Congrats! Like mentioned, Haleakala is a must see. I just went for the first time a couple weeks ago...saw the sunset from the crater-awesome. Would of liked to see the sunrise, but was only there for a few days and didn't want to wake up at 3 am to drive there:P Stayed in kaanapali-really nice there. You can't really get lost in Maui, there's only a few main roads..and if you do, hopefully you have google maps on your phone..that really helped me have fun!

 

Haha, yup +1 on Asians and their gambling. Mike actually took us to Pala. Pretty cool place. It was our first time at an Indian Res and I was totally impressed with the casino there.

 

thank you! we deff cant wait to go, less than two months!

haha ya really. Some of the ones ive been to remind me of almost a vegas style one

 

hey, i was wondering...has anyone gone to the kipahulu area of haleakala? i really wanted to go when i was there but didnt have the chance...looks like a pretty far drive if youre staying in lahaina/kaanapali (about 4 hours) and 2 hours from the kahului airport...

 

The road to O'heo Gulch and Kipahulu (Hwy 330) was closed last time I was on Maui (5/09)

 

bummer

 

Ya know, if you wanna check the conditions on the Hana Highway and beyond since they're always changing (it is a pretty rural area after all), you can always call one of the major hotels and ask them about it. Front desk is accustomed to those sort of questions and are pretty cool about answering them most of the time.

 

^ Thats deff good to know. Im sure we will try making it around the island at least one of the days..

I forgot the name of the book (have it in my phone, but its in the other room lol) but our friends got it when they went to maui last year. Said it gave some AMAZING tips on places to eat like "hole in the wall" local places, or great places to stop off the side of the road.

Our friends said when they would go to a place the book suggested, the ONLY ppl there were locals and other ppl with the book.

Had crazy specific directions like "once you pass mile marker 41 reset your trip odo and after 12.7 miles park on the side of the road. Walk 17 feet to the stump and follow the path behind the tree to the hidden waterfall" sounds like fun lol

 

was it due to bad weather? i read that there are flash floods in that area and to stay away if the signs are posted....cause they do occur and people have been swept away...

 

I think it was road maintenance, though I'm not 100% sure. I drove just past Hana and there was a big barricade with "Road Closed" on it. I asked one of the locals and he said he didn't know why it was closed either.

But yeah, I heard about the flash floods too. Not to mention that Hwy 330 is just a dirt road at a certain point

 

never drove the road to hana...so youve been to the gulch/kipahulu? is it really nice there? the pictures online look amazing...i want to go!

 

Nope, didn't get the chance to go Kipahulu or O'heo Gulch because Hwy 330 was closed like half a mile south of Hana

But Hana itself is a really, REALLY quiet, small village. Like, 3 general stores, less than ten places to eat, 1 hotel, 1 (swimmable) beach, and a mix of mansions, shacks, and what look like non-government run, independent, self-sufficient Hawaiian homesteads. And taro fields. Lots of them

Not to sound like a dick, but the locals in and around Hana makes the mokes on O'ahu look like a buncha UH-educated haoles Seriously, they all look kinda pissed and even shout at/harass haole tourists driving by. But if you're pretty obviously kama'aina, they treat you OK -- they might give you small kine stinkeye initially or have that "whot, boddah you?" vibe, but if you do stuff like stopping for them when they jaywalk when you're driving or talk story with them, they'll relax a bit and treat you fine. You'll see LOTS of upside down state flags (Hawaiian independence supporters) out in Hana (but no Kanaka Maoli flags -- guess it hasn't caught on out in windward Maui).

As for the Road to Hana, it can be nice under ideal conditions, but it can be a real chore more often than not. If there were no tourists jamming up the road, and if the road were about a half hour shorter, it'd be pretty nice -- lots of foliage, nice views of the ocean, some waterfalls, beams of sunshine coming down through the trees, warm breezes, and some branching roads that lead to secluded beaches. But the reality is, more often than not you'll get a tourist in a rented Mustang convertible going 15 mph in front of you and an angry local in a Dodge Ram going 45 mph behind you, with a one-lane bridge coming up and about 30 hairpins after it -- a crappy but all too common situation on the Road to Hana. Plus it can get crazy hot on the road -- make sure you have enough gas to turn up the AC once in awhile In all honesty, I found the drive to be more stressful than fun, especially considering how big a letdown the destination was. Even my ex who was sitting shotty the whole time got bored and a heat-stroked/a little carsick/hungry/saddle sore after the first hour or so (but she was totally into it for like, the first 45 minutes haha). After getting back to Kahului from Hana, we bee-lined for Tasaka Guri-Guri and each ate like, 6 scoops of ice cream

In summary, I can't suggest going out to Hana. I'd rather go up to Haleakala or spend the day relaxing in Ka'anapali or Wailea.

 

thanks for that long write up! wow...driving to hana sounds pretty nuts..hhehehe. i definately want to go up haleakala again soon...maybe see the sunrise (only saw sunset). didnt get to relax much at kaanapali....my main goal when i went to maui was get the car and go up haleakala:P hehe. at least the mission was completed...

 

The name of the book i was talking about it
The Ultimate Maui Guidebook Maui Revealed (pretty touristy lol)

 

^^^
Nice
Does it have Tasaka Guri-Guri, Home Maid Bakery, Da Kitchen, and Sam Sato's Saimin in it? 'Cuz if so, chee-hoo, those are super local places

P.S. Make sure you pick up one of this little "This Week Maui" or "Maui Gold" booklets at the airport. They're free and have a calendar of events as well as coupons.