Honeymoon in Maui

[Drew Wiley]

Check with the local dive shops as to what places will be safe to snorkel during that specific season. The drive to Hana is slow but otherwise easy. You want to have
some time to stop here and there. If you go almost to the end of the paved road to the NP parking lot, forget all that Seven Sacred Pools nonsense and head uphill instead, if you don't mind a decent hike to some much more impressive waterfalls. Driving clear around the island on that dirt road is somewhat slow, and will take you past dry more desert-like conditions. That might make for some awful long drives for a honeymoon, unless you have nothing better to do! The summit of Haleakala is a marvelous spot, especially if you're up there at dawn (if you have nothing better to do). Watching the sunrise over the Pacific is like witnessing the
birth of the world. But remember that the summit is up there, so a good windbreaker and sweater might be mandatory. The tour buses and crowds arrive by midmorning, right around when all the good light is gone anyway. The drive around the north side of the island takes a quite a bit more nerve than the Hana road,
which is a freeway by comparison, but does have some very different sights. We're going back in Dec and staying in Napili again.

[Paul Cunningham]

I can't add much that the others have not already said, but we have been visiting Maui nearly every year for the past 31 years.
If you can visit Haleakala summit on a moonless night, it is not to be missed. If the sky is clear, the stars will be so bright that you'll swear you could read a book by them. Clear air, high elevation and relatively little light pollution make for spectacular "seeing". I have some photos here http://www.verycunning.com/stardust, don't click on the link unless you want to see some digital photos. (Shot with Nikon D700 @ ISO 4000 +/-).

Hana as a day trip probably means spending most of your time in the car, but it is a wonderful, quiet, place to hang out for a few days. Haiku and Kula will be also, since they are in 'upcountry', where the weather is cooler and the landscape pastoral rather than beach oriented. Kihei is a bit busy, but the wonderful thing about it is really next door Wailea, and the drive out past Makena.

We will actually be there for some overlapping time. The 13th-18th we'll be at Napili Kai (at the end of our trip which begins the 3rd.) If you see a guy shooting a 4x5 it might be me.

And if you want restaurant/dining options, just ask.

[John Kasaian]

I had fun in the early morning hours in Honolulu scouting out pre-WW2 architecture with a hand held Speed Graphic. I only had a few holders and a changing bag, and I used the sports finder instead of the gg. No "keepers" (the bellows grew holes) but I had a memorable time.
Next trip I'll take the 5x7 Speeder!

[Graham Patterson]

We were planning on a trip back to Maui this year for our 15th wedding anniversary, but other things have got in the way. Maybe next year. We spent most of our time in and around Lahaina. I didn't have large format available at that time, so I was using a Mamiya 6 and a Yashicamat. One thing about using a film camera on a honeymoon - you won't have to worry about security peeking at the pictures 8-)

[angusparker]

Lahaina, Acquarium, Iao Needle, Paia, Five Palms beach area in Kihei for sunset (but eat at Sarento's on the Beach - book in advance on open table), Turtle Town, Haleakala if you can stomach drive. Reason people say "I survived road to Hana" just saying! Have fun. Momma Fish House is overrated IMHO - no sunset but great fence of old surf boards nearby.

[christian.rudman]

Thanks everyone, these are wonderful responses and I'll be trying a few of the suggestions out hopefully. No worries on taking time away from the gal for photos, I'm not lugging anything out there apart from my X100 and Canon F1, so we'll be just hanging out doing newly wed stuff and just taking vacationish photos while we are out and about.

[Drew Wiley]

Be forewarned that Lahaina is a tourist trap, replete with some really ugly obscenely overpriced photography, along with all the starving artist fare too. But ironically,
the discount chain stores can be a great place to buy fresh local coffee beans and macadamias for taking back to the mainland. It's hard to get good Kona or similar
coffees outside the Islands themselves. We always pack a lot in the suitcase for the trip back.

[mike rosenlof]

I spent 9 days on Maui in March. I would not recommend mixing first attempt at LF photography with a honeymoon, but that's between you and your fiance. just saying...

We stayed 3 nights in Hana. It might be a tough daytrip. It's pretty and quiet out there. I rented a 50cc scooter for the trip to Hana and it was a ton of fun. The twisty narrow road was not stressful like it was for my wife (and her mother) driving the car. I was faster than most of the tourists, but slower than the locals. You don't need a motorcycle license for the little scooter. I'm an experienced road cyclist (bicycle) and was not fearful on the road, your feeling may be different of course. I was not hauling LF gear. Rented from a place not far from the airport. might be "Island motion" or something like that.

Highly recommend going to Haleakala. especially if it's clear. the moonscape of the top is amazing. hike if you are in to that. We did not do sunrise on this trip. It was raining when we got to the summit. Couldn't see anything. After a while it cleared. Even in august, it will be cold at 10K feet. and probably windy.

For my trip this year, I packed LF and then unpacked it due to size and weight. I took a 35mm rangefinder HP5 and a 75mm lens. No tripod, and forgot my light meter so I was guessing exposure the entire time. There were occasions where I missed LF. Mostly the style of photos I took was differenet than I would have done with the 4x5. After the trip, I was happy with a few photos, and thrilled with the trip overall.

have fun! and congratulations on the marriage