Weddingbee Blog

Here we are  with part 2 of our top ten list from the fabulous Maui honeymoon. If you missed part 1, you can find it here.

5…Snorkeling

I have mixed feelings about snorkeling, but it is still in my top five because witnessing reef life is magical. Once I got used to it, I seriously enjoyed it, but the road to serious enjoyment was not easy.

We started the day at beautiful Honolua Bay. I chose this spot to start with because the water was calm and I wouldn’t have to deal with waves on my first time out. Needless to say, I was excited and nervous. I not only had to get over my mental block having to do with sharks, but the snorkel gear made me feel seriously claustrophobic. Mr Waffle is a veteran snorkeler, so he held my hand and showed me the ropes.

Honolua Bay turned out to be too cold after a while in the water, but it was a good place to practice and see a large variety of fish. According to a few people, there were turtles further out in the deeper water. Unfortunately, my shark phobia and the cold water proved to be a huge barrier between me and swimming with turtles. Later in the day we snorkeled around Ka’anapali Beach where we were staying and it was much more enjoyable! The water was clearer, the fish were plentiful and I was close to shore!

If you’re a 4-eyes like me, many places have prescription mask rentals for a few dollars more than a regular rental. We got ours at Snorkel Bob’s!

4…A Day at the Beach

We spent a lot of time relaxing on the beach, but this day was special. Just sunning and reading is too boring for me. I’m a girl that needs to be active, so Mr Waffle came up with the perfect set of fun beach activities to keep me happy.

We built a sandcastle. For a guy who grew up in England, Waffle is a pro at this!

I even let him bury me in the sand and give me a mermaid tail.

Nothin’ says love like letting your new husband bury you in the beach and getting sand all down your pants!

3…Nakalele Blowhole

This was sooooooo cool…once we found it.

On the northernmost tip of Maui, the blowhole is a point where the ocean has worn away a shelf under the lava rock shoreline and bursts up through a hole creating a geyser-like effect. Depending on the surf conditions, it can shoot up as high as 70 - 100 feet in the air! If you actually decide to take the steep hike down to it, like we did, you should expect to get wet. We were completely soaked!

The rocky shoreline surrounding the blowhole is magnificent when set against the raging surf.

2…Dolphin Watching

Spinner dolphins! In the wild! Ahhhhhh!

If you decide to go on a dolphin/whale watching or snorkeling excursion in Maui, I highly suggest you go with Pacific Whale Foundation. They are a non-profit organization and all proceeds go towards conservation and education. They also have a specialist on board (ours was a girl who had just graduated with a marine biology degree and was working as a researcher for them) who explains what you’re seeing and can answer pretty much any question you ask.

Our boat took us across the channel to the island of Lana’i. There, in one of the bays, we encountered a large pod of spinner dolphins. Boy do they ever jump and spin! They are only 5-6′ in length and lightning fast. Photographing those suckers was hard, so I’m really glad Mr Waffle whipped out the iPhone and caught video footage! I did snap one lucky jumping shot at the very end though!

1…Road to Hana

This is a magical mini road trip that is all about the journey and not the destination.

Hana Highway is, mostly, a narrow winding and curling road that goes around the northeast coast and down to the town of Hana with majestic gems of waterfalls and natural pools hidden a hike away behind mile markers and fruit stands. We used our guidebook in this epic, grown-up scavenger hunt, but you can also purchase a CD for roughly $20 pretty much anywhere. Then, you can see things like this…

OK, so you won’t really see a T-Rex, but when you’re riding around in a Jeep it does seem a bit Jurassic Park. Mr Waffle made me take a “running and screaming” picture just so he could Photoshop it like so. Silly old Waffle.

Our favorite stop was at Wai’anapanapa (why-ah-nah-pah-nah-pah).

It’s a stunning black lava rock and sand beach. All of the contrasts in colors and textures sent my arty, designery senses into overload.

We will miss Maui sooooo much, but we know in our hearts we will be back there someday!

Have you been to Maui? What are your favorite things to do there?