5 Things You Need to Do in Maui

The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and one of the most popular destinations in the world to visit. Known as "The Valley Isle," Maui has breathtaking views, frequent sightings of humpback whales, fresh farm-to-table cuisine and luxury resorts, as well as its many other popular tourist attractions.

While first-time visitors have likely checked watching the sunrise from Haleakala Crater, swimming beneath waterfalls and driving through the Road to Hana's infamous hair-raising turns off their bucket list already, Maui attracts repeat visitors time and time again. So what are some other must-do activities on Maui, you ask? Here are five things everyone visiting the island should check out.

Ko-which means "sugarcane" in Hawaiian-is the only fine dining restaurant on Maui to serve food inspired by Hawaii's sugarcane plantation era.

Ko Restaurant gets their ingredients straight from the farm, similar to how plantation workers once did. The restaurant locally sources over 90 percent of the produce they use, and each day offers a new, local fresh catch fish. Cooked on a lava rock on a stick and paired with shichimi spiced with orange ginger miso sauce, their eye-catching Ahi "On the Rock" dish acts as dinner and a show.

Molokini Crater, located just two miles offshore between Maui and Kaho'olawe, is an ancient volcanic caldera that has some of the clearest waters in the world.

Satisfaction, Maui's only luxury power yacht vessel for charter, can take guests snorkeling at Molokini Crater, including on overnight trips. Aside from snorkeling, guests can fish for mahi-mahi, ono, ahi and marlin, go whale watching, see dolphins, scuba dive, swim and do some stand-up paddle boarding, among other water activities. The captain makes sure guests get to see as much Hawaiian sea life as possible.

Wake up early for a journey along the ancient Hoapili to follow the "king's paths," which were used for centuries by native Hawaiians. Appropriately named the King's Trail, the ancient trial was designed in the sixteenth century to unify Maui's 12 districts (moku).

Walk through beautiful scenery, hike through black lava formations created by Maui's last eruption, see old abandoned Hawaiian village sites and if you're lucky, see humpback whales, goats, turtles and Hawaiian monk seals. The views of the volcanic coastline make the trail one of Maui's most adventurous hikes.

For an authentic Hawaiian experience, book a traditional Hawaiian canoe experience. There are a handful of companies that teach riders the basics of paddling in the beautiful blue Maui waters, but the Fairmont Kea Lani's canoe experience is run by guides that are multi-generation native Hawaiians that know the area like no other.

The guides begin with a traditional Hawaiian chant/oli, which asks for blessings and permission to enter the ocean. Each canoe sits six, including your canoe guides. Riders can even hop out of the canoe and go snorkeling. Each excursion pretty much guarantees at least a turtle sighting and if you visit from December through April, you may also see and hear humpback whales during their mating season. Hawaiian spinner dolphins and Hawaiian monk seals also frequently make their own appearances.

Hop in a helicopter and get the best view of Greater Maui (Maui Nui), Exploring the islands of Lana'i, Kaho'olawe, Maui and Moloka'i from a bird's eye aerial view.

The Paradise Helicopter tour starts out from Lanai and goes on to show riders all four of the major islands that now comprise Maui Nui. See Haleakala and the Road to Hana without having to sit in a long, nauseous car ride, gaze upon the world's tallest sea cliffs-which stand at almost 4000 feet above the Pacific Ocean-peek at West Maui and its white beaches, fly over rainforests, waterfalls, inaccessible mountains, coastlines and pass over the sunken crater of Molokini.