A short distance in miles, packed with scenic views and places to explore, the northern route from Lahaina to Kahului is certainly not the quickest option. And the Kahekili ‘Highway’ itself presented a few challenges, but a rewarding excursion nonetheless.

After our 9-day family reunion in South Maui, Bill and I were eager to explore the rest of the island on our own. Our goal for the day was to drive from Napili Bay on the northwest side of the island to Kahului (29 miles) and arrive in time for dinner. It’s a luxury to travel at a relaxed pace – one of the (many) perks of being retired.

The defining features of the first 10 miles north of Lahaina are 1) beautiful beaches, and 2) fancy resorts with all the amenities and a corresponding price tag. But tucked away between the Kapalua Golf Course on one side and Honokahua – an ancient Hawaiian burial ground – on the other, is a public path that leads to Makaluapuna Point.

Along the way, we passed the Kapalua Labyrinth, constructed in 2005 by an anonymous builder and well-utilized by visitors.

Then the nice path narrowed and eventually disappeared, but we made our way to Makaluapuna Point by scrambling between and over the rocky terrain. And we were not disappointed once we got there!

Along the way:

Allow about an hour for a leisurely visit to Makaluapuna Point.

Our next stop was at Nakalele Blowhole – a geyser-like feature that erupts every few minutes with seawater that gets trapped in an underwater lava tube. Apparently, it’s not uncommon to see columns of water reaching heights of 100+ feet . Visitors are cautioned that “the blowhole has sucked people into the hole who were literally standing right over it, and visitors have even drowned at the spot after disappearing in the hole.” (quote from hawaii.com website)

No such danger on the day of our visit. During our hour-long stay, we only saw a couple of weak eruptions – not even photo-worthy. Here’s ground zero for the blowhole action:

Nevertheless, we enjoyed this place. There’s no trail from the parking lot down to the blowhole, so it was a fun challenge to navigate and negotiate the very rocky terrain leading down to the shore. But the views – stunning!

Allow at least an hour to visit Nakalele Blowhole, and try to visit during high tide for the best chance of witnessing an impressive eruption or two.

Just a few miles beyond the blowhole was the short 1.2 mile Ohai Loop Trail, so we checked it out. Once again, the views were the best part.

Plan on an hour to hike the loop trail. It’s not difficult, but the photo ops will slow you down.

Up until this point, the road was fine, just a normal 2-lane country road. Then things changed, and the rest of the route was a little hair-raising. From Trip Advisor reviews: “You totally do NOT want to drive past the Ohai Trail on the Kahekili road.“

And from a Maui resident: “The road is NOT ‘well maintained’ or an ‘easy drive’ for many people. Especially someone afraid of heights. We often have rockfall on it, and people drive like idiots on it sometimes as well. The pavement is in need of serious work in several places. Just my experience living here and driving it pretty often……………”

The issue? It’s a one lane road . . . with two-way traffic. And many tight curves and steep drop-offs. Here’s what it looks like on Google maps:

And in real life:

We met a caravan of oncoming traffic, and a traffic jam ensued.

The situation was eventually resolved, however, sans road rage, damaged mirrors or flat tires. Just a little adventure on the back roads of Maui.

Our final stop before arriving at our lodging in Kahului was at Waihee Beach Park, where you can take a nice, long walk along the picturesque shore. We spent about an hour there both times we visited.

Kahului/Wailuku

Our drive ended in Kahului, which along with Wailuku, is the largest residential and commercial center on Maui, with a combined population of around 40,000 residents.

Visitors – around 3 million annually – arrive at Kahului Airport, collect their bags, pick up their rental cars . . . and head straight out of town (after the requisite visit to Costco, of course) toward the resorts and beaches on the other side of the island.

We decided to stay in Kahului for quite a few nights, as it was the most convenient starting point for some of our plans. With only three hotels, it’s definitely not a town that caters to tourists. We opted for the convenient Maui Seaside Hotel – dated but clean, charming and comfy.

Fortunately for us, Kahului’s top rated restaurant for local cuisine, Tante’s Island Cuisine, was co-located with the hotel, and served as our ‘go to’ spot for many a breakfast and quite a few dinners. We enjoyed the diverse menu, tasty food, triendly service, and on one occasion, the dancers from a local hula school.

On the outskirts of Wailuku is the area’s highest rated attraction, Iao Valley State Monument, which is both gorgeous and historically significant.

“This valley is rich in cultural and spiritual values and is the site of the battle of Kepaniwai where the forces of Kamehameha I conquered the Maui army in 1790.” (quote from Iao Valley website)

Plus:

“To call this West Maui Mountains park “lush” is an understatement of epic proportions. Its dense rainforest canopy makes this popular park one of America’s more unique, dominated by the Iao Needle — a 1,200 ft vegetation-covered lava remnant that rises from the valley floor to a higher height than the Eiffel Tower… “ (quote from Thrillist)

Sadly for us, the park was closed for the entire duration of our visit – repairs and upgrades. Next time, for sure . . .

So we opted for a short visit to nearby Kepaniwai Park instead.

The centerpiece of this small county park since it opened in 1952 has been a collection of Heritage Gardens honoring and showcasing Hawaii’s multi-cultural history, including native Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, and Korean.

A beautiful setting and commendable concept, but over the years, the exhibits and gardens have not been well-maintained and look a little tired and run down, likely due to lack of funding rather than lack of interest.

We also paid a visit to the Maui History Museum in Wailuku, which is only open Tue-Fri from 10-2.

According to its website, the museum promises to convey “a fair depiction of Hawaiian history and the influence of missionaries.” And it was, in fact, interesting and educational, with many native Hawaiian historical artifacts on display.

The garden was lovely.

We spent a couple of hours at the museum.

To summarize –

• Driving around the north side of the island – highly recommended if you have the time
• Staying in Kahului – a convenient location for day trips, but otherwise, it’s not a ‘must do.’

That’s it for now. Thanks for following along on our 3-week vacation in Maui. Much more to come!

Next up – The Road to Hana