In a continuation of our series "5 Questions with…" we emailed with the lovely Liza Peirce of AMauiBlog.com. A Maui Blog is one of the top blogs on Maui and a favorite of Lahaina.com.
Liza does an exceptional job of creating an online site that promotes the wonderful aspects of our beautiful island. She encourages everyone to share their stories and comments regarding Maui, so head over when you have a minute.
1. AMauiBlog.com is one of my favorite blogs to follow regarding Maui, when did you first start the blog? What was the inspiration behind it?
I started blogging in 2006 at Liza’s Eyeview. It’s my personal blog. At that time there were many things going on in my life and I needed a place to introspect and reflect. I love journaling and have kept a journal for many years, but at that time, I felt I needed something more, therefore I started blogging. As I blogged at Liza’s Eyeview, I became passionate about blogging. I saw the many benefits of blogging personally and business wise. I happen to love Maui and felt so blessed living here so I started another blog called A Maui Blog, to share Maui to the rest of the world. It took a back burner for a while because I was very busy and so my postings on A Maui Blog were light for a couple of years. Then the economy tanked and I was laid off from work. That’s the time I had focused on improving the A Maui Blog to help promote business on Maui and help promote the island as well. I should actually have a tag line "when the going gets tough, the tough goes blogging" on my A Maui Blog :)
2. If you somebody was coming to Maui and only had one day to visit on the island, what would you suggest? How would you set up their day?
It really would depend on what their "purpose of coming here" is. If the person is a surfer, of course I would recommend various surfing spots, such as Hookipa. If a person is a writer that would like to be inspired, Hana would be a good place to do that, maybe he or she should stay at Hotel Hana. If that somebody is adventurous and fun loving (a.k.a. likes to party:), I would recommend staying in Lahaina and doing the touristy things in there, not to forget going to the Old Lahaina Luau. For a family, I would recommend a lot of beach time because the beaches on Maui are some of the best in the world. Let their kids play in the sand. It’s fun! For the seasoned traveler who would liked to be soaked in the culture, I would make sure they watch Ulalena; I also highly recommend going to Haleakala; for someone like my mother in-law I would suggest visiting Makawao Town.
3. You wrote a blog post titled, “Where Locals Eat on Maui,” where you asked your friends via twitter where they like to eat most. Which restaurants are some of your favorites and why?
My husband and I like going to Roy’s in Kihei for a special occasion like celebrating anniversaries and birthdays. Why? the food is ono and we live in Kihei so we go to their Kihei restaurant. We also like going to Stella Blues, Cafe Ole, Maui Thai Chef, Saigon Cafe for some special lunches. Now for the everyday quick meals, we go to Bale, Da Kitchen, or Pinatas :). Honestly, it’s hard to have favorites because there are a lot of good places to eat on Maui.
4. In the past few years, what has changed on Maui for the better and for the worse? Is there anything you would like to see more of?
Maui transportation system has changed - for the better and for the worse. For example, when I first came here 15 years ago, there was no public transportation such as the Maui Bus. It was very difficult for someone who does not know how to drive or who cannot afford a car. Now it has improved and we see a lot of public buses around. But, we have to be careful that this improvement for the better does not turn into the worse. Buses are good but too much of it would make our "paradise" more like a city and we don’t want that to happen. There is a talk about the County buying a double decker bus. I am not sure I would like to see that on Maui. Same thing with the roads and cars. It has improved for the better in many ways, but in a way it’s also for the worse because I kinda like the way it used to be when there are less cars, people drive slow - cruizin’ instead of zoomin’ - Maui Style, you know. My answer to this question is kinda loopy, but I think you understand what I am trying to say :). You also asked if there is anything I would like to see more of. My answer is improvement in Maui’s educational system. Oh, don’t get me started on that - let’s save it for another interview 
5. Any future plans for AMauiBlog.com?
Definitely! I am planning to create a "dream team". The dream team is a group of bloggings who would blog about Maui, each of them in their own specialty - like a surfer would blog about surfing, a golf enthusiast would blog about golfing, some who loves to shop would blog about shopping on Maui, a Native Hawaiian talking about Hawaiian Culture, etc. etc. etc.. So Jaime, would you like to be a part of that team?
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