My Hawaii Travel Adventures Day III: Black Lava Rocks and Beach

Hawaii travel adventures day three! I went with 3 girlfriends for a week to Maui, Hawaii. This is the story of our time at Black Sand Beach and doggie kisses on the beach.

Four women smile at the camera in an outdoor setting with green hills, trees, and a body of water in the background under a partly cloudy sky. — Photo by Meredith Pind

As part of my decision to travel somewhere every month since September 2016, I went with three girlfriends for a week on the Island of Maui, Hawaii, in late January 2017. These are the photos and tales of my Hawaii adventures and part of my Budget-Friendly Maui Travel tips.

Don't miss out on my Maui travel day one, where we started off our adventure with tuna carpaccio and camp sites, and Maui travel day two, where we had (and I can't stress this enough) the best cup of coffee.

"I think this is what the face of the moon looks like," said Meredith, casting a long glance at the landscape around her. She dug her hand, still speckled with black sand, into the bag of chips, and then used those to scoop out some avocado flesh straight from the shell, its creamy insides so ripe and ready they came apart in our hands upon the faintest touch.

Four women pose for a selfie outdoors with the ocean, rocky coastline, and lush green vegetation in the background under a partly cloudy sky. — Photo by Meredith Pind

We arrived at Black Sand Beach in Wai'ānapanapa State Park on the evening of our second day in Maui.

Note: We didn't have time for this Black Sand and Turtles Tour, it looks fantastic!

Tired of driving and bone-weary after a long day of climbing, hiking and jumping off cliffs, we just wanted to set out camp for the night and explore our surroundings.

A person with light skin holds a mound of black sand in their hands over a surface covered with more black sand; a black hair tie is on their left wrist. — Photo by Meredith Pind: Photo of the Black Sand Beaches

But when we discovered that the van camping ground is not by the beach, our hearts sank. We were really hoping for that promised view of the sun rising from the ocean from the comfort of our Ruby (our trusty-red Camper van that made this trip possible).

Not letting that minor setback ruin our mood, we quickly went down to the beach to find the famed cave and blowhole that made Black Sand Beach famous.

I had a short debate on whether I want to take my camera with me, but decided to leave it in the car - and in the last minute, to give the phone that was resting in my pocket to Meredith to place in her bag.

Four women stand on dark rocks by the water, smiling at the camera. Green foliage and a cloudy sky are visible in the background. The setting appears to be a natural outdoor area with rocky terrain. — Photo by Meredith Pind

Once there, we did as most modern girls do and, standing on the edge of the cave, posed for some selfies!

But halfway through our first attempt at getting that perfect beach-meets-sunglow combination of facial expression and background, a giant wave overtook us from behind. Screaming and jumping in the air, we nearly dropped the phone. We soon discovered that we were soaked through to our hips.

When you're limited in your laundry and living in a camper van, that can actually be a really bad thing.

Four women stand close together and smile at the camera in front of a rocky shoreline with waves in the background. The lighting is bright and there are rocks and water behind them. — That's us right before the wave…. Photo by Meredith Pind

Four women stand close together near rocky ocean waves, smiling and making surprised faces at the camera. The background shows water splashing and dark rocks. — And that's us right as it came crashing down! Photo by Meredith Pind

They taught me that storytellers show, not tell. That you must do your best to describe a setting so that one can breathe it, smell it, see themselves in it.

And yet every part of my body just wants to show you the photos. Tell you that it's impossible to transfer the beauty of Maui to words, that you should just see it for yourself.

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Four women stand outdoors in front of a body of water and green landscape, making exaggerated silly faces while looking upward or crossing their eyes. Trees and hills are visible in the background. — Photo by Meredith Pind

Walking on the Black Sand Beaches

Three people sit in camping chairs on rocky ground outdoors, with one person holding a dog on a leash. There is greenery and mountains in the background under a cloudy sky. — Photo by Meredith Pind

But that part is not the part that writes a blog.

So allow me to try. Getting up the following morning, we made our way to the highest point of the beach in order to catch the sunrise.

As we settled in our rickety folding chairs, discovering new holes and breaks in each one, our bodies sighed with relief: finally, a chance to sit and enjoy the view.

Waves crash against dark volcanic rocks on a coastline, sending water spray into the air under a mostly clear sky with scattered clouds at sunset. The landscape in the background is partially illuminated by the setting sun. — Photo by Meredith Pind

Our toes dug themselves deeper into the warm black sand, finding shards of shells and old, water-polished rocks. Our hair fluttered in the wind, finally free from the binds of hair-ties and straighteners and shampoo. Our eyes squinted, attempting to shield our corneas from the light of the sun as it began to cast its first glow over the sky.

And our souls soared, forgetting for a moment the sadness and longing and disappointments that clouded our minds back in our daily lives. Forgetting the disputes with co-workers. The boys who ghosted us. The exes who sent us gut-wrenching messages at 2am. And the men who thought they loved us but who weren't ready for all that it meant.

Forgetting the early morning hunger and aches associated with sleeping in a camper van. Forgetting that there is even a tomorrow.

Waves crash against dark volcanic rocks at the shoreline during sunset, with sunlight illuminating the water spray and clouds visible in the sky above. — Photo by Meredith Pind

Instead, we looked at the alien landscape around us. At the crooked black rocks, their innards emptied overtime by sand and water and sun into cavernous holes. At the bright, algae-green succulents that grew everywhere and reached their little tentacles to the sun. At the bluest water, its tops tinged with white foamy tips. At the sun, a ball of gas and energy so big and magnificent, it managed to sustain all of this LIFE for millions of years.

And then a pitbull came and licked our fingers!

Five people standing barefoot on black sand, forming hand signs with their fingers pointing at each other in a circle. The sand and their legs are visible from above.

We spent that day on the beach, swimming and tanning and lounging. We did nothing more strenuous than jumping in the air when a really big wave came. We ate chips and salsa for dinner, with a side of my homemade canned hummus. We rested - and let it all soak in.

And I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Five people stand barefoot in a circle on black sand, with their feet around a heart shape drawn in the sand that has the word "loved" inside it. One person holds a sandal. The photo is taken from above.

Come back next week for more Maui stories! All photos in this post are by Meredith Pind, because I ~~couldn't be bothered to log my Canon 5D around~~ was worried about getting my camera soaked with seawater.

Want to see the rest of our trip? Be sure stay tuned for Maui travel day four and Maui travel day five as well.