Two Days in Kahului, Maui, Hawaii

The first stop on our seven-day Hawaiian cruise was the port city of Kahului, Maui. We stayed in this luxurious beachfront city for two days and one night. The boat docked first thing in the morning, and we were up bright and early to babysit and watch a stunning sunrise over the hazy mountains nearby.

We had a full day of watching kids ahead of us, but thanks to the family we were nannying for, we had an excursion booked for that evening. The guided tour up to Haleakala National Park to see the volcanic erosion and watch the sun set above the clouds had been booked through Norwegian Cruise Lines.

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​We hopped on a tour bus just outside the cruise’s security checks and started our journey out of town and into the mountains. We got an incredible tour of the town of Maui as we were driving up the mountain. Our guide pointed out different landmarks, houses, and plant life as we passed along the way.

The view from inside our tour bus.

We started at Kahului and worked up Haleakala Highway to the summit.

The plaque at the first stop point inside the national park.

Walking around our first stop area.

​We made several stops as we progressed up the slope to become acclimated to the altitude,  and our first stop was 7,000 feet above sea level. We continued up to the top getting higher and higher above the clouds. It was such an unbelievable feeling to see clouds from above while walking around the volcanic crater. ​

High up above the clouds!

The view into the crater itself.

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​Once the sun set, we had to leave quickly. The temperature dropped drastically, and the long, windy road down was already difficult enough in a tour van, and the creeping darkness made it even more difficult. ​

Where we spent our day on Wailea Beach.

The next morning, we woke up early again. This time, we were on our way to see the famous Maui beaches. We took another previously booked tour bus to Wailea Beach. Our group of 14 claimed beach chairs and umbrellas so that we each had to a place to sit. There was also enough room to lay out towels for the children.

We spent the entire day playing frisbee, making sand mermaids out of each other, and relaxing. We thought about renting kayaks or even taking a banana boat, but we decided to stay and wander up and down the beach instead. It was so nice to spend the day together enjoying the wonderful, sandy beaches of Maui.

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We saw the humpback whales from this viewpoint.

We eventually had to pack up and take the bus back to the cruise ship, but we were lucky to have the children with us. They were looking behind us and saw that a humpback whale was breaching! Even though we never saw a full tail come up, it was so cool to see even part of a whale in its natural habitat.

I did not know this until we arrived, but Maui is the breeding ground for a majority of the world’s humpback population during the winter months! It seemed like everywhere we went there was so much to see and learn on this wonderful Hawaiian Island.

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If you want to see more from our entire trip around Hawaii you can visit my Hawaii Homepage HERE! 

You can also watch my YouTube videos to see even more!

Similar Links: 
Seven Day Hawaiian Cruise
Snorkeling and Exploring Kona
Haleakala National Park at Sunset