Not a strange question at all. I love photography so am very happy to share and learn what others do when travelling. I've traveled to Maui with a smaller dslr ( a canon xti) with 2-3 lenses, especially a nice wide angle (10-22mm) with a polarizing filter. It's great for landscape photos, and it reduces glare and reflection so it's also great for shots of the ocean. This also helps if you're doing a helicopter ride as the glare from the glass can be quite distorting. I also brought along a zoom lens and a small fixed length lens so I could take detail shots, like of food. I also take along a waterproof point and shoot so I can take pictures while snorkeling. I carry all this in a small crumpler messenger bag which is great when doing a lot of walking. For long hikes though I think a backpack type case would work better.

Lately I've been travelling with a smaller micro four thirds camera, namely a panasonic GF1 (the sony nex and nikon j1 are the same type) which allows me to shoot dslr-quality pictures with the ease of a point a shoot. I have 2 lenses I bring, a zoom telephoto, and a fixed lens at 20mm. It's a great type of camera, and much lighter than carrying all my heavy gear along, although I do get a little less control then I would with a regular dslr.

Also, my iphone 5 - for uploading pictures and making my friends instantly jealous!

Enjoy your trip!

"....but what did YOU take over to Maui?"

A big camera bag! Loaded with a Canon full-frame DSLR and 3 lenses, and a Panasonic Lumix waterproof for snorkeling. Ask how many of the photos I took I'll ever sell or have hanging on my wall. Yeah! When I go again in a few months, I'm seriously thinking of just taking my new Sony RX100. Seriously good images.

Just wondering, did you bring your tripod or did you rent? OR did you just prop it up on something?

I did not bring a tripod - but i did have a little gorilla pod for my point and shoot which was helpful when taking pictures of my husband and I when there was no one to take them for us! On the road to Hana where there are many beautiful waterfalls, I just propped the dslr on a railing or tried to hold it super steady (took several tries to get it right!) while trying to get a long exposure of the water.