In March this year, I was insanely lucky to team up with Hawaii Tourism on a campaign for American Express! Carmen Huter and I packed our bags with dreams of playful dolphins, epic sunsets and mind blowing coastlines. We were far from disappointed. Hawaii is one of the most beautiful and adventurous places I’ve ever been to. We ticked every box we came for in the 10 days we spent exploring just a mere slice of what Hawaii has to offer. Volcanoes, waterfalls, crystal clear turquoise waters, whales, dolphins, turtles, golden sunsets, clear starry skies, helicopter rides, poke bowls, rainbows and unreal coastline. All housed in a landscape that holds so much mana it’s hard to ignore. Check out what we got up to on Maui, Hawaii Island, Kauai and Oahu.
MAUI
Our trip begins in a slightly different landscape than you’d expect from a trip to Hawaii. One would imagine blue waters and palm trees when thinking of Hawaii, but our first stop found us standing in an environment that could easily have been mistaken for Mars.
Sadly the weather gods were not on our side when we visited Maui, so we didn’t get out as much as we’d hoped. However, we read that Haleakalā is often up out of the weather due to its altitude. Haleakalā is a massive shield volcano that forms more than 75% of the Hawaiian Island of Maui and its name translates to "house of the sun" in Hawaiian. As legend has it, the demigod Māui (the same Māui that appears in Māori legend) lassoed the sun from its journey across the sky as he stood on the volcano’s summit, slowing its descent to make the day last longer. #cheersm8
We set out in the hopes that we would pop up above the clouds and see the sunset at the top, and wow, we were completely blown away. We were met with a terracotta coloured landscape, and epic inversion layer and a cracker sunset.
If you are going to visit here, do bear in mind it gets REALLY cold. Like below 5 degrees cold, so you will need warm gear (so not something you associate with Hawaii haha!) It can also be windy and rainy intermittently - a bit like the Tongariro crossing. So be prepared!
We also randomly happened to be on Maui at the same time as the amazing Christy Prior so met up to explore this place together!
Sadly that’s all we had time for here, but would love to go back and explore the Hana Highway one day!
HAWAII ISLAND (BIG ISLAND)
Honestly, I didn’t know much about Hawaii Island before visiting here, so wasn’t really sure what to expect. It ended up being one of our favourite islands - you’ll soon see why!
We arrived in the afternoon so we were able to head out and find a little sunset spot before our big adventure the next day. Here’s a handful of my favourite shots from a little float session. All available for purchase if you think one might look nice as a print on your wall. Just screenshot the one you like and email me over on hello@lolaphotography.co.nz!
Sizing and pricing info here: https://lolaphotography.co.nz/shop
The next morning we went for a quick swim before our VERY exciting day-time activity. A beautiful warm morning with Manu Kea looking down at us and massive schools of baitfish swirling beneath our feet!
Then came one of the most INCREDIBLE afternoons of my entire life. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have learnt of my obsession with dolphins. While we were hoping to swim with dolphins during this trip, the following encounter was actually a bit unexpected. We were pretty positive that Kauai was going to provide us with the dolphin treats, but it turns out Big Island had a massive surprise in store for us.
We were booked in with Fair Wind Cruises for a snorkelling cruise at Kealakekua Bay, which is praised as the best snorkelling site in Hawaii. It’s also where Captain James Cook was violently killed in 1779. #happyfacts. Carmen and I jumped into the water and swam away from the main snorkelling sight/all the people to get creative. No more than 20 minutes later a pod of dolphins swam into the bay and swam right through us! Carmen and I were both shaking and laughing we were both full of so much adrenaline. We stayed with the dolphins for the entire duration of our time at Kealakekua Bay. We were in the water for about 2 hours straight and they would just loop around and around and do tricks for everyone watching. One dolphin even split off from the pod and swam right up to me to check out me and my camera! Such an amazing experience that I will never forget.
The next day we stood on arguably the tallest mountain in the world - Mauna Kea. When measured from its base, it would tower above Mount Everest! When driving up this absolute giant, the dramatic climb in altitude in such a short space of time (14,000 feet in less than 2 hours) often means that people experience altitude sickness. Thankfully we got away scot free there. We did however experience a 26 degree temperature change from base to summit and a BANGER of a sunset!
KAUAI
Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better. Enter Kauai. We did both have high expectations of this island, but those were completely blown out of the water (pun absolutely intended). THIS is Hawaii people. The kind of Hawaii you see in all the picture perfect Instagram and Pinterest photos. I was in awe the whole time. It’s grand, it’s pretty, it’s diverse and I could spend months exploring it all.
Na Pali Coast. Bless you. Now the next part of our adventure is hands down one of the best days I’ve ever had in my entire life. You are going to spend money on a tour in Hawaii, do it with Capt Andy’s. We took the Na Pali Raft Day Expedition and had our minds completely blown.
During our 6 hours with our Capt Andy’s crew, we saw 10 whales (including several insanely close breaches!) a pod of approximately 100 dolphins and 3 turtles. All beneath the dramatic peaks Na Pali Coast, darting in and out of sea caves and plunging under cascading waterfalls. We even got to land on a remote beach, Nu’alolo Kai which used to be home to an ancient Hawaiian village. Nu’alolo Kai translates to “crazy about the ocean” and that is just so damn relatable, so I felt right at home.
Once we had finished seeing it from the sea, it was time to get a birds-eye view. We were beyond fortunate to experience TWO helicopter rides over the Na Pali Coast in one day. The first included a landing at the waterfall you see at the beginning of the original Jurassic Park movie - Island Helicopters are the only company on Kauai that have permission to land here and it’s pretty damn magic.
The second flight was a doors-off heli with Mauna Loa Helicopters- something I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of. I’ve only been lucky enough to do this once before over Phillip Island in Australia, but the Na Pali Coast is praised as one of the best locations in the world to do this. It did not disappoint.
Just before our flight to Oahu, we wanted to take one last look at the Na Pali Coast from above. So we went and sat on a ridge while the clouds swept around us, revealing the incredible view and then taking it away again. And giving us the odd little rainbow.
This was the final resting place for my GoPro, RIP.
OAHU
To end our massive trip, we had one day on Oahu to squeeze out a little more fun just to ensure our adventure tanks were nice and full. We were based in Waikiki which can be just madnessss. It was a definite change of pace from the other islands and instantly made me miss Kauai. (Hello tourists in matching tow piece outfits and homeless people yelling in the streets). To make the most of it, we had smoothie bowls on the beach then hunted down an empty beach on the West Coast for snorkel. Special mention to Carmen for saving my life when I got a cramp in my calf after being in the water for like 3 hours. Photog life once again. Snapping away with no concept of time or my bodies general need for water and sustenance. #lessonlearnt. #jokesineverlearn.
On our last night, we couldn’t resist one last swim for a famous Waikiki Beach sunset with the surfers. What a send off.
Thanks for coming on my little Hawaii journey. Snaps of me are of course by the talented Carmen Huter. Check her out, she amaze. If you’re keen on any more tips to help with your Hawaiian adventures, just sing out!
