We had to be up very early today to drive 20 minutes to Maaleala Harbour and check in by 8am for our boat trip with the Pacific Whale Foundation. As we left the harbour, the captain told us that we were unable to go to Molokini as planned due to adverse weather and we'd be making two snorkelling stops in Lanai'i instead. After the Great Barrier Reef, the snorkelling was unimpressive, but we did get to see lots of humpback whales and spinner dolphins during the d...

Dean made it to the welcome meeting, while Julie had a lie-in. The welcome meeting was a waste of time though - no information given, the free breakfast was about worthless and the raffle to win a free excursion didn't happen. Still at least it had stopped raining and looked like it was going to be a lovely, sunny day. We drove about 10 miles up the coast to Napili Bay because one of the excisions saleswomen we spoke to yesterday told us that there were turtles ...

We boarded a pretty early flight in Hilo for the 30-minute flight to Kahului airport on Maui for the relaxing leg of our trip. Naturally, we were disappointed to see the same rain we'd left behind on Big Island waiting for us on Maui  We hired another car - a funky Chrysler Cruiser in electric blue that really stood out from the typical pick-up / jeeps we saw on the road. We are staying at the Outrigger Aina Nalu - by far the nicest hotel of our trip. We had ...

After 40+ days of travelling and excursions most days, we just wanted to relax. So we drove 5 miles along the coast to Richardson Beach Park. The beach itself was black volcanic sand, but what else can one expect on an island with 5 volcanoes? The lazy day continued with early dinner at an extremely popular Thai restaurant - even at 5:45pm! We followed that with a trip to see the rom-com Just Go With It at the cinema.

We woke early today and began a grand circle tour of the island. First, we drove along the northern coastal highway, stopping at Akaka falls and the Waipi'o lookout. The falls were OK, but since we recently went to Niagara Falls, we are difficult to impress  The Waipi'o lookout was stunning. It's one of the last remaining undeveloped coves on the island due to it's significance to the indigenous population. From the lookout, there's a picture postcard view of...