It is said that a true adventure is defined by overcoming setbacks, hurdles, and problems. Our Hawaii Family Adventure certainly meets that definition- we had booked, planned, and paid for the trip when our five year old son, EJ, exhibited a cough a few days before our departure. Our nerves began to fray as we realized his cough was unlikely to abate before our departure from Denver via aircraft.
The morning of our departure, we all woke up at 3:30 a.m., and left for the airport in our trusty Toyota 4Runner. EJ was coughing every few minutes, and we decided that the stress of having him on an airplane with such a cough was a sign that we needed to delay our departure. We huddled up, got a second set of negative COVID-19 tests, and had EJ rest. Two days after our original flight, we were in the air with a relatively cough-free child!
Traveling with children is always an interesting part of any adventure, and our kids- the before mentioned EJ and his two year old sister, Stella, did a fantastic job despite nine hours on an airplane. Let’s just say the Nintendo Switch, various card games, toys, and coloring books were all very well used by the time our plane’s wheels touched the tarmac in Kahului, Maui.
Landing in Kahului felt like a huge victory in our minds, but the next step was to stand in a seemingly endless line inside of the airport to show our negative COVID-19 test results, and to be allowed access onto the island of Maui. The Pandemic has affected everything and everyone, and we were genuinely amazed at how well the State of Hawaii has adapted to the challenges presented.
As we were ferried by taxi down the coastline from the airport to the Hyatt Regency in Kaanapali Beach, the realization of overcoming this adventure’s obstacles finally allowed us to breathe a sigh of relief. I’m sure the smell of the ocean and the surrounding beaches and mountains helped our mental calmness too.
One of the fun parts of this kind of adventure is when you pull up to your hotel for the first time and you get to see the expansive lobby and people bustling about. After again showing the hotel staff our negative COVID-19 test results, we obtained our connecting rooms with a partial ocean view, which was an amazing mix of green and lush mountains coupled with the soothing sound of waves crashing onto the white sandy beach of Kaanapali.
Being jet-lagged, hungry, and shell-shocked from a full day of air travel, we all mossed down to the poolside restaurant, ‘Umalu. We sat down and stared at the beautiful ocean which was buttressed by a stunning hotel pool complete with a waterfall. Despite heavy winds, we enjoyed our first meal and were excited to start the first chapter of the Rugrats Adventure Diary (RAD), a video series made by Get Out There Colorado.
After resting up, our first full day in Maui was spent playing in the ocean with the kids. EJ developed a deep affinity for allowing incoming waves to crash into him and topple him over. After what seemed like an infinite number of waves, we moved to the pool where EJ and Stella swam and practiced using their snorkel gear.
It’s no secret that Get Out There Colorado prides itself on merging adventure travel with vehicles when it’s possible. We recognized that bringing a vehicle to Hawaii was not realistic (being an island oasis thousands of miles from home!) However, we decided we could adopt a temporary Jeep into the fold for this trip- and ended up with a teal green 2020 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara from Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
The second day of our trip was an exploration day that led us to South Maui (Kihei and Wailea). We marveled at how popular Jeep Wranglers, Jeep Gladiators, and Toyota Tacomas are on the roads of Maui. It felt as though the people of Maui recognize how cool it is to have vehicles that lead you to experiences and hobbies- and seeing the surf boards strapped to all sorts of vehicles was great fun to see.
We ended up at Polo Beach in Kihei, which ended up being a great ocean experience for EJ because of the shallow water combined with strong waves and no rocks. The whole family loved being in the ocean and seeing the horizon, which signified endless possibilities of fun during our trip. Although we would have liked to explore South Maui more, we had a scheduled snorkeling tour on the Four Winds II. As we parked the trusty Jeep in the harbor parking lot in Maalaea, the wind was ferocious.
We were happy to have come prepared with comfortable rain jackets to protect us from the wind. EJ and Stella were enthralled with the activity on the boat as we worked our way out of the harbor into the open sea. As we were leaving, the offer was made to participate in Snuba, which is surface-supplied diving in which you can go much deeper than traditional snorkeling without scuba certifications.
I decided to sign myself up for Snuba with Carolynn’s blessing (she had to watch the kids while I was participating). After undergoing a brief lecture, I found myself under the ocean with a 15 foot hose attached to my regulator. I got to see schools of colorful fish and even a sea turtle. I enjoyed the experience tremendously, and it has stoked a desire to explore beneath the ocean even more!
EJ and Stella loved the glass bottom on the boat and watching the fish swim around the boat as they seemed to put on a show for the snorkelers surrounding them. Carolynn and EJ even went snorkeling themselves, and EJ was eager to point out all the fish he had seen on an information poster in the galley of the boat. EJ would claim the “boat tour” was his favorite part of the entire trip. I think it’s safe to say our family will have some more maritime based adventures!
The third day brought high winds to Kaanapali Beach, and we decided to take advantage of the fact that we had a Jeep that was ready to go anywhere. We launched our way from the hotel towards Thompson Road, which is a scenic road located high in the mountains above Kahului. On our way, we decided to stop off at the “Costco Food Truck Lot,” which is so-named for it’s location right across the street from Costco in Kahului. Having all sorts of food trucks with various cuisines available to us was great fun. Carolynn and the kids had burgers while I enjoyed shrimp tacos. We even got some delicious coffees from Kraken Coffee.
As we wound our way up in elevation towards Thompson Road, it was a bit mentally perplexing to be somewhere in which you could drive from sea-level to the elevation of Denver (5,280 feet) in the span of an hour. The scenery changed from palm trees to beautiful purple Jacaranda trees, which reminded Carolynn of the Lorax by Dr. Seuss. Before beginning Thompson Road, we stopped at a locally-owned gas station perched on the side of the mountain, where we re-supplied with fuel.
Thompson Road’s entrance was nestled off the left side of the road just up the hill from the gas station. The road, which is paved, is narrow and winds along a lava rock wall that marks a large ranch on both sides. We saw plenty of roosters, horses, and hikers. Of course, the piece de resistance was the amazing view of the ocean down the hillside beyond the green grass of the lush Hawaii landscape.
We enjoyed the road immensely, it found it to be a relaxing way to experience Maui from a higher elevation. The air was crisp and the skies punctuated with beautiful red birds. Thompson Road proved to be no challenge for our road-tire equipped Jeep. We recommend that you Get Out There no matter where you are, and truly believe exploration is soothing for the mind and soul. Have fun!
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