MAUI, Hawaii

Maui is a very short flight (under an hour) from Honolulu and is known for having the most miles of swimmable beach of all of the Hawaiian islands. The water is warm and the sand comes in a picturesque variety of black, red and white.

1. ROAD TO HANA

A scenic coastal drive down the very windy Hana Highway. It is a long road with many points of interests to stop by along the way, so the best way to complete this road trip is to do it over a few days - especially if you want to travel past Hana to the Seven Sacred Pools. The road is extremely narrow and windy, so you will have to take care when driving. We had at least one passenger vomit on the side of the road (but it wasn't me). You should avoid driving back at night and in bad weather. I suggest bringing supplies for a packed lunch as food options along the Highway can be limited.

We downloaded the Road to Hana Maui GyPSy Guide app onto one smartphone for a guided tour experience. The guide alerts you to different stops, sights, information and stories on the road. The app uses your device's location abilities to play the commentary automatically, even when you are offline.

PAIA TOWN

This is a cute little beach town at the beginning of the road to Hana. It will be the biggest town you will see on the whole of your road trip so you may want to stay overnight at the start or end of your road trip. I would definitely at least stop for food and to explore. There is an array of local cuisine including the famous Paia Fish Market, that serves fresh, tasty seafood lunches.

HO'OKIPA BEACH PARK FOR TURTLE WATCHING

A little down from Paia is a beach where turtles come from the sea to sleep in the late afternoon. When we went there we could count more than 100 turtles lying out in the sun and many more bobbing in the water and making their way onto the beach. If you were just walking by they could be mistaken for rocks on the beach. You can watch the turtles from a viewing platform above or at sea level.

THE 4 FALLS OF NA'ILI'ILI-HAELE

This is a short hike through a bamboo forest and a stream to four waterfalls. We had to walk a plank over a ditch which was probably the scariest part, but it was sturdy.

8310 Hana Hwy, Haiku.

TRY ALL THE BANANA BREAD

Banana bread is famous in Maui where bananas thrive in the tropical weather. You can try to taste all of the banana bread on the Road to Hana. Admittedly, we only went to Hana Farms at mile marker 31 on the Hana Hwy, but kept going back because we couldn't imagine a better banana bread. At that farm stand, you can get a variety of delicious banana breads (traditional banana, chocolate chip, macadamia, pineapple) and our favourite discovery - banana JAMS to spread over banana bread for an extra sugar kick. Tip: Banana bread is handy hiking snack.

WAI'ANAPANAPA STATE PARK (BLACK SAND BEACH)

Picturesque black sand beach with hiking trails, caves, swimming and ocean views. The water is rough but strong swimmers will find it fun.

KAIHALULU BEACH (RED SAND BEACH)

This was my highlight of the trip because the beach was so unique. From the end of Uakea Road in Hana, walk a short trail to a stunning red sand beach with crashing blue waves. The trail is not maintained and is a little slippery, but it meant that the beach was pretty secluded. The waves crash pretty violently on the reef, but we We had so much fun swimming in the rough waters.

WAILUA FALLS

Maui's most photographed waterfall is a quick stop off at the side of the road past Hana and on the way to the Seven Sacred Pools. There is a parking area so that you can stop and walk closer into the waterfall.

SEVEN SACRED POOLS AT OHE'O

Further on past Hana, you will find numerous freshwater pools fed by flowing waterfalls. The pools are popular for swimming, but when we visited they were closed. As part of the Haleakala National Park, there is an admission fee ($15 per car) - but the admission ticket can also be used to visit the Haleakala Summit on another day.

PIPIWAI TRAIL TO WAIMOKU FALLS

From the same carpark as the Seven Sacred Pools, is a well-maintained trail (through a bamboo forest) to Waimoku Falls. I suspect it is always a bit rainy on this particular mountain. Even in the wet weather, the trail was pretty safe. To get to the base of the falls for a closer view, we had to cross a small stream - but there is a nice view just from the path if you're not game for a river crossing challenge.

There are many more stops on the Road to Hana that you can do, but our jeep broke down so we lost a day. The nearest big town to Hana is about 3 hours away. Luckily Maui is not the worst place to break down in. There was a beach nearby and a local family let us hang out at their place while we waited for a replacement car.

2. SUNRISE AT HALEAKALA

We drove to the top of a dormant volcano to watch the sunrise. It gets icy cold up the top so bring multiple layers of clothing and blankets. I literally rolled out of my bed into the car in my pyjamas. You must book parking (free) well in advance through https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/facility/253731 – a small number of last-minute tickets are released online two days beforehand at 4 pm if you are waiting to see the weather like we did, but obviously cannot be guaranteed. It was a stressful time not knowing!

Another way is to book a sunrise bike tour. A bike company will drive and drop you off at the top for sunrise and then you can ride down the volcano afterwards. My sister did this and said the bikes go super fast! So fun! We were going to do this if we couldn’t get a car park. If we had more time, I would have liked to do some hikes around Haleakala. Volcanoes are so cool!

3. SNORKEL AT MOLOKINI CRATER

Molokini Crater is a crescent-shaped, partially submerged crater which is home to lots of marine life. It's great for snorkelling due to the clear waters. I have given up boats since suffering the worst sea sickness in my life in Kauai, but I was so jealous of my friends who swam with turtles.

4. ULULANI'S SHAVE ICE

Lahaina, Kihei, Kahului, Paia, Kailua-Kona,

A cup thinly shaved ice, soaked in three syrup flavours of your choice (choose from 45 different flavours including fruity flavours, drink flavours like cola and root beer, chocolate and coconut) and optional condensed milk and macadamia ice cream (strongly recommend) for extra creaminess. This is NOT to be mistaken for the worst ice treat ever, the snow cone. Because the ice is shaved and not crushed, it tastes way more like ice cream than ice. Ululani’s is only found in Maui and I might have gone to every single one. You will find other shave ice vendors around but we thought Ululani’s had perfected the ice-to-syrup ratio. And if they miss a spot or you've dried up, Ululani's policy is that you should come right back to the front of the line for a syrup top-up.

5. GESTE SHRIMP TRUCK

2001 Kahului Beach Rd, Kahului

After a long, rainy hike through lunch time, we wolfed down hot, garlicky, buttery shrimp plates from Geste’s famous shrimp truck which is permanently parked on the beach side of Kahului Beach Road. Geste serves their delicious hot shrimp with rice, salad and mac and cheese. There is no seating area at all, so we ate on the beach. We topped off our meal with some sweet shave ice from Ululani's nearby.

6. SOUTH MAUI FISH COMPANY

22 Alahele Pl, Kihei

This seafood truck in Kihei was so popular that it had sold out the first two times we tried to eat here. Local freshly caught fish is on the menu and served as ahi poke, fish tacos, ceviche and fish curry. Tip: While you are in Kihei, you can swing by one of the nicest Ululani's for dessert. This one has a colourful outdoor seating area.

7. IAO VALLEY

End of Iao Valley Rd, Wailuku

Iao Valley is full of green mountains, lush valleys and Ancient Hawaiian history. Hawaiian kings and rulers of the past are buried in secret places around the valley, and it was also the setting for the seventeenth century Battle of Kepaniwai. There is an easy paved path and steps leading to an observation deck, where you can view the valley's main attraction, the Iao Needle. Once you get to the top, there are more trails behind the "do not enter" signs. As the paths were generally unmarked, I suspect that we got extremely lost. Nevertheless, there's a peacefulness about being lost in the wildnerness. It was misty and drizzling intermittently during our hike, which is not unusual, as the Iao Valley is the second rainiest place in Hawaii.

8. WAIHE'E RIDGE TRAIL

Kahekili Hwy, Wailuku

A tricky hike into the clouds with spectacular views of the ocean, valleys and lush greenery. The trail itself is pretty straightforward, but gets extremely muddy and slippery when it is wet so I would only do this in dry conditions and on a clear day for the best views. One of the girls sprained her wrist in a fall and we saw many more mud-smeared hikers on their way down.