Molokai

With a three day holiday weekend approaching and both of us desperately needing to scratch our travel itch we booked a puddle jumper to one of Maui's neighboring islands, Molokai. Zach found a couple of lodging options on AirBnB and sent an email that said, "what do you think honey, this condo or this rustic and reasonably priced sailboat?" Sleep on a boat?! Yes,please!

That little board that Zach is walking on in the image below was our entrance and exit to the boat. No casualties, thankfully.

Flowers on the table care of Dusty who rented us the van. Nobody wants to live on a stinky sailboat.

We rented a van from a local guy, Dusty from Mo Bettah Car Rentals. We were talking story with him and I brought up Eddie Vedder (the frontman of Pearl Jam, duh) and how he owns a house on Molokai. Dusty nonchalantly says, "oh yea, Eddie, I've jammed with him before." Did he see my eyes bulging out of their sockets after he said that?! Probably not, he is just that chilllll. I think it takes a lot for anyone on Molokai to get riled up. It definitely is a relaxed, zen kind of island. Our first stop with the newly acquired rental was papohaku beach on the west side of the island. Pictured below are a few hitchers (legal in Hawaii, you rule followers) and their pups we picked up on the way. I've got a personal project I'm working on so check back to learn more about these humans :).

Now, that beach. I have to say it was one of the most picturesque beaches I've ever seen. Pure white sand for three miles, aqua blue water, and completely deserted! These photos were taken on the 4th of July - nobody on the beach!!! We ran into was a couple from Oahu and exchanged a brief "holy shit, there is nobody here, this is craziness" sentence. Then the guy ran back into the ocean to look for more shells in the surf. It was pretty fantastic.

There is an old, vacated Shereton on one side of the beach that hasn't been in business since 2004. While I was snapping some pics Zach got stung by a bee and I took that as our cue to get the heck out of there - the ghost hotel was giving the creepy vibe for sure!

The rest of our time was spent taking leisurely drives, short hikes, swimming, and taking in the relaxing energy. Molokai is definitely a nice respite from our tourist driven island. With the majority of the people living on Molokai hunting, fishing, and essentially just 'living off the land' the feeling there is like nothing else I've felt. We will be back to get away from it all again.

Morning light on the bow

Haleakalā

Haleakalā, meaning house of the sun is truly a magical place. This dormant volcano formed more than 75% of Maui and if you get a day with clear visibility during sunrise or sunset at the top it will take your breathe away. Below are images from our most recent excursion where we were gifted with a beautiful sunset.

Maui - The Beginning

Our one month anniversary here just past and locals say that we've hit our first milestone. Next comes three months, then one year, and if we make it through these anniversaries then the island is apparently our oyster. Maui is a special, majestic place. This feeling of it being a special place comes up randomly, but enough times where you understand that there is a unique energy here. Maybe it's the clean ocean air or the waking up with the sun and watching the sun set, but whatever it is there's something about it.

Sunrise on our first morning on the island.

Our first few weeks were spent up in Haiku, a cute little hippie town where foliage grows like crazy due to high volumes of rain. The house was full of eclectic people and decor and we enjoyed getting to know an interesting group of people.

Ho'okipa lookout near our rental house in Haiku.

We found a cute little cottage to rent in the town of Kihei. It gets tons of natural light, has a huge lanai (deck), and lots of birds and cool foliage so we're in love. We even have our own coconut tree!

Zach's job has been going good, he's getting the warehouse in order - making sure everything is up to code plus a million other things that go into starting a new company. Nothing gets done too fast around here so I think he'll be glad when he doesn't have to be working with contractors anymore. This is the current state of his "office." Pretty fancy, eh?

We've been exploring different beaches and catching sunsets, grilling on our lanai, taking out our new (to us) tandem kayak, snorkeling in nearby reefs, getting our house furnished and decorated, and meeting new people here on the island. Life is good.

We celebrated our two year wedding anniversary watching the sunset in a tucked away cove we found at big beach. Zach and I have traveled to and explored a lot places in the short time we've been married and are excited to continue on this adventure in our beautiful new home here in Maui.