Maui Travel and Activities Blog

Maui Vacation Network is ready for Summer!

2006-06-13T14:22:00.000-10:00

Aloha,
I have had not time to update this blog lately. Sorry, I have been busy finishing updates on Maui Luau Guide and on Maui Vacation Network and now I can say they are ready to go! Hopefully, this means I will have time to start adding some new posts about all the great Maui activities.

If you are looking for info on Maui luaus be sure to check out all the new updates at Maui Luau Guide we also added on a totally new ordering process with 128 bit encryption to guarantee your information security.

For any other Maui info or needs try our Maui Vacation Network. Here we have all the info you could need. Find out how to rent snorkel gear near where you will be staying. Take a look at our excellent Maui snorkel map to find the best beaches for you to visit while in Maui. Some of my favorites include Honolua, Napili and Ka'anapali on the West side. For Maui helicopter tours we have all the best info and trips start as cheap as $89.95! If you are looking for a great Molokini snorkel tour we offer a full morning two stop trip for only $59.95. All credit card transactions are safely protected using 128 bit encryption here as well.

Maui Activity for the Family - Maui Ocean Center

2006-02-05T08:35:00.000-10:00

Maui boasts an incredible amount of activities for a vacationer to enjoy. Many are great for families but a few are not. Some of my favorite Maui family activities include taking in a luau, snorkeling, hanging out at the beach and fun short Maui hikes. I have recently added a new one to my list of favorites, The Maui Ocean Center.
The Maui Ocean center is a well run, top notch aquarium center. From the moment we entered, I was impressed with the cleanliness, and well thought out organization of the aquarium center. I have visited many other aquariums, including New Orlean's aquarium and Monterey Bay's and this compares quite favorably.
Located at Ma'alaea Harbor, it is centrally located and just a short drive from any of the major hotel destinations. From Lahaina it is about a twenty five minute drive and from Kihei it is only about a ten or fifteen minute drive. If you are staying in Wailea, Kapalua or Kahana just add five or ten minutes to this time.
When you enter the grounds, you will be directed to your right to begin the tour, where a small pond awaits with crystal clear waters. In the pond are a variety of Hawaiian reef fish. If you have snorkeled in Hawaii, you may be familiar with a number of the pond's inhabitants and if you have not, you may find that you would love to try out snorkeling soon.
Adjacent to the pond, is the "Living Reef" exhibit. As you enter, you are treated to a view of the pond at eye level. This is a great start and you will find it only gets better! Throughout this exhibit there are numerous, well maintained aquariums representing all the different kinds of environments you are likely to encounter in Hawaiian waters. The fish you encounter here range from the beautiful, to whimsical to down right odd. I'm sure that every family member will have a favorite fish after this encounter. My wife quipped that she might never eat fish again, "they are all just too beautiful."
As you leave the "Living Reef" area you will find to your left the "Turtle Lagoon." Again you can view the honu from above the water, or head down a few stairs to view the turtles through a window into the pond putting you at eye level with these graceful creatures. Honu is Hawaiian for sea turtle. Just to the right of the honu pond you will find the "Discovery Pool" where you can see and touch starfish and anemone. Also in this outside area is one of my favorites, the "Hammerhead Harbor." Large glass windows give you an opportunity to get eye to eye with several small hammerheads.
The next attraction is the "Open Ocean." Here you will find all sorts of info about the whales which visit Maui every year, along with interesting interactive presentations to help you and your family learn more about these amazing creatures. One of my wife's favorites is in this exhibit as well, in a large cylindrical tube illuminated by black light there are hundreds of phosphorescent jelly fish. Seating is arranged around the tube for viewing of this beautiful, peaceful display. Right around the corner is my favorite, the large open ocean aquarium. This mammoth aquarium features viewing from many different angles, as well as a walk through tube where you will find sharks and rays gliding by directly overhead. We arrived right in time for the feeding show, which I highly recommend. A diver equipped with an underwater microphone and breathing apparatus entered the water to feed the fish, while informing the visitors about the habits of a wide variety of the members of this incredible aquarium. Here you will see reef sharks, a tiger shark, big and small fish and a variety of rays. It is really an amazing aquarium.
Exiting the open ocean exhibit, your tour of the park is done, but you are free to go back and visit the things you enjoyed again. The Maui Ocean Center features two restaurants, a visitor cart featuring cameras, suntan lotion and more, a coffee/smoothie stand and a really nice visitors store featuring island jewelry, books toys and more. Expect your visit to take between one and a half to two and a half hours, though I am sure that many linger much longer than that. Overall we had a great time, and loved the park. I will heartily suggest it to other visitors. It is perfect for families, or perfect for one of those few rainy days in Maui, the majority of the exhibits are inside and great for eating up some rainy time without missing a Maui beat. Aloha!
For more information about the center visit:
http://www.mauioceancenter.com
For info about great Maui family luaus visit:
http://www.mauihawaiiluau.com
For Maui activity info visit:
http://www.maui-vacation.net

Reefdancer Semi Submersible Maui, Hawaii

2006-01-19T15:09:00.000-10:00

If you are looking for an activity that is fun for the whole family while you are visiting Maui. Let me suggest the Reefdancer sub tour. We went last weekend and had a blast!
When you arrive at the dock, the crew is very organized, and will get you quickly set up with boarding passes and a reef ID card. The card has pictures of some of the marine life you might see while aboard the Reefdancer. After a short wait, a photographer takes photos of each party holding a Reefdancer lifesaver (these photos can be viewed and purchased at the end of the tour). The crew will then show you to your seats in the viewing area.
The Reefdancer is a very unique vehicle. It is a boat, where you are seated below the water with windows all around, so that you can see what is in the water around you. With the great visibility that is common on Maui, you actually see quite a bit. The seating is bench seating with cushions, but everyone gets a window seat to themselves.
As we pulled out of the harbor, the visibility became much better and you could begin to see the reef just off of the main drag (Front Street) in Lahaina. I was amazed to see how healthy the coral in this area was, considering that it sits right off a busy tourist thoroughfare. I had never really seen this area before so it was a nice treat as we headed to our main spot. The ride to the area where we would spend most of the trip is about twenty minutes long. While we were headed there we saw quite a few fish, some great coral and one HUGE turtle. The turtles are one of the coolest things to see in Maui. They glide through the water so slow and gracefully, it is truly one of nature's wonders.
Once the semi-sub gets to the reef where it will hang out for awhile, one of the neatest things about this tour starts. Scuba divers leave the boat, and head out through the reef to find critters and coral, which they bring right up to the windows for you to enjoy. Cassidy loved this part! The divers brought up different seashells, some sea urchins, some broken coral and a bunch of other neat stuff. All around the reef there were brightlycolored fish. We saw the state fish, the humuhumunukunukuapua'a, yellow tangs, butterfly fish, some trigger fish, some seargant fish and many others. We stayed at the dive sight for about thirty minutes, and then it was time to head home. On the trip back, most of the people choose to ride back above board where you might get a chance to see whales, and can get some awesome photos of Lahaina Town from the water.
The whole trip lasts about an hour, which was probably the perfect length of time. There were many families on the boat, a few with toddler aged children like us. I know Cassidy was just getting ready to get fidgetty, but it worked out perfect, and we were back at the harbor before peep one! I'd have to say this is a great family trip, and perfect for anyone who does not swim or does not care for snorkeling, but still wants to see Maui's underwater beauty. Tickets are very inexpensive, Hawaii Discount Activities sells adult tickets for less than $35 and children at less than $20. We had a great time, and would suggest this to anyone.

To purchase tickets try:

www.hawaiidiscountactivities.com/reservationrequest/activitylistings.asp?catkey=26&subcat=False&vendorid=&actkey=744&page_size=8¤t_page=1&island=2

Reviews for Maui Ocean Center and Kaulana Whalewatch Coming Soon

2006-01-19T15:04:00.000-10:00

Aloha,
I have a busy Friday and Saturday ahead so I will probably not post anything new until Sunday.
Tomorrow, I am heading to the Maui Ocean Center to check out their aquarium. We are taking Cassidy so we may have some great photos to add.
Saturday, we are going on a whale watch from Lahaina, and the whales have been everywhere. So that should be great too!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Blog is on the road!

2006-01-18T10:03:00.000-10:00

Aloha,
The blog is finally up and rolling! Hope fully, I will be adding at least one activity a week to the blog, along with info on hiking, beaches and other sights to see here in Maui.

If you are looking for more info about Maui, here are some of the sites that I am managing right now. They all offer tons of info about things to do on Maui, so go check them out!

Maui Luaus

Feast at Lele

www.mauihawaiiluau.com/feastatlele.html

Old Lahaina Luau

www.mauihawaiiluau.com/oldlahainaluau.html

Ka'anapali Beach Luau

www.mauihawaiiluau.com/kaanapalibeachluau.html

Maui Luau Guide

www.mauihawaiiluau.com

Maui and Hawaii Activities

Hawaii Discount Activities

www.hawaiidiscountactivities.com

Maui Vacation Network

www.maui-vacation.net

Maui Ground Activities

http://www.hawaiidiscountactivities.com/reservationrequest/activitylistings.asp?catkey=6&subcat=true&island=2

Maui Air Activities

http://www.hawaiidiscountactivities.com/reservationrequest/activitylistings.asp?catkey=5&subcat=true&island=2

Maui Ocean Activities

http://www.hawaiidiscountactivities.com/reservationrequest/activitylistings.asp?catkey=7&subcat=true&island=2

If these don't offer enough info for you, feel free to post here, or email me personally at frogmanandy@yahoo.com

You will also find emails and a toll free number (888)700-3864 on any of these websites, where experts are waiting to answer your questions.

Mahalo

Maui and Molokai by Air

2006-01-18T09:50:00.000-10:00

Maui is one of my favorite places in the world. I have been lucky enough to live here for about seven years, and have explored the island extensively. Recently, I was given the opportunity to take a ride on an a-star helicopter and see Maui and Molokai from the air. It was completely amazing to see the areas of both islands that I had never seen before. The only way to see many of these places is by helicopter, since dense foliage and steep mountains protect them, and they were certainly some of the most beautiful areas I have experienced in Maui.
The day started early, at about 6:30 am with a trip to Bad Ass coffee for the necessary wake-up ingredients. I love the coffee there, especially the 100% Kona dark roast, which is rich in flavor and not a bit bitter. An early morning start meant I would avoid the possibility of tradewinds making my flight bumpy, and avoid heavy morning traffic on the trip from Lahaina to Kahului. The drive went well, taking about forty minutes to arrive at the heliport, and we were lucky enough to see a couple of whales along the way.
Upon arrival at the heliport, I was shown to a waiting room where a video helped prep me for some of the sights I would see and some of the security procedures to expect. After about five minutes one of the crew came in and gathered our group for a quick safety briefing. The briefing covered all of the important things to know, interspersed with a bit of humor to keep things rolling along. I was pleased to learn that we would be outfitted with headphones which reduce the helicopter noise and give us an opportunity to talk with our pilot guide.
I have to admit I was a little nervous boarding the helicopter. I have never ridden a helicopter before and did not know what to expect. Lift off was a breeze and I hardly even noticed as we left the ground just how quickly we were gaining altitude. The first sights you notice are the airport, heliport and Kahului harbor. A large cruise ship was docked at the harbor, and it was really interesting to see how big those things actually are, as it dwarfed the cars and trucks parked in the harbor area.
Passing over Wailuku Town and Waiehu golf course, we headed into the mountains and valleys behind Iao valley. I have hiked through Iao many times, and the views are amazing, but they never could have prepared me for what I was about to see. We buzzed through a narrow valley with our pilot pointing out different plants and telling us stories about the history of the area. Passing over a mountain ridge, the next valley opened up ahead of us, revealing an amazing number of small and large waterfalls as we approached an area referred to as “the Wall of Tears”. This is a 4,000 foot tall wall that is literally covered with small waterfalls of every type and height imaginable.
Flying out of the West Maui mountains, the helicopter crosses over Honokahau Valley giving a magnificent view of Honolua and the Northern West Maui resorts. Crossing the ocean, the dark outlines of humpback whales could be seen just below the weater. On this trip I was not lucky enough to see any whales breaching or right on the surface, but I am sure it is not uncommon. The first area we visited on Molokai after crossing the channel were the towering sea cliffs along the north eastern coast. The pilot informed us that these were some of the tallest sea cliffs in the world, and showed us a couple of secluded homes built in the mountains, which were mostly only accessible by helicopter, what a way to live, at least you don’t have to worry about unexpected visitors.
After viewing the sea cliffs, we moved over to Kalaupapa where Father Damien once oversaw a community taking care of the victims of leprosy. The pilot was well versed in the history of this area and offered many interesting facts and stories. Molokai is not a highly populated island, and it was nice to see the vast wide-open spaces of this area. Leaving Kalaupapa, we flew up through another area, and just as we passed over the ridge, it looked like the bottom had dropped out of the world. It took my stomach away for a second, but once I regained my balance the view was gorgeous. Right below us, there was a pack of axis deer, which we startled and were now running across a great open field. It immediately reminded me of those old Marlin Perkins’ Mutual of Omaha shows I watched when I was a kid. I felt like I should be hanging out the window talking about the migratory habits of antelope in the Serengheti or something. It was pretty neat at any rate!
With the trip almost over, we headed back over the channel for a brief look at Lahaina town, and the West Maui mountains where we saw a few mountain goats grazing along the sheer cliffs that shifted from brown to a lush green the further in we went. It was time for my nerves to take over again as we made our approach to the heliport for landing. Again, I was amazed as the landing was featherlight, and offered absolutely no drama. Overall, I would have to say, I don’t remember a really bumpy moment on this trip at all.
I would have to say, that this trip was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I have hiked and traveled all over Maui through my years living here, and I saw areas and sights that I had no idea existed. Some visitors may think that this is a really expensive activity, but at http://www.hawaiidiscountactivities.com/ I found trips starting at less than $100 per person. To pay a hundred dollars for a memory that will last a lifetime that doesn’t seem so bad at all. If you want to see the unexplored Maui that many will never have an opportunity to see, a helicopter tour is definitely the way to go.

To view specific Maui Helicopter Tours

http://www.hawaiidiscountactivities.com/reservationrequest/activitylistings.asp?catkey=10&subcat=False&vendorid=&actkey=&page_size=5¤t_page=1&island=2

Maui Luaus

2006-01-16T11:02:00.000-10:00

For any visitor to Maui, taking in a luau is an absolute must. Luaus are the most popular activity in Maui, attracting several hundred thousand visitors every year. If you are traveling as a couple, as a group, as a family or as an individual, a Maui luau offers something for everyone to enjoy. A luau offers a full evening of fun, food, drinks and entertainment, all rolled into one fun activity.
A luau is a traditional Hawaiian feast, typically featuring kalua pork, poi, haupia and other local favorites. Historically, a luau celebrated special occasions such as a king’s birthday, visits from foreign dignitaries or to honor an important chieftain. These parties often lasted for three days featuring dancing, drinking, eating and singing. Today there are many commercial luaus to choose from, where you can be treated like a king yourself.
There is not a bad luau on Maui, so whatever luau you choose, you will have a good time. That said, there are three Maui luaus, which will be reviewed here. They are The Old Lahaina Luau, The Feast at Lele and The Ka’anapali Beach Luau. These three luaus represent the best a luau can offer, depending on what you are looking for.
If you are looking for a traditional Hawaiian experience, The Old Lahaina Luau is the way to go. Featuring only music and dance from Hawaii, this luau will take you on a tour of Hawaii from the times of mythology to the present. The goal of The Old Lahaina Luau is to provide the most authentic Hawaiian luau available on Maui. They achieve this without sacrificing any of the other great things you might expect from a luau. The food is abundant and very tasty as well. Sample from kalua pork, lau laus (steamed pork wrapped in tea leafs), poi (taro root pounded to a paste), ahi poke (marinated ahi tossed with seaweed and vegetables), sweet potato, steak, mahi mahi and much more. Be sure to try some of the excellent tropical drinks provided with your dinner or order your favorite standards from the bar. The Old Lahaina Luau is one of Maui’s most popular luaus and is often sold out up to a month or more in advance so it is best to book as soon as you know you will be coming to Maui. You can book this luau through Maui Luau Guide, which also provides more info at www.mauihawaiiluau.com/oldlahainaluau.html.
For the honeymooning couple or any couple looking for a more private and romantic evening, consider the Feast at Lele. The feast is the only Maui luau offering table service for dinner. The approach here is much different from any other Maui luau. A premium bar is featured, and the food is served in courses, and offers some of the finest food you may eat during your entire vacation. The meals are prepared by award winning I’o restaurant and each course represents a different culture of Polynesia. Dinner begins in Hawaii with kalua pork, fresh fish and a heart of palm salad. The second course is from New Zealand and features Maori fishcake, while the third course represents Tahiti and features steamed chicken in coconut milk. Closing out the night, is an amazing fire knife dance from Samoa performed right before you, as you are served Samoan steak with a bread fruit, shrimp and avocado accompaniment. You will be entertained as each course is served, by the dances and songs of the island culture the dish hails from. This luau is often booked to capacity as well, and it would be suggested to book as early as possible. Tickets and more info about The Feast at Lele Maui luau are available at www.mauihawaiiluau.com/feastatlele.html.
Families visiting Maui may find that the Ka’anapali Beach Luau is the perfect fit. In addition to the traditional luau buffet which serves kalua pork, mahi mahi, lomi lomi salmon, poi, island style chicken, sweet potato and much more, there is a children’s buffet featuring comfort foods such as chicken fingers, hot dogs and pizza for the finicky eater. The Kaanapali Beach Luau will feature all the dances you would expect, taking a tour through Polynesia, featuring Hawaiian hula, Maori stick fight dances, Tahitian war dances, a little Elvis and a little Don Ho, and of course a death defying fire knife dance to end out the nigh! This luau comes recommended not only based on the great food, drink and show, but also on value. At www.mauihawaiiluau.com/kaanapalibeachluau.html you can book this luau for $49.95 per adult with one free child (12 or under) per paying adult. This luau is also located very conveniently, right in the heart of Ka’anapali! You can expect to pay between $50 and $110 per person depending on what luau you choose, but no matter which you choose you will be treated to a wonderful evening with plenty of food, an open bar and a great show to entertain you. Be sure to bring your camera or video to preserve the memories, as a Maui luau is an experience you will never forget. For more information on any of these luaus as well as every other luau on Maui, check out www.mauihawaiiluau.com a complete guide to luaus on Maui.

Aloha!!! Maui No Ka OI!!!!

2005-12-21T16:26:00.000-10:00

Aloha,
This is the first post to this new blog. I am sort of new to this, but it seems like a lot of fun. I build and maintain web sites for an activities company here in Maui. You can check us out at www.mauihawaiiluau.com and www.hawaiidiscountactivities.com since I work with activities, I thought it would be cool if I could take a few friends on some of Maui's best activities, take pictures and write a blog all about it!

Christmas is right around the corner, so I may not get to my first activity until next week, but we will see.