"Maui" a Maui Travel Page by HarmoniousBotch

Millions of years ago, Maui was formed by two volcanoes burning their way to the surface from the ocean floor three miles down. The smaller one rose to over 5000 feet, the larger to 10,000 before they cooled. Lava flows from the craters piled up between them, forming a wide plain. It was in the northern part of this plain that farming was easiest, so civilization gained its toehold there. This is reflected in the layout of modern Maui: the biggest city - Kahului - is there, the major airport is there, as are all the car rental agencies and the big box stores.

The weather has dictated outward migration since then. Trade winds from the northeast dump lots of rain - in some locations 600 inches/year! - on the northern and eastern slopes, so development has taken place mostly on the drier edges in the west and south where a person can live without rot in his crotch or bugs in his cereal.

On the western edge of Mauna Kahalawai ( the smaller volcano ), the cities include Lahaina, Kaanapali, and Kapalua. On the western slope of Haleakala there are Kehei, Wailea, and Makena. Both regions seem to follow the same pattern: as you drive along the road from the airport, the cheaper areas are first, followed by the middle-class touristy areas, and finally the plush resorts with huge golf courses.

What this means for the average tourist is that you stay in Kehei or Kaanapali.

{ this chapter is just a rough outline now - more coming soon }

All addresses referred to are South Kehei Road:

a) Almost all the lodging is along Kihei road.
b) Even numbers are beachfront, odd numbers are the inland side of the road.
c) In general, the higher the address, the better the neighborhood. In the hundreds there were some rather run-down places. From 1500 to about 2900 was decent. From 3200 on up is for the rich.
d) The Khei commercial district is around 1200-1300, with some more scattered along 2000-2500.
e) The most popular beaches are the three Kameole beaches ( known locally as Kam 1, Kam 2, and Kam 3 ). They are around 2000-2500.

Paia was colonized by hippies who headed for Hana but found out that they were too stoned to drive the curving road. So they stopped near the last straight stretch and called it home. Their decendants have evolved into three groups: the windsurfers who hang out at Ho'okipa, the waiters and cooks who work at Mama's Fish House and other local restaurants, and a small but persistent group of thieves who break into tourists' cars.

It will be windier and wetter than more western or southern parts. There is not much to do or see there. There are a few good restaurants, but you'll run out of places to eat in a weekend. You will find yourself driving into Kahului so often that you will do more driving than if you just rented a place in Kihei or Kaanapali and then walked to shops and restaurants.

So visit it once: watch the windsurfers in the afternoon, eat at Mama's if you want to spend a lot or at Cafe Mambo if you want to spend a little, then go back to western or southern Maui. ( On the way, close the car windows and set the a/c to 'recycle' because there is a part of the Hana highway near the airport that sometimes has a horrible stench. I think it may be from the old sugar mill, but I'm not sure. )