Janet and Justin were incredibly sweet. They even brought me coffee, a huge bonus for this morning session! They wanted a variety of scenery for their engagement photos, so we played all over the Makena area of Maui. Makena holds a significant place in Hawaiian history and comes from the word mak’ke, meaning “many gathered.” 

Makena is part of a larger ancient land division named Honua’ula, which encompasses land from the rugged lava flow terrain of Keone’o’io Bay (now commonly referred to as La Perouse Bay) on the southeast shore, the lush pastures of Ulupalakua upcountry, and Keawakapu Beach, just north of Wailea. It is believed that the first Polynesian voyagers arrived from Tahiti around 1300 A.D., and many landed along the Honua’ula coastline. 

A major geographical landmark in South Maui is Pu'u Ola'i, also known as Earthquake Hill or Red Hill, which can be hiked starting from Big Beach (Makena State Park). While we didn’t climb up the cinder cone, we did go up to rocky outcropping that separates Big Beach from Little Beach, Maui’s infamous nude beach. From there, we could overlook the entire beach.

It was a captivating morning with these lovebirds. It’s easy to see that Janet feels at home in Justin’s arms and how charmed he is by her presence. I know they have a gorgeous future with shared hopes and promising dreams together.