The island of Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian islands, and has a population of about 150,000. From our side of the plane we could see one of two volcanic masses that make up the island. The second volcanic mass (which we would be driving up in a couple days) could be seen from the other side of the plane. Over the course of millions of years, lava flows from the two volcanoes overlapped forming the isthmus seen above.

Upon landing we collected another rental van and drove a short distance out of Maui's main city of Kahului to see this - the Iao Needle

The Iao Valley State Park here is buried in the lush Iao Valley. The vegetation-covered Iao Needle behind us is a lava remnant standing 370m (1,200 feet) from the valley floor. It is in fact an illusion however, and in reality is just a sharp ridge that gives the appearance of being a spire when viewed end-on.

From there we headed to our accommodation on the northwest coast of the island.

And Kristina had done it again! She'd hooked us up with a huge apartment on the ground floor overlooking this. Not bad, not bad :) Spot the little white arch to the right. I'd say a lot folk tie the knot on this lawn.

Kristina and I never had a honeymoon per se, so we took the opportunity here to get some honeymoon'ish shots :)

In case it's not obvious, I can't play the guitar ;)

Mama and her two Americans.

Our apartment had a box full of snorkel gear and the like, which Jared made the most of.

Nice :)

The view of the night sky from our beach. The orange glow in the distance is (I believe) the lights of Honolulu back on Oahu.

Day 5, our first full day in Maui, was spent doing the most popular touristy thing on the island - the road to Hana!

The stunning 68-mile (109km) Hana Highway runs along the east coast of Maui, curving round many mountains and passing by black sand beaches and waterfalls. The highway is very winding and narrow, so much so that it takes about 2.5 hours to drive its full length even without any stops. But of course, this tourist couldn't help but stop everywhere for the photo opportunities!

The highway passes over 59 bridges, 46 of which are only one lane wide. There are approximately 620 curves along the route, virtually all of it through lush, tropical rainforest. It really is incredible stuff! The New Zealanders however were somewhat less impressed. We have some great scenic roads passing through beautiful native forest in New Zealand, but this has still got to be one of the most beautiful roads in the world, at least that I've seen (and I've seen a few).

This was our van by the way (a Dodge Grand Caravan), modelled here by pink shorts. We ended up getting the same van on all four islands which made life a bit easier for me doing all the driving - just the one vehicle to get used to.

We eventually made it to Hana only to find there is absolutely nothing here hahaha! These people are missing out on a trick. Throngs of tourists (with money to spend) make this drive every day, and yet there is no infrastructure for them here whatsoever. About the only entertainment we found was this gorgeous gal with her sports bra on backwards and her guts hanging down to her knees.

At this point, most folk turn around the take those 620 curves back the way they came, or venture slightly further to Ohe'o Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools) here for a swim. Instead, we continued on the road less travelled around the full southern loop of the island.

And this is why the road is less travelled hehe - it's a complete mess and punished the van's suspension and our asses.

Then it got even better - unsealed hehe. I'd done my research though and knew this was only temporary. Painful, but temporary.

And worth it in my opinion for more stunning vistas that a lot of visitors probably never see. This here is the massive Haleakala Volcano, rising to 3,000m (10,000 feet) at its highest peak and forming more than 75% of Maui. And if the van didn't hate me already, it sure would tomorrow when we drive to the top of that 3,000m summit in the sky!

Before long the unsealed road became a patchwork of shit again, before suddenly turning into beautiful smooth tar seal for the rest of the way.

Looking back over to the western part of Maui at the other volcano I mentioned earlier that we flew over yesterday.

The next morning we set out to tackle the long and winding road to the summit of Haleakala Volcano. It's a completely different world up here, almost like being on Mars, and given the altitude it's a lot cooler than down at sea level. On the left there is the Haleakala Observatory - Hawaii's first astronomical research observatory. Because of the remarkable clarity, dryness, and stillness of the air, and its elevation as well as the absence of the lights of major cities, the summit of Haleakala is one of the most sought-after locations in the world for ground-based telescopes. It would be a great spot for photographing the night sky and the Milky Way which I would have loved to get into, but it was too far from our accommodation for me to come back. It's also a popular place for viewing the sunrise before clouds typically roll in later in the day.

That'll make your ears pop.

This is looking down a volcanic depression from the summit. Very barren-looking with a scattering of volcanic cones. Very cool!

Haleakala has produced numerous eruptions in the last 30,000 years, including in the last 500 years. Although it is currently considered dormant, it is certainly capable of further eruptions.

My name is Aaron, and this is my family.

Back down to sea level and back to the beach. Kristina really wanted to see some sea turtles while she was here, and we were told about this little secluded beach not far from our hotel where they tend come and feed, particularly around sunset.

Well, we were told right! Kristina jumped in the water and before too long she'd spotted one. I grabbed my little waterproof camera and jumped in after her.

Although they're not too bothered by humans, the turtles are federally protected and there is a hefty $10,000 fine if you're determined to be 'harassing' them or caught touching them etc.

And that was that for the day - volcanoes and turtles. Lovely.

Day 7 was a shopping day / beach day / whatever really day.

We spent most of it here in Lahaina, just a ten-minute drive down the road from our hotel. Lahaina is the largest settlement in West Maui, and the gateway to the famous beach resorts north of the community around where we were staying. Lahaina's popularity as a tropical getaway has caused its real estate to become some of the most expensive in Hawaii; many luxury homes and condos are sold for more than $2 million around here. Before it was moved to Honolulu, Lahaina was once the captial city of the Hawaiian islands.

It's also a shopper's paradise with an entire street full of shops and restaurants.

Not a bad wee place to spend a few hours.

Parrots! Their trainer (out of shot) would put them all over passing tourists and take their photo for some stupid amount of money. Although I didn't notice it at the time, there was actually a big "No Photography" sign right in front of me while I was trying to get the birds' attention for this shot hehe. Oh well.

Later in the day we hired a few kayaks and went for a blat in the ocean. Kristina was stoked to see more of her new friends.

After heading back to the hotel to shower and smarten up, we headed back into Lahaina for this - a traditional Hawaiian luau! A luau is a Hawaiian party or feast that is usually accompanied by entertainment. They are usually held during the evening and typically close to a beach.

Out the back the earth oven was getting dug up! The food (a few pigs in this case) is laid out on a layer of banana leaves atop heated rocks. More banana leaves are laid on top to provide moisture to the food, and the whole lot is then covered by a sheet and earth (or sand in this case) to contain the heat for cooking. Man I was getting hungry, and the feast they laid out didn't disappoint!

Then the entertainment kicked off with some good-looking ladies, some of them wearing relatively little...

And some guys, also wearing relatively little. Good thing I'd finished eating by this point.

For the next hour we were told of Hawaiian myths and legends with multiple performances to go with it. Awesome stuff! And that was that for Maui.