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Derick Sebastian at Andaz

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One of our favorite ukulele players is now playing a couple of nights a week at the new Andaz hotel in Wailea (near Ulua beach). You should check out his music here.

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By the way the new Andaz is pretty freak’n nice! And while listening to Derick is free (except for tipping him and the parking guy) the drinks and pupus are VERY expensive so watch out. Here is a picture I took of sunset at the Andaz lounge, sometimes I get lucky with the camera but it doesn’t hurt to have such incredible raw material to work with. Yes that is 100% real, no Photoshop.

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Maui Snorkel Spots

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Here is a list of snorkel spots. I’ll try to keep updating this post as I get more photos etc.

In general you want to try and go early before 9AM to get the best conditions and see the most fish.

Kamaole Beach III

This is the beach right across the street. We spend a crazy amount of time there because A) it is a GREAT beach and B) it is right across the street! There is a nice open lawn area to play, bathrooms, life guard, swings, barbeques. This is the beach where the locals hang out. Every Sunday you will see a church group of some kind having a luau there with a jumpy castle for the kids etc.

The best snorkeling is to the left going towards the boat launch. Plenty of turtles (we saw six in one spot one day) and lots of fish. If you are a good swimmer go way left until you get to the first swim buoy (the white ones that mark the line between boaters and swimmers) then go straight out. You will have to cross a bit of open sand along the way… just keep going I’m not crazy. The coral opens up into a HUGE field that you can swim over. See the snorkel boats coming in the the boat landing, where they always stop just outside of the entrance? They are doing one last snorkel to see turtles. Go that way.

The wind will pick up about noon so you probably want to be done by then.

Most days have good waves for boogie boarding if you go just to the right by the life guard stand.

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Here is a ʻdroneʻ video done at Kam III by my good friend Darrell Burkey from ProUAV Australia.

Here are some turtle videos I shot with the GoPro. If you listen very carefully on the second one you can hear whale songs in the background. This was a low visibility day just after a rain. It is usually much clearer than this.

Keawakapu

No need to drive, just go across the street to Kam III but then enter the trail to the left and walk along the Eddie Pu trail past the boat launch and just past the Five Palms restaurant at the Mana Kai. This is a great beach! Lots of fish, an easy entry and small waves. Go out along the lava outcropping on the right. If you walk all the way to the other end of the beach there are bathrooms and good snorkeling there too. If you walk past the Five Palms, past the pool, you will find a rental place where you can rent kayaks and stand up paddle boards (and bikes).

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Mokapu/Ulua

You are going to want to drive to this one. Go like you are going to the shops at Wailea (exit left from the condo, turn right at the stop) but it is only a mile or so. Look for the sign that says Ulua Beach on the right (past Ekahi, past Elua condos) and go down to the end. Parking is limited so go as early as you can to make sure you get a spot.

This is where a lot of SCUBA divers go because the fish are awesome. Ulua beach is on the left, Mokapu on the right. Ulua is the better bet. Go straight out, super easy entry. Follow along the rocks and eventually you get to a nice wall that drops off into deep water. Turtles there most days. Nice beach with good shade. You can walk up the beach and go along a walking path that takes you through the shops at Wailea where you can get a snack at the Whalers general Store.

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Turtle Town

There is no such place. “Turtle Town” is wherever your guide or boat captain says it is. Turtles are all over south Maui.

Makena Landing

Drive to Wailea and go past the shops. Just past Makena Surf hotel you want to take a right on Makena Road. Wait weren’t we on Makena Road? Well yes and no. After this point the main road becomes Makena Alanui, and this right turn off becomes Makena Road. Alanui means road in Hawaiian. Confusing isn’t it?

Go down the road past the fancy houses until on your right you see Makena Landing parking. Lots of kayakers go from here. It is an easy entry. The visibility can be not super great here but it is fun to hang out on the little (tiny) beach and lawn area.

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Maluaka

Drive like you are going to Makena Landing, but go past and keep going. You will come to a parking area on the left and an old church on the right Keawala’i Congregational church. Check it out, it it the coolest church, and graveyard (but be respectful please). Parking can be limited so go early. This has darn good snorkeling and lots of fish. The visibility can be low especially after a rain.

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Ahihi Kina’u – the dumps

Drive down Makena Road, it changes to Makena Alanui, then changes back to Makena Road. Whatevah! Just keep driving south. Keep driving. No you are not lost, keep driving. More details here. The scenery is amazing but keep your eyes on the road! You will see a sign that says Ahihi Kina’u Reserve, keep going. Your brain will be telling you to pull off here because it is gorgeous but fight the urge and keep going. It starts to turn into a moon scape lava field and you are saying “Duane, why did you make me go past all that idyllic scenery to this place where I could die and the buzzards would have trouble finding my body?” But look to the right at the yellow gates and go into the parking area. Walk out on the lava trail (bring good shoes and booties if you have them) until you get to the lava rock beach.

This has THE BEST SNORKELING ON MAUI it will blow your mind. But it has a difficult entry and to get there you have to cross a lava field. Not a spot for beginners. Please don’t die.

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La Perouse

Drive like above until you get to the end of the road. This is the end of the line for cars. This has a difficult entry and the wind can blow like a mutha. Snorkeling is good but visibility can be a challenge. Dolphins hang out here in the morning.

Molokini

Take a boat trip to this tiny cinder cone. You can get one that leaves right from Kihei boat ramp. It can get crowded, go on the early trip. This is a must do if you have never gone.

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The Road to Hana

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Never before has the aphorism “it’s the journey not the destination” been more true than exploring the road to Hana. While the town of Hana itself certainly has its charm, it is the journey to the town that holds the rewards.

With this in mind you want to take your time and spend the day taking in the sights and sounds of the road to Hana. You want to leave early enough such that you won’t feel rushed to get back. Leaving the condo by 7:30 should work out fine. If you have people in your party that are of the “are we there yet” mentality… leave them behind.

Take the CD that is in with the travel books. This will be your audio guide and it is timed to the drive so that it will tell you when and where to pull off to get the most out of your journey. You don’t really need directions, go past the airport and get on Hana Highway. Make sure to bring water and a camera.

 

Bike to La Perouse Bay

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This is one of my most favorite bike rides on Maui. It will take you along one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, and then put you into a lava field that remains unchanged for hundreds of years. It ends up in La Perouse Bay. A little under 20 miles out and back.

As you enter the Ahihi Kinau preserve keep an eye out for the yellow gates on the right. This is the parking area to use for snorkeling the area known as “the dumps”. This is probably the best snorkeling on Maui. Huge number of fish and turtles. You want to wear good shoes and booties if you have them because you will need to walk through a lava field to get there and the beach is rocky. Not a spot for beginners.

 

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Surfing Goat Dairy

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If you are going upcountry you might want to stop along the way at the Surfing Goat Dairy. You can feed the goats and get a tour of the facility. Take a taste of all the different cheeses. They are so cute!

From South Maui (Kihei, Wailea, Makena): Time: Approximately 35 minutes.
1. Go North HI-31/ PIILANI HWY.
2. Turn RIGHT onto HI-311/ MOKOULELE Hwy. (6 miles)
3. Turn RIGHT onto HANSEN RD. (1.17 miles)
4. Turn RIGHT (.3mi) onto HI-370/ PULEHU Rd /OMAOPIO Rd.
5. Stay on PULEHU RD. approx 6 miles.
6. Bear LEFT at fork ….stay on OMAOPIO RD until you come to the farm on the right hand side (1.49 miles).

 

Hikes

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Jonathan and Carrie were kind enough to share some hiking information…

I’ll put this in the review, but here are my thoughts on the hikes we took from your Suzanne Swedo Best Easy Day Hikes Maui book. I should add that although we walk a lot in the city, we’re not big hikers or campers or anything. I also don’t have the greatest balance. We basically took sun hats, and a water bottle, and headed out on the trail.

  • ‘Iao Needle. Very cool. There are some trails off the main trail that are pretty interesting. The walk up to the top is a few flights of stairs and there are some inclines and declines if you want to check the whole place out. But pretty easy.
  • Tropical gardens of Maui: dead easy, very beautiful, $5 per person charge. We saw lots of great foliage. Kids might get bored.
  • Makele Blowhole. The most physically challenging on the ones we did. You’ve got to climb down a lot of rocks to get to the blowhole and then climb back up. Teenagers seemed to navigate it with no problem; my balance isn’t great so I found it a little challenging but in a good way. It was totally worth it. The blowhole itself is spectacular. Also, for people not inclined to white knuckle driving, it should be approached from the west. If you come from the east (Kahului, etc) you have to traverse some pretty sketchy mountain roads that are much more intense than the Road to Hana. The views are breathtaking, though.

We did all three of those in one day and had a picnic lunch.

  • Garden of Eden. Get a little taste of the road to Hana on this one–you’re about 45 minutes in. This place seems very kid-friendly, lots of beautiful plants and views, and birds to feed. It rains there most afternoons as far as I can tell. Also a very easy hike.
  • Twin Falls. We only did the right one as we didn’t want to walk through a stream. Most of the hike is very easy with a slight incline on the way out. At the end you’ve got to traverse some narrow elevated paths (if you fell off or stumbled, you’d get wet but not hurt) and scale a few rocks to get the falls and pool. Also beautiful, but I gather it’s a pedestrian waterfall for Maui.

We did those on the same trip.

  • Olowalu petroglyphs. This one is the most different from the book. Not all the landmarks are there anymore, but some signs are up to guide you. The petroglyphs themselves are now protected and sort of fenced off. In the book the hike ends with you climbing up rocks to get to them; now you have to stand at the foot of the rocks and look up. The area itself is pretty ugly, and it’s an easy walk up a dirt road. If you’re into ancient art (we are), the petroglyphs themselves are super cool, and worth the easy trip, perhaps on the way to a day in Lahaina (we went there for lunch afterward). If not, skip it.