In the Valley Isle weeks before the Lahaina fire: Maui, Hawaii 🌺
A series of once-in-a-lifetime memories from the summit of Haleakalā to the length of the Hāna Highway. 🏔️ 🛣️
After attended to a college friend’s wedding in the Summer of 2023, I took a flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Kahului (OGG). A little over five hours later, the aircraft landed on an airstrip over the low isthmus that joins Maui’s two volcanic masses.
Maui, the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands, is formed by the union of two volcanoes at a narrow waist of land. The older West Maui Mountains are located in the northwest, while the younger and significantly larger Haleakalā, known as the House of the Sun, rises majestically to an elevation of 10,023 feet in the east.
In the isthmus that separates these mountains gives the island its distinctive nickname, the Valley Isle. The mountains play a crucial role in shaping the island’s weather patterns. The windward northeast side is characterized by lush rainforests, meandering streams, and cascading waterfalls. In contrast, the drier western and southern coasts are home to the majority of Maui’s beaches and resorts. Kahului, situated on the central plain, serves as the primary gateway to the island. On the west shore, Lahaina holds historical significance as the former capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Travels:
American | AA 271: Los Angeles ➡️ Kahului
🛫 09:20 PDT LAX (10m Late)
🛬 11:31 HST OGG (34m Early)
Duration: 5 hr, 11 min
Once the passengers stepped outside of the Kahului Airport (OGG), they were welcomed by an outdoor electric tram that transported the passengers between the main terminal building and the Rental Consolidated Center (RCC). As part of the expansion and modernization plan, the half-mile tram line was opened in 2019. Each car carries the name of an island in Maui County, and the bodies are styled after the island’s plantation past.
Stay:
Kaanapali Ocean Inn (2-Star Hotel | 3.8 ⭐️ 🏳️🌈)
2780 Kekaa Dr, Lahaina, HI 96761
The Kaanapali Ocean Inn is a three-story walk-up on the grounds of the Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows. Although the building is older and lacks elevators, its prime location makes it an attractive option for travelers seeking convenience and proximity to the private beach.
Guests of the Kaanapali Ocean Inn share the same entrance, hotel lobby, fitness center, and other amenities as the Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows.
Each room offers either an ocean or resort view balcony, with private beach access just steps away from the building.
Dining:
Duckine(4.5 ⭐️ 🏳️🌈 🚺 V $$$)Asian Fusion- Permanently closed1312 Front Street, Lahaina, HI, 96761
Duckine was a restaurant opened in October 2022. It replaced a family-run Chinese restaurant that had occupied the space before. The chef and owner, Alvin Savella, created a duck-centric menu that featured dim sum and local flavors.
The name “Duckine” is a play on “da kine,” the Hawaiian term for “all-purpose.” The duck bao and duck-fat fried rice were the star dishes of the menu.
Unfortunately, Duckine was one of the Front Street businesses that were lost in the fire weeks later.
Waikiki Brewing Company, Lahaina(4.3 ⭐️ 🚺 $$$)Bar- Permanently closed900 Front St, Lahaina, HI 96761
Waikiki Brewing Company was a brewery located on Front Street overlooking the water. It was the company’s third location in Hawaii and the first located outside of Oʻahu. This location was established in 2015.
The medal-winning beers perfectly complemented the breathtaking sunset that the address had promised. Tragically, this location was also destroyed by the devastating Lahaina fire in 2023. In response to this tragedy, the company generously raised funds to support the staff who had lost their jobs.
Activities:
Haleakalā National Park (4.9 ⭐️)
Haleakalā Highway (HI-378), Kula, HI 96790
Haleakalā means “House of the Sun”, which holds a significant place in Hawaiian mythology. According to the legend, the demigod Māui embarked on a daring quest to capture the sun from this summit. By doing so, Māui successfully slowed its journey across the sky, thereby extending the length of the day.
Although Hawaii is known for its year-round warm climate, the temperature at the summit of Haleakalā (10,023 feet above sea level) can plummet to just above freezing before sunrise. This altitude-induced phenomenon creates a unique microclimate, supporting the diverse ecological system that thrives on the mountain.
To watch the breathtaking sunrise at the summit, the National Park Service required a reservation for any vehicle to enter the park between 3AM to 7AM. These reservations are limited and are only valid for the day reserved.
Visitors without a valid reservation will be turned away.
Hāna Highway
The Hāna Highway runs 64.4 miles from Kahului to Hāna. It crosses 59 bridges, 46 of them a single lane wide, and bends through roughly 620 curves.
Many of the bridges date to the early twentieth century. The full road to Hāna opened in 1926. Traffic moves at about twenty-five miles an hour through near-continuous rainforest. Hāna sits at the far end, a small town that keeps a slower rhythm than the resort coast.
Koʻolau Forest Reserve
For much of its length the highway threads the Koʻolau Forest Reserve, set aside in 1905 on the windward slopes of Haleakalā. The reserve covers roughly 31,000 acres of wet native forest and feeds the East Maui watershed.
The green wall along the upland side of the road is this reserve. Near the eighth mile marker a hand-cut, stone-block section of the Koʻolau Ditch carries water from the rainy interior toward the dry central plains, a remnant of the irrigation system that once served the sugar fields.
Kaumahina State Wayside Park
Kaumahina State Wayside Park comes up just past the twelfth mile marker. The name translates as rising moon. The 7.8-acre stop is one of the few along the road with restrooms. Its overlook earns the stop on its own, taking in the Keʻanae Peninsula and the black-sand crescent of Honomanū Bay on the coast below.
Hana Lava Tube (4.5 ⭐️)
205 Ulaino Rd, Hana, HI 96713
Past the thirty-first mile marker on the Hana Highway, a turn onto Ulaʻino Road leads to the Hāna Lava Tube, also known as Kaʻeleku Caverns. This tube was formed approximately a thousand years ago when molten rock drained away beneath a hardened crust. It is the largest on Maui and, by common reckoning, the eighteenth largest in the world.
A self-guided walk takes approximately forty minutes and covers roughly a third of a mile. Admission includes a flashlight, which is necessary for navigating the dimly lit interior.
Dragon’s Teeth Trail | Makaluapuna Point
Dragon’s Teeth Access Trail, Lahaina, HI 96761
Located in Kapalua, on the property of The Ritz-Carlton, Maui.
The trail and attraction are open to the public, but parking is limited.
Downtown Lāhainā
Front Street, Lāhainā, HI 96761
Lāhainā was the historic seat of the islands. King Kamehameha made it the capital of his kingdom early in the nineteenth century. The capital remained there until the seat relocated to Honolulu in 1845.
Front Street ran along the water, lined with shops, monkeypod trees, and the great banyan at its center. The banyan was planted on April 24, 1873, as a gift commemorating the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first Protestant mission. It has since grown into sixteen major trunks and became the largest banyan in the United States.
The town had celebrated the tree’s 150th anniversary in April 2023, three months prior to this visit. Nearby stood the Old Lahaina Courthouse, built in 1858, and the Pioneer Inn, established in 1901. The latter had long been the oldest continuously operating hotel in Hawaii.
On August 8, 2023, a devastating fire ravaged Lāhainā, consuming nearly everything in its path. The blaze destroyed most of Lāhainā, killed 102 people, and charred the iconic banyan tree that had shaded the waterfront for a century and a half. Despite the devastation, arborists have embarked on a remarkable journey to revive the tree, nurturing it back towards health.
Travel Tips:
Air Travels
Hawaii enforce a strong agricultural regulations to protect its unique ecosystems and agricultural industry from invasive pests and diseases, while also providing legal protections and zoning rules for farmers.
While inter-island travels has limited inspections, all air travel to and from US Mainland & Foreign Countries are subject to USDA Agriculture Inspections and secondary screening at the terminal.
Kahului Airport (OGG)
Like many airports located on an island, Kahului Airport (OGG) embraced the open-air concept from the check-in counters to the breezeway in front of the boarding areas.
Road to Hana
All major car rental companies explicitly prohibit driving on the unpaved "Back Road to Hana" (Piilani/Hwy 31 past Kipahulu).
The road past Kipahulu features unpaved, washboard-dirt roads, blind one-lane corners, and drop-offs. If you get a flat tire or need a tow, the towing companies will charge upwards of $1,500 to $4,000.
