You can read Part 1 of the Maui portion of our trip here 🙂 When we found out we’d be visiting Maui we quickly made the decision to rent a vehicle to be able to explore the island as much as we wanted! We used Toro for the first time and had a FANTASTIC experience with it! It was very easy for Zach to get the jeep and the guy who owned it was great at communicating. We loved it and it was so much easier and more affordable than renting would have been.
We grabbed breakfast and said good morning to Shrek, the resident parrot and then hit the road. Along with renting the jeep we also downloaded the app called Gypsy Guides which was AMAZING. Truly has changed the travel game for sure – it’s a combo of navigation, travel tips and tour guide all in one. It provided us with tons of info on the area as well as a plan of action for our day.
The Road to Hana is THE thing to do in Maui. It may only be 48 miles but it takes roughly 5 hours of non stop driving along a very windy road that I read makes you VERY car sick. We’ll pass, thanks 😉
We took the roof off of the jeep to enjoy the gorgeous ride and picked up some coffee to go explore a bit of the Road to Hana!
Our first stop was at Twin Falls. Zach’s big Hawaii goal was to jump off some sort of cliff and we researched and asked around and learned that Twin Falls would be a great spot to go. We changed into bathing suits and “hiking clothes” and went exploring. Just call me Mrs Adventerous 😉
Zach went off course a bit to explore and I stayed on the main path. We reached the waterfall area and Zach climbed up to an area that had cliff jumping. I was content to explore below on my own and ventured around the pool to be able to hang out for a bit inside the cave and check out the backside of water 😉
Zach randomly ran into friends of ours that we’d met on the trip and they were able to take videos of him jumping into the water! Such a small world! I loved all the pretty details of the cave but also had a realization while sitting by myself soaking it all in…I had a LOT more joy from watching the other PEOPLE enjoying the waterfall area than I did the nature around me. I’m just a people person. Give me some solid people-watching any day over any sort of nature haha.
Zach came back down and met me behind the backside of water! It was a nice time for each of us to have our own individual experiences in the ways in which we each enjoyed most. Zach being adventurous and I people watching!
On our walk back we found another waterfall and this time I did NOT do any exploring and instead stood and watched and prayed while my insane husband jumped over and over again into the waters below. His bucket list item was def checked off!
We changed back into our clothes and grabbed a coconut water for a refreshing treat back on the road. Of course it was a bit LESS refreshing due to the dang paper strawwwwwwwwww.
This bathing suit is my absolute fav – linking my whole bathing suit outfit here.
It was SO fun just taking our time and stopping anytime we wanted to with no real plan or agenda or rush. I love these kinda days so much and love the quality time with my favorite person. Plus he looks pretty dang cute in the jeep too 😉
One of our stops was at Turtle Town (Maluaka Beach) and it was SO cool to just walk up and see SO many turtles in the sand. At first glance you assumed they were rocks and it was truly hard to tell the rocks from the turtles!
We head that Mama’s Fish House was a MUST do for dining options and that it’s considered the best restaurant on the entire island. We couldn’t get a reservation but since we were driving by we thought we’d check in as it was a random time of day (close to 2 pm). We were able to walk in without a reservation! Such a good tip to try right at 2 since it’s that perfect time between lunch and dinner!
The price tag def made up for all the free meals we’d had all week. Super awesome vibes, super delicious food and super high price tag. However, I did get my new favorite picture of Zach so that was worth it too.
We got back to the hotel around 4:30 and I def had the jeep hair don’t care vibe going on. We freshened up and got changed real quick and then met up with Zach’s parents to head to our fun dinner plans!
One of my IG friends highly recommended for us to visit Warren & Annabelle’s Magic Show. Which sounds RANDOM but it was AMAZING. So fun and interactive! We invited Zach’s parents to come with us and they loved it too.
While we were waiting to be called back for the show Zach and I were asked to sit up front and both got to participate several times. It was so fun! Very our vibe kinda thing and one of the favorite things we experienced on the trip.
Our little check-in with the kids! Spear was doing great with Cam and got to go to Lowe’s Build and Grow which he loves. Kye’s trip to Athens went awesome – his TSA team came in first place in the entire state! Kye won 2nd place in the state for his speech and he won 1st place for his invention. Super proud and excited for him!
We had the jeep rented for two days and decided to invite Zach’s parents to join us on the second day. We stopped to do a little whale watching and again was reminded how EASY it is to SEE WHALES for FREE in Maui. Totally regret that snorkel boating decision! We did some whale watching and then hit the road again.
We decided to explore Kumu Farms. It’s a coffee farm that also has a tour, coffee shop and great gift shop. It was a nice way to spend a couple of hours and Zach LOVED the coffee! The coffee is Maui ‘Oma and we all enjoyed a cup before the tour. Well, Mr. Rusty had a hot chocolate haha.
The farm had a short tour and we were able to see lots of their crops as well as watch a coconut demonstration. We learned that coconut water is a natural laxative and that once you empty it you can put the rind in the freezer and that’s how coconut milk is made. Freezing it also makes the insides easier to eat too!
We also learned that you can plant a whole coconut in the group and not even water it and a coconut tree will grow! We also bought some coffee to take home which Zach LOVED so we will be reordering in the future 😉
After our tour we decided to drive deeper into the mountain area of the island. The day prior Zach and I explored more of the beach edge of the island so this was a good chance to go deeper into the middle of Maui. It was raining once we got into the mountains and thankfully the jeep included a beach umbrella that worked to block the rain too 😉
Iao Valley is on the many must-see lists and it’s STUNNING. Kukaemoku is the Iao Needle and is 2,250 foot high peak. During periods of warfare, it was used as a lookout by warriors. It’s easy to see why it was used in the open scenes of Jurrasic Park!
Zach and Mr Rusty went a little higher up to explore and check out the views while Mrs. Charlotte and I stuck to our spot!
We hit the road again and achieved one of Mr. Rusty’s goals for the trip – to eat from a food truck. It was the perfect stop for lunch and it was so neat that we were in a grocery store parking lot and the views were STILL so gorgeous with blooming beautiful flowers all around us.
Again we used Gypsy Guides app and stopped anywhere the app mentioned was a good spot to stop. It was so fun to learn the history as we traveled and all of the recommendations were on point!
After lunch, we drove back toward a different area of the island. Mr Rusty had played the plantation course at Kapalua and we were able to check out the course a bit and see it from afar when we drove up to a cliff outlook area. Zach didn’t even pack his golf clubs for the trip – I know a part of him regrets not playing the course with his dad buttttt our budget isn’t mad about not having to spend $500 for 18 holes!
Naturally, when the guys saw warning signs for a Hazardous Cliff they had to push the limits and get closer to the views. Meanwhile, Mrs. Charlotte and I were content far away from the cliffs and she couldn’t even watch as the guys explored further.
We traveled further to check out the Nakalele Blowhole. At first I planned to hang with Mrs Charlotte while Zach and Mr Rusty went down to get closer views of the blowhole but then Mrs Adventureous came back out and I decided I had to YOLO a bit and make the climb down!
I was glad I packed my tennis shoes for the day and I made the trek down the rocks and it was SO worth it! Such an incredible experience and one I’m thankful I had! It was NOT an easy walk. I saw a few people trip, even one man bleeding from a cut on his leg where he’d fallen. If we had the kids with us I probably would not have been comfortable with majority of them climbing down to the area so it was nice to do kid-free for sure!
All the gorgeous details were so fun to explore and I took my time taking it all in because I also wasn’t in a hurry to climb back up the rocks either 😉
On our way out we made a little roadside stop for a reward for making that climb 😉 We drove through the golf course and checked that out a bit and Mr Rusty shared about his experience there!
We got back to the room in enough time to shower and freshen up for the Farwell Luau! So thankful for this trip, this time together, and this man of mine! It is always so sweet to me that Zach is so invested in my IG stories and always watches them all even when he’s lived all the moments alongside me 🙂
We had one last Hawaii sunset and I got to wear one last Hawaii outfit (linked here!)
In allll of our trips over the years we have NEVER shut down an event. But this trip we made so many wonderful connections and truly enjoyed visiting with so many people that we weren’t in any rush for it to end and stayed until the very end! We had a little mini double date during dinner with a couple we met and bonded with during the awards night who also don’t drink. At these kinda events (where the free alcohol is flowing steadily) it’s a blessing to find others who aren’t into that! We had a great time with them both and made sure to make the rounds to say bye to everyone we’d met during the trip.
Our flight home wasn’t until 9 PM. We were able to get late check out of our room at noon so I slept in! Zach was so sweet to bring me breakfast and I snoozed a bit and shared my meal with this cute little bird and enjoyed the last of the views from our room at the Hyatt Regency!
Meanwhile, Zach and his Dad went down to the beach right down from the hotel where they saw sea turtles, and did some snorkeling and cliff jumping! Again – for FREE within STEPS of our hotel! Hawaii is just so awesome!
The hotel stored our luggage for us and we shared an Uber with Zach’s parents to go over to Whalers Village for awhile. Zach and I had visited on our town exploring day but didn’t get to spend much time there so it was a good chance to do a bit more shopping and get some last minute Hawaii items before heading home.
Of course I had to get shaved ice one last time! I was also able to talk Zach into getting a pair of Lululemon pants! The couple we’d hung out with the night prior helped convinced him. I knew he’d be obsessed with them and I was right 😉
It was nice to get to end the trip with Zach’s parents. We’ve been so blessed to have so many travel experiences with them over the years of Zach and Mr Rusty working together! We are pretty sure this may be the last of the trips together of this kind so we were glad to get to enjoy some quality time with them in Maui!
Saw Britt’s fav shop at the airport on the way home! The flight home from Hawaii is always a red eye which is tough for any traveler but also does make the most sense and helps in adjusting back to the time. We flew out at 9 PM Hawaii time (3 am EST). We had a quick layover in LAX at 5 am LA time (8 am EST). Landed in Atlanta at 1 pm EST (our bodies were on Hawaii time so 7 am for the way we felt). We then had to drive the 3 hours back home from Atlanta due to the canceled Valdosta flight on the way there. But it was all worth it to get back to our BABIES!
I really was glad I just straight up asked the kids what kinda gifts they’d like from our trip. It made it SO much easier and more fun to shop for them knowing what kinda stuff to keep an eye out for. I waited to call and ask them after I’d done a little bit of browsing to have an idea of what kind of items would be possible to find. I gave suggestions and they chose from them which helped in narrowing down the choices.
The kids loved everything we got for them, but especially just loved having us back home! Traveling is amazing and I’m so thankful for these experiences and memories made but nothing is as wonderful as being home with our babies!
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