Kihei... paradise in Hawaii

The sweet smell of pineapple and the ocean breeze greets you as you walk off the plane and into the open air airport in Kahului on the island of Maui. This is where I'd be spending the final phase of my journey, in gorgeous Hawaii with my mom and sister. The plan to meet there had slowly evolved after Mom had the idea in January. From then on, the idea was in the back of my mind before I actually sat down with a man named Stuart at a Flight Centre in Wellington to change my flight itinerary. That was on Feb. 18 and suddenly, there I was on March 15 standing in the airport in Kahului waiting for mom and Kate's plane to arrive two hours after mine did.

It was such a great reunion! I hadn't seen my mom since Christmas and she was so excited to reunite with her firstborn. We also had 10 fabulous days of sun and sand to look forward to. We made it to our condo called Maui Vista and found our place easily in the darkness of the island. It was around 11:30pm when we arrived in our rental car. The place was modest but cute. We instantly felt at home. Kate and I had to share the pull-out couch and mom was in the only bedroom. We were on the ground floor and the lanai, or the patio, overlooked the tennis courts and pool. We were a short walk to the ocean - only about 1 minute - and that's where we headed the next morning.

I wasn't quite sure how my jet lag worked at this point. I'd been tossed around time zones like sneakers in a washing machine and I was pretty sure I was still on Sydney time. It actually worked out really well to go back in time a bit and settle into the island vibe and I was over my jet lag in a few days. We spent the first few days relaxing at home. Mom said from the start she didn't want to do a lot of driving but I was just fresh off a journey devoted to exploration and was keen to explore the island. Kate and I took a few drives, one of them down to the south near Makena and the other up north and accidentally stumbled on a ranch. Both excursions reminded me so much of my New Zealand travels and hitting the road to explore new places.

We frequented the shops and market places - they have the best stuff! We stocked up on hair accessories, dresses, creams and handmade soaps as gifts for folks back home. The food in Maui is so amazing and doesn't help the bikini situations, but we still didn't hold back. We ate fish, Mahi Mahi and Walu, snacked on pupus (haha) and enjoyed wine. Mahalo!

There also isn't anything quite like a Maui sunset - they say it's one of the best in the world. Da Kine. One night we dressed up and went to the famous Marriott hotel in Wailea. Our plan was to watch the sunset and have cocktails and we did just that. I've never been to a more gorgeous hotel. The lanai overlooked the pool and then the ocean, with very strategic palm trees in view. The entire place is set like a romance novel with newlyweds everywhere. The sun sets over the ocean, something I missed being on the east coast of Australia. We witnessed nature's show and couldn't fathom our lives back home, we were so far away from it all. The sight was unbelievable and every picture we took was postcard worthy.

Kates and I were also lucky enough to partake in a whale watching excursion and it was easily the highlight of the trip. We jumped on a boat called the Alu Nui and, despite the cloudy weather, there were whales a-plenty. Even when we saw the arch of a humpback's back from 1 km away or the spout of a blowhole we were ecstatic. The whales and their calves had come to nurse in the warm waters before heading north for the summer. They are such magnificent creatures. Baby whales gain 5 pounds an hour. Male whales, or the dads, peace out after the calf is born and mama takes charge. But oftentimes there is a male escort who is not the paternal father but comes and acts as a bodyguard for the new family. It's amazing to think of. At the end of the two hour cruise we spotted a mama whale who actually rolled on her side and stuck her fin up as if to wave us goodbye. Everyone on the boat reacted on instinct and waved back and we had our connection to non-human nature.

It was a gorgeous afternoon when we drove along the windy roads to the airport. The afternoon sun is my favourite and it shone on the hills and ocean, reminding me of New Zealand. I have to tell Mike and Zoe that we were right - the drive to the Pancake Rocks is very similar to Hawaii. Wow, that feels like ages ago.

The journey home was a reflective one. It was indeed all over. No more 'last phases', no more hostels and hotel rooms. I'd been gone since December 28 and it'd passed by like a flash of lightning. Funny to think of the awkward girl standing on a street corner in King's Cross, Sydney, with no idea what was before her. The whole thing was easy enough to hold onto as a giant wave at Big Beach. 'How do you keep a wave upon the sand?' well, how do you hold onto such a fantastic adventure like the one I just had?

We took a red eye from Kahului to Vancouver where I was lucky enough to jump on an earlier connection back to Toronto. My luggage was on the later flight and for the first time in 3 months I was separated from my backpack - it was like missing a chunk of my soul.

Mahalo, Hawaii! What a perfect way to end my travels and reunite with my family. It was gorgeous to be there but also bitter sweet, as I knew it was the end of it all and I'd have to go home to reality soon. Now here I am and it feels like a faraway dream in my mind. I'm not very good with endings. Beginnings are scary and endings are sad, but it's what's in between that counts. Lots of people are telling me that but it still hurts. A friend, Andrew Lackie, told me that the depression will get worse when I really settle back in. Great, can't wait! There's only one place to go now, though, and that's forward...