Maui
STAY Grand Wailea Resort
EAT Mana Foods & Mama's Fish House
FIND your way through the road to Hana
SEE Haleakala Crater
EXPLORE Hana
We drove around the NorthWest Coast of the Island which was exquisite and full of cows
Molokai looming in the distance
christina
While Maui is a paradise with great beaches and a lot of western style amenities, it can feel a little packaged. If you’re feeling more adventurous, and want to see what the island was like before tourism then head to Hana. A few years back, we were able to rent an Airbnb out here for a week and really loved the slow pace of life and subtle embrace of this beautiful corner of the island. There is a true romance to Hana that is inexplicable yet truly defined by the lack of tourist infrastructure and old Hawaiian ways. There aren’t a lot of restaurants, there’s only one Hasegawa's General Store that has all the essentials and there is no nightlife. It’s relaxing and a great counterweight to today’s hyper reality of constant information – cell phone reception is spotty at best.
Most people on arrival in Maui will be encouraged to either drive or take a packaged tour to Hana. I would recommend driving to anyone that feels comfortable on winding and single-lane roads. The road there has 620 curves with many being single lane or one driver at a time. The traffic can be very hectic and the road itself is challenging but worth it. If you are driving yourself, you can determine where and for how long you want to stop at the various spots along the way. We recommend downloading the Shaka Guide Road to Hana Driving Tour app which will guide you on your drive and tell you where to stop along the way (download before you leave a wifi area). Though every rental car agency in Maui will encourage you to get a 4WD Jeep you don’t need it (unless you want it). You can most certainly drive in an economy or compact car the whole way there and back along the same road. Please note that the “backside road” is prohibited with a rental car – 4WD or not. If you choose to go that way you are breaking your rental contract and could incur penalties if you get stuck.
We recommend starting out early before the traffic and taking your breakfast with you. You can stop for a morning picnic and then again for lunch farther down the road. The best part of this journey is certainly breaking along the way and not rushing to get out there – especially if you’re doing this in one day. Don’t miss these stops along the way:
Paia Town – grab your to-go breakfast and or lunch at Mana Foods (their desserts are amazing too!)
Kaumahina State Wayside (this is where we stop for breakfast)
Ke’ Anae Point – get up close and personal with the black lava rugged coastline
Ke’Anae Arboretum – walk a beautiful path and see a grove of Rainbow Eucalyptus trees
Pua’a Ka’a State Wayside – a beautiful smaller waterfall that’s easily accessible
Kahanu National Tropical Garden - includes the majestic Pi’ilanihale Heiau believed to be the largest ancient Hawaiian temple, or heiau, in the islands
Wai'anapana State Park – a gorgeous park and black sand beach which has good options for a lunch picnic
Once in Hana, there are only a few places to eat – we really love Thai Food by Pranee that was originally recommended to us by our dear friend Sibet; you can get snacks at the General Store too.
On this particular trip to Maui, we stayed in Haiku and decided to go out for the day. Originally our intention was to go and come back the same way but we ended up circling the island along along the back road because we missed the turnaround (we were also driving a friend’s 4WD car). I’m glad we did it - the back side really is stunningly beautiful. The drive feels like a whole other Maui, completely undeveloped, windswept and full of grazing cows with the slopes of Haleakala reaching to the sea. There are no stores there though, so if you’re considering the drive go prepared with lots of gas, water and food if you need it. Fuel up in Hana too just in case. There were definitely stretches where I was worried about the rocky road but Julio drove impeccably and the conditions weren’t that bad (especially compared to some roads we’ve been on in the deserts of California). You could probably do it in a regular car but I would never consider it if it’s raining as there’s a big stretch that’s just dirt – which means mud and that would be messy.
The first stretch of the road past the town of Hana is rocky, unpaved and twisting, once you get a few miles out the conditions do improve and the road is once again paved (but still has potholes). There are a few very tight coastal turns and you should be defensively driving if you take the ride – always beep the horn before making a turn (you really should do this on the way out to Hana too). I recommend stopping at the Huialoha Church of Kaupo that is out on a promontory. If you can, take the detour and go out there. There may be a chain link up on the private road but if you read the sign carefully it says to take the chain down and then put it back up once you go through. The road down to the promontory is a steep dirt road – this is definitely a 4WD situation – I think if you were driving a passenger car you could get stuck here. Once down there, you will be rewarded with a beautiful view of the coastline and a rocky private beach (I don’t recommend swimming as I don’t know about the tides here – please use caution). It feels like another planet on this side of Maui.
The road continues on past country lanes and grazing cows – all while the sky opens up to majestic views and the colors around you completely envelop your senses. There are tall grasses dotted with giant boulders of lava from when the volcano first erupted along with mossy greens covering the landscape. The cliffs are high and susceptible to erosion so if you stop to walk out, don’t get too close to the edge and remember to be mindful. (Please see my post in Kauai about “asking for permission” while out and about in Hawaii’s natural wonders). As you circle around the island you will come to magnificent views of La Perouse Bay, Makena Beach and then finally Wailea Beach before the road puts you back in the town of Kula and Pukalani from which you can descend to your home base on either side of the island.
If you are staying in the Hana area or have some extra time while you drive don’t miss these great spots:
Other off the beaten track places in Maui that are definitely worth exploring include:
These little guys are stunning but an invasive species so no bueno
One of the views form Haleakala, the dormant volcano
This is the lawn of the Ritz-Carlton in which during the construction the largest burial site of Native Hawaiian was discovered. The hill to the left is the burial mound which was left untouched.
Maui is home to our spiritual teacher Ram Dass aka Richard Alpert. He has been a great inspiration to us both and was tickled to see we were married after fifteen years together.
FOOD FACTS: Taro is the staple of the Native Hawaiian diet and at the core of the Hawaiian culture. Hawaiians believe the taro plant to be sacred. Taro, called “kalo” in Hawaiian, is central to the Native Hawaiian creation story