Hawaii
Hawaii, USA · Maui · Molokai · Oahu
6 places pinned — click any one for its story.
The place
The Hawaiian Islands are the most remote major island chain on Earth, born of volcanoes in the middle of the Pacific and settled by Polynesian voyagers over a thousand years ago. We keep coming back to Maui — sunrise atop the Haleakalā volcano, the winding road to Hāna and its gardens, snorkeling at Molokini, the old whaling town of Lāhainā, and helicopter tours over the towering sea cliffs of neighboring Molokai.
Some of these places we first saw with Katia before the kids, and came back to years later with them — the same paradise, a different chapter.
Places I visited
History & facts for each spot — with a “then & now” archival photo where one exists. Every one has its own page; open it for the full write-up and all the photos.
The 10,023-ft dormant volcano whose Hawaiian name means 'House of the Sun' — legend says the demigod Māui lassoed the sun from here. Sunrise above the clouds inside a national park.
Full history & photos →Read more on Wikipedia →Archival photo: Craters at Haleakala by Edward Bailey, 1877, Bailey House Museum — Wikimedia Commons
A 64-mile coast road with some 600 curves and 59 one-lane bridges, winding past waterfalls and rainforest to the sleepy town of Hāna. The journey is the point.
Full history & photos →Read more on Wikipedia →Archival photo: CHURCH IN RURAL DISTRICT ALONG HIGHWAY 36 NEAR HANA. RURAL DISTRICTS ARE COMPOSED OF LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL LOTS OF... - NARA - 554086 — Wikimedia Commons
A lush tropical garden paradise in Hāna set around Piʻilanihale Heiau — the largest ancient temple in all Hawaii, a massive lava-rock platform built over centuries. We came here with Katia before the kids, and again years later with them.
Full history & photos →The former whaling capital and royal seat of the Hawaiian Kingdom. The Old Lahaina Fort was built of coral block in 1832 to keep rowdy sailors in line; its restored corner and the giant 1873 banyan tree anchor Front Street. Much was lost in the 2023 wildfire.
Full history & photos →Archival photo: Wainee Church, ambrotype, c. 1855 — Wikimedia Commons
A crescent-shaped, half-sunken volcanic caldera off the south coast — a marine sanctuary with 150+ ft of visibility, one of Hawaii's best snorkel and dive sites.
Full history & photos →Read more on Wikipedia →The classic three-mile west-shore resort beach, with the daily cliff-diving ceremony off Puʻu Kekaʻa (Black Rock).
Full history & photos →Read more on Wikipedia →Archival photo: HOTELS AND CONDOMINIUMS ARE SPRINGING UP IN THE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING KAANAPALI AREA OF MAUI. THE LAND IS A MIXTURE OF... - NARA - 554057 — Wikimedia Commons