Maui….
I have been to Maui twice. I love driving around this island there are so many sights to see. If you plan on staying on the south shore, it’s a great central place to start your sight seeing trips. The road to Hana is a day long trip, there are many waterfalls to see right off the side of the road. It’s a long and winding road so prepare for some car sickness. At the end of the road you will find a small fishing village, Hana. Once there you should stop in at Charles Lindbergh’s grave.
Kaanapali is on the west shore, they have nice resorts but good public beaches are hard to find. I find the beaches to be rocky and the surf quite rough. The west shore is where the Humpback whales come to give birth in the winter months. There are many prime spots to look out for whales slapping a flipper or tail, it’s very exciting when they show off for your camera. And of course there are many whale watching boats to get a closer look.
Sunset Watching the Whale Watching Boats
The Maui Aquarium is another fine afternoon getting up close and personal to many sea creatures.
The best beach on Maui for my money is Mckenna beach on the far south shore. You can see Molikini, the cresent cinder cone off shore, it’s a great place to snorkel. You will need to rent a boat or join a tour get out to it. There are several beaches down on the south shore that are excellent beaches. Recently there was a shark attack on Mckenna beach but don’t let that keep you out of the water. Shark attacks are an extremely rare occurrence.
The north shore is where the surfing is at, the royal blue surf can be quit rough at times but if you are a surfer this is the place to surf Maui. The Road to Hana starts off on the north shore of the island. The far north tip of the island is off limits to rental cars the roads are single lane wide and very windy, plus you will run into some people selling illicit drugs and other unsavory things. Last time I was there I came across a pigs head stuck on a post along the side of the road, not a pretty sight.
If you are an early bird, the sunrise on Haleakala is a wonderful trip. There are also bike tours that drive you up the volcano and you ride a bicycle down the mountain. Not for me but if you like biking this could be your ticket. The drive to the summit of Haleakala is a fantastic trip but bring lunch there is little of anything up there other then the views. You drive above the cloud cover and look down on the world from 10,000 ft.
Haleakala is a dormant volcano, funny how that happens isn’t it? It is cold and desolate on the summit so bring a sweater or jacket and if you plan on hiking the summit you should wear long pants and hiking boots, the terrain is quite rugged.
The Summit of Haleakala
The Dormant Caldera
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