*Fujifilm X-T4 + XF16mm f/1.4 R: 1/125s, f/4, ISO800*

At the end of October Mom scheduled a family vacation to the island of Maui to help support their economy after the wildfires had wreaked havoc earlier in the year. Usually mom likes to have fixed itineraries where every hour of the vacation is planned. Usually I had felt more exhausted coming home from those vacations than I did leaving for them. This time we decided to have a loose structure around driving to the summit of Haleakala mountain for sunrise on Saturday morning.

*Fujifilm X-T4 + XF16mm f/1.4 R: 1/125s, f/2.8 ISO800*

We departed Honolulu on the 8AM flight which takes a little over 30 minutes on a Hawaiian Airlines 737 airplane. We picked up a Kia mid-sized vehicle from Hertz, and, with many hours before lodging check-in, my sister decided she wanted us to check out the Maui Ocean Center. Some photography tips for those interested: fish move fast, so faster shutter speeds for the moving ones are recommended. RAW format is highly recommended for color-balance because many of the images in the indoor areas were WAY outside of a camera’s typical color range. RAW allows for adjusting the colors in post-processing. Using a lens hood and putting it right on the glass/acrylic greatly reduces unwanted glare and reflections. Some camera stores sell special rubber hoods for these scenarios. The gift shop is a good place to spend some disposable income, the merchandise here was top notch!

*Fujifilm X-T4 + XF16mm f/1.4 R: 1/500s, f/2.8 ISO800*

Next, we went foraging for food at one of Maui’s hot spots: Sam Sato's. They’re most well-known for their dry-noodles and manju. Sorry, no food photos from here, I was hungry. Their deluxe burgers and meat sticks are also very good!

*Fujifilm X-T4 + XF16mm f/1.4 R: 1/30s, f/2, ISO800*

With lunch in our bellies, we made our way from Wailuku to Kihei to check into our lodgings at the Aston Maui Hill. After settling down and resting a bit, we were ready for dinner. I suggested Cafe O'Lei Kihei since my foodie buddy Dave highly recommended it.

Yum! 😋 After dinner we returned to the condo and turned in early so we could wake up at 3am for the long drive up the summit of Haleakala.

From the hotel it was a 1.83 hour drive to the 10,023ft summit. The toilet seats were cold! Despite our best efforts dressing him in several layers, my dad decided it was too cold to step outside of the car. I felt very cold too, but the one clothes-related regret I had was not having gloves. I went back and forth to the car to warm up my hands and to switch lenses between shots. This was my first in-field use of the Fujifilm XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR with the 1.4x teleconverter attached and it did not disappoint! I took an obligatory photo of the near-full moon, because that’s what one does with a telephoto lens. We were fortunate that our timing included a near-full moon because I felt much more confident seeing the road as the driver. Among my other regrets are not bringing a real tripod. I’ll have to do so next time.

Our next stop was to meet up with my mom’s cousin’s family halfway down the mountain in Kula town. They took us to a local favorite restaurant, Kula Bistro for a wonderful breakfast! I ordered the crab cakes eggs benedict. My sister had the macadamia nut banana pancakes. They were so big she could only finish one of them. I was told that the desserts here are ALSO delicious, but I was so full I had to decline them this time.

While already on the mountain, we opted to visit the Alii Kula Lavendar Farm. It’s really a beautiful botanical garden on a steep slope that also has a lot of lavender (like the sign above explains). The lavender coffee here is worth a taste!

Then there was one last stop I insisted on before we returned to the hotel. On previous work trips to Maui, I was always denied this Maui treat for one reason or another, so I insisted we drive back to Kahului to buy Tasaka Guriguri. This gallery was all shot on the iPhone Pro 14.

*Fujifilm X-T4 + XF16mm f/1.4 R: 60s, f/11, ISO200*

*Fujifilm X-T4 + XF16mm f/1.4 R: 240s, f/11, ISO800*

Finally, after a long nap and takeout dinner from a restaurant that shall not be named (the food wasn’t as good as the other spots), I walked from the condo with my sister to the nearest beach to take some sunset photos.

And that concludes our family’s Maui adventures! Until next time… A hui hou!

11.13.2023