Maui Highlights

By Eilene Lyon

In late April, I spent a week on Maui with a friend I’ve known since high school. We rented a two-bedroom condo about a quarter-mile from the beach north of Lahaina in the Kaanapali area. You may recall the devastating fires that hit Lahaina in 2023, killing over 100 people.

I confess that we did not seek out evidence of the fire, and thus we did not see much of the damage. There were homes being rebuilt, but much of the tourist infrastructure seemed unharmed (though in reality some restaurants and other businesses were destroyed). This west coast of the island is where the most-visited beaches are located and we enjoyed the beauty of sand, water, and flora.

The best spot we found for snorkeling was Napili Bay. It’s protected by a reef and filled with coral and sea life. On my first trip there, I swam with about a half dozen sea turtles. On the next trip the special sights included a moray eel and large octopus. There were many kinds of fish I don’t recall ever seeing before.

A path into a coastal jungle area

Napili Bay – great place to snorkel!

I call them chickens, but Hawaiians prefer “jungle fowl”.

One day we drove up the Haleakalā volcano early enough to enjoy a fairly cloud-free view from the top. I did a bit of hiking into what appears to be an old crater, but is a eroded valley with cinder cones. I didn’t have time to make the full 15-mile round trip across the entire space. In fact, I did not even drop all the way into the valley.

Me and Lisa at the summit of Haleakala

Sign pointing out the landscape features in the Haleakala Volcano.

View from the summit to the sea.

Hiking into the crater valley.

Silversword (Argyroxiphium sandwicense) is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and nearly went extinct.

Close-up of the silversword.

On the way down the volcano, we drove through misting cloud cover and spotted a few nēnē next to the road. Afterward, we visited a private botanical garden. We then went south to Kahei for lunch and shopping. Afterward we continued south until the road ended at La Perouse Bay. There is a natural preserve nearby and the area is dominated by old lava flow.

I know it’s too small to read, but it tells the story of the 18th-century explorer for whom the bay is named: Jean François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse. He was the first European to set foot on Maui on May 30, 1786.

Lisa on the lava at LaPerouse Bay.

Nēnē, or the Hawaiian goose, is a flightless bird. Seen here next to the road on Haleakala.

Koi pond at the botanical garden.

Colorful mix of foliage, flowers, and fruits at the botanical gardens.

We happened upon a wonderful bit of free entertainment in the open-air lobby of the Westin Resort hotel. A troupe of Polynesian dancers and musicians treated the crowd to music, costumes and dances from around the Pacific island nations, including Tahiti and New Zealand.

Polynesian dancers

Polynesian musicians

Polynesian dancers

Live flamingos in the atrium lobby of the Westin resort hotel.

I did a little exploring one evening on my own and located the small D.T. Fleming Beach Park on Honokahua Bay—a local’s hangout with free parking. A wonderful spot to watch the sunset, and larger waves than the low, smooth swells at Kaanapali Beach.

On the final day, I took Lisa to the airport very early, and had the rental car and entire day to explore before my 10 p.m. flight to Phoenix. My extended figure-eight drive around the entire island didn’t use more than 2/3 of a tank of gas, but took about 10 hours!

From Lahaina to the airport covered the southwest part of the island. As the sun arose, I drove the Hāna Highway (“highway” being a relative term, given it was a slow, winding, two-lane road hugging the cliffs) along the northeast part of the island. I was regaled with a cloud-free view of Haleakalā in its entirety, but there was no place to pull out and take a picture!

At Hāna, I had no luck finding a cup of coffee, even though it was 8 a.m. by then. I headed to the eastern portal of the national park to hike the Pīpīwai Trail to Waimoku Falls, and the Kūloa Point Trail where the stream empties onto a black sand beach (not accessible).

I finally got a most delicious, satisfying ($6) cup of coffee and yummy fresh-baked banana-macadamia nut bread at a roadside stand called the Environmental Farm. Signs indicated that the road ahead was closed most of the day, but the kiosk employee at the park suggested I go a few miles down the road and check it out anyway.

This southeastern route is partially unpaved, almost entirely one lane, and has almost no traffic. I had no trouble going through and was so glad I did. This section of the island is not developed at all and was the most incredibly scenic area.

Back in Kahului, it was too early to go to the airport, so I decided to complete my loop by driving the northwest section of the island. I almost wished I hadn’t! This cliff-hugging route is one lane (paved) with occasional pull-outs, a thousand-foot drop off to the sea on one side, and too many blind curves to count. And yes, it’s a two-way street!

I have driven many 4WD mountain roads in the Rockies—also steep, winding, rough and one lane wide. But this Maui “highway” really tested my nerve. I was actually a bit shaken when I finally reached a large pull-off on the north point. Fortunately, from there it was only a couple more miles to the two-lane road back to Lahaina. Time for a relaxing evening meal and overnight flight.

Feature image: A view of waterfalls and a nearly cloud-free Haleakalā from a pull-out along the Hāna Highway.