| The
region of Maui referred to as "West Maui" includes the resort
areas of Lahaina, Ka'anapali, Napili, and Kapalua. Access to these resorts
is via Hono a Pi'ilani Highway, Hwy. 30, by way of Ku i Helani
Highway, Hwy. 380 (which links Kahului to Ma'alaea and the Hono a
Pi'ilani Hwy.).
There are several points of interest in West
Maui, most of them in the Lahaina town area. Lahaina is a very historical
town, at one time the capital of Hawaii. There are many historical
buildings and exhibits around town. The Carthaginian, a steel hulled ship
is actually a small museum, it is located at Lahaina Harbor and has a
number of historical exhibits. Ka'anapali
Beach is renouned as a beautiful resort beach, the first on Maui.
Ka'anapali Beach has a single rock formation, Black Rock.
Southwest Maui South West Maui is considered the area between
Ma'alaea and Lahaina.
The only road along this stretch of the coast is the Hono a Pi'ilani Hwy, a
two lane, well paved road. that winds it's way along a rocky coast, then
along side all the major beaches in the area. |
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| One thing to consider is that this is the only 2
lane highway that connects West Maui with Central, South and East Maui.
During rush hour (7:30am to 8:30 am and 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm) the traffic
can be heavy with commuters from Lahaina going to Kahului and Wailuku and
commuters from Central and South Maui going to Lahaina and Ka'anapali. If
there is an accident (or sometimes a few visitors looking at humpback
whales) there can be stopped traffic, be cautious driving around blind
turns on the Pali (rugged coastline area). There are several points of interest along the
way from Ma'alaea to Lahaina. As you leave the Ma'alaea area there is
McGregor Point, the Lighthouse, and the Pali Scenic Lookout. These three
areas are great places to pull off the road (be careful at McGregor Point,
a very rough access road) to look at the views, watch humpback whales, or
just catch a beautiful sunset.
A few miles from the Scenic Lookout you reach the
Pali Tunnel, a short tunnel along the highway to Lahaina. As you exit the
tunnel and travel a few hundred feet toward the beaches, there's a small
parking pull off for Maui's newest public hiking trail, The Pali Trail.
This trail follows the rout taken by early missionaries and Hawaiians from
Wailuku to Lahaina that was established before the original Pali
Road, which was established sometime after 1850. This trail was largely
forgotten for many years and has recently been improved and opened for
public use.
As you leave the Pali cliffs behind you reach the
first of several beach parks, Papalaua Beach Park and Ukumehame Beach
Park. Both of these parks are great for beaching, they often have good
surfing and fishing, kayaking and scuba diving are also done from these
parks.
Farther down the road toward Lahaina is Olowalu,
another wonderful place for snorkeling, scubadiving, kayaking, beaching,
and swimming. The coral reef is so close to the surface of the water at
Olowalu that kayaks and small boats will often scrape their bottoms while
cruising the bay. The proximity of the reef to the surface thends to tempt
visitors into standing on the reef, please do not. Not only could you
severly cut yourself (some of Hawaii's coral has toxins in it and can
cause infection and swelling), but you also kill the coral when you touch
it. Please do not stand on or touch the coral, at any location.
After Olowalu, as you approach Lahaina there are
two more beach parks Launiupoko Beach Park and Puamana Beach Park. These
parks (especially Launiupoko) are great for picnics and outdoor
celebrations. There is good parking, picnic tables, grills and in
Launiupoko's case, a lot of open space. Both parks are also good surfing
locations when the surf is high.
For
more information on
Maui, go to:
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