get to see 2 great waterfalls and walk through a bamboo forest. It was wonderful to show my kids this hike I love.
When you go to Hawaii in January...it's wet! It rained a bit on us as we hiked but it wasn't terrible and the warm air made it no big deal to hike in the rain.
Beautiful banyan tree
Heading into the bamboo forest
Hyrum stood on one bridge and the rest of us went ahead and stood on the opposite bridge for this photo. You can tell how wet and rainy it had been just because the water was so crazy going over the falls.
Beautiful trail through the bamboo forest
What a unique and wonderful hike
Crossing the raging river to get a view of the Waimoku Falls
The reward at the end of the hike, this amazing 400 foot waterfall!
Some fun cows we saw on our road to Hana adventure. We thought it was pretty cute how the birds liked to perch on the backs of the cows:)
The black sand beach at Waianapanapa State Park
A great shot of Julian playing in caves at the State Park
Skipping rocks in the ocean
It was a great little stop at this State Park. There was a cute little blow hole we went and explored and it was good to get out of the car and stretch our legs
We explored a short little lava tube cave. It only took about 5 minutes to walk through the whole tube but it was a fun adventure and a good excuse to get out of the car.
Best part of a trip to Hawaii...SHAVE ICE!
After a long day in the car the day before we took a "down day" and spent the day at the beach. Everyone had fun learning to boogie board. We also did some more snorkeling. This was Maluaka Beach.
Sunday we spent on the west island of Maui. We started at Black Rock for snorkeling and got to see some beautiful fish but also a sea turtle!
We explored around the town of Lahaina. Julian climbed around the awesome banyan tree in the city courtyard
We drove to see the "Dragons Teeth" formation in Kapalua
The boys exploring the "meditation circle" in Kapalua
The amazing Nakalele blowhole...it was a fantastic day to see this blowhole. The water was shooting at least 50 feet in the air!
The boys had no school on Monday because of a teacher work day so we took the opportunity to have an adventure. We went on a sail boat out to the Molokini crater to do a bit of snorkeling. The trip was fantastic!
The twins ready to jump in and explore the crater. This was my 3rd trip out to the crater and this was the best snorkeling I have ever had. The water so super clear and there were tons of colorful fish of all shapes and sizes. It was a such a great experience.
Sailing back to the harbor. Such a gorgeous sky. We saw so many whales while out on the boat. Of course it was hard to catch any on camera. The highlight was seeing a Mama whale in the water with her baby whale jumping out of the water time and time again...just enjoying life and loving the feel of jumping. It was really cool.
After our sailboat ride we took a short hike up to see the Iao Valley.
Last full day in Maui...had to have a pancake breakfast:)
Do I really have to leave this????
Our final evening in Hawaii...sunset at Haleakala Volcano. It was cold and windy but we got there just in time to see the sun set below the horizon.
The beautiful Haleakala crater. What a wonderful way to end our Hawaiian vacation with a view from the top of the world!
Our final day in Hawaii poured down rain. The boys did some school work in the morning and then had fun playing in the hot tub at our condo while the rain poured down. It was so hard to leave this little paradise and come back to cold Portland, Oregon. Let's hope this is just one of many trips we will be able to take in 2021. Hyrum is vaccinated for COVID and I'm hoping by the Spring or early Summer the rest of us can get vaccinations. I loved being able to explore and enjoy a new and different part of the world...soooo tired of being at home!
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