2003 • Maui
July 17, 2003 to July 24, 2003
For most of my life up to this point, my parents had raved about how great Hawai’i is and that I will absolutely love it when we go. While I was somewhat skeptical at first being that places and things often get built up to unrealistic expectations, I was definitely not disappointed after my first trip to the Aloha State. There is something inherently calming about Hawai’i; from the warm waters to the majestic sunsets, Hawai’i is one of the most magical places on Earth. While most pictures from this vacation are still yet to be found (got to love pre-digital film cameras!), this trip to Maui is the basis on which all future vacations would be judged. For the most part, we stayed close to the resort in Wailea, but did go on a day trip to Lana’i where we were forced back into the boat after a shark sighting and went surfing near Lahaina. Both Lana’i and Lahaina are of particular interest because 98% of the island is privately owned and is the smallest and most rural of the publicly accessible islands (Ni’ihau is smaller, but restricted and Kaho’olawe is uninhabited). While Lahaina was once the seat of the high chief of Maui and the capital of the Kingdom of Hawai’i from 1802 to 1812 when it moved to Kailua-Kona (on the Big Island) and then again from 1820 to 1845. After that point, the capital of Hawai’i was moved to Honolulu on O’ahu where it remains to this day.
