Last year, we convinced Chad’s family to spend the New Year in Hawaii. Really, Chad’s brother Timmy will be graduating this coming May, and we wanted to celebrate with a trip to the best place in the world. You might be thinking, “Didn’t you just go to Hawaii?” And yes. We did – with my family in 2012!  I have been to  Hawaii 4 times now. In the past, I’ve visited Maui, Oahu, and Lanai. This trip, we returned for a week on Maui and a week on Kauai as well! Honestly? I’m still not ready to retire this destination as a dream come true. I still haven’t had enough, especially after this trip.

Tomorrow I’ll be posting part two, and it will be ALL FILM! Eek! But for now, here is a small selection of the digitals. For the photographers wondering, I brought my backup BACKUP, a Canon 30D and a 35mm film camera. I also brought a 50 1.2, and had full intention to bring a wide angle, but left it at home on accident. So, here they are with a little bit of narrative!

Maui, Ho’okipa Lookout. The waves were pretty big, but I’m guessing conditions weren’t the best. There were only a few surfers in the water. On good days, this place is SWAMPED. We were on our way out to Jaws, but some locals told us that unless the conditions are right, it’s not worth the hike. It’s about a mile hike through private property, and Jaws is several hundred yards off shore. Identifying it without waves is near impossible for tourists like us.

If you look, just under the lip of the wave, there is a little surfer guy paddling. It really gave these waves perspective. Even when you are standing there, you can’t tell how big they are until you see a person.

West Maui, Honolua Bay. Chad, Timmy, and I drove up to Kapalua and beyond to explore a little. Honolua Bay is an iconic landmark that has a lot of political and environmental issues surrounding it. But when we were there, we just watched this man watch the sunset. Every once in a while, like magic, a swell would rise out of the ocean and he’d catch a wave.

Upcountry Maui, Thompson Rd. This is one place to which I’d go back a thousand times. It’s quiet, it’s green, it’s hardly developed, and it’s good enough for Oprah. Yes, that’s right. Oprah has a sprawling farm situated on Thompson Rd. If you actually make a trip here, you HAVE to eat at Grandma’s Coffee House. And order… everything on the menu.

The Road to Hana. There is a cafe called Kihei Cafe that most people will tell you to go to. And next time I will. Maybe. Because these are the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had. Chad and I shared one. Anyway, the R2H is a must do. We keep saying that we have to go back and actually STAY in Hana. Not because Hana is “so great.” It’s fine. But because it takes about 3/4 hours to drive [with a ton of stops and waterfall swims] to Hana. Once you get there, you have the option to keep going. Our favorite location is the park about 3 miles short of Hana: Waianapanapa State Park. Black sand beaches, freshwater caves, trails… it’s unreal, y’all.

Kauai.

Ke’e State Beach Park. We drove allllllllllllll the way, as far as we could go around the island. The end of the road put us here. The start of the Kalalau Trail – 11 miles one way to the Napali Coast.  It’s a dream to hike that one day. But I don’t know if I could get past mile 7.

Hanalei Bay. This is the most eclectic group of people I’ve ever seen. But the coolest thing was seeing about 30 5-10 year old’s out in the bay surfing. The would catch any wave they could.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s film post!