It is impossible to go to Maui and not fall in love, wide-eyed as we were from Hawaii’s pixie dust and breathless from hiking, dining and gaping at striking sights (and sites).
We recently spent a too-short five days there — an add-on to the real reason behind my partner Alice’s trip to Hawaii. It was her second two-week stint in Lahaina for All Hands and Hearts, the great organization helping with disaster relief all over the world. In Lahaina, they’re helping with debris removal, food prep and fire mitigation. They’ll be down in Palisades helping with those horrific Los Angeles fires too.
As add-ons go, this one was heavenly. First, our home base: the little town of Paia, where we lounged — when we weren’t island-galivanting for all that gaping — in a welcoming one-bedroom cottage close to downtown. Paia is agreeably funky, yet with polish, sort of your hippie dad roughly cleaned up to go for a job interview. There are great restaurants, boutique shops, a good vibe and oh, the local ice cream!
From Paia’s perch on Maui’s north coast, you can make straightforward highway jaunts to gorgeous beaches and intriguing towns. But since it’s not too far from the neighborhood, head to ’Iao Valley Monument first.
Take in those jutting cliffs showing off their mantles of green on your approach; they are just the appetizers for the iconic, jutting ’Iao Needle (Kuka’emoku), seen best by walking the short, paved trail to the lookout. The peak is known as the phallic stone of Kanaloa, Hawaiian god of the ocean.
Below the monument trail is an appealing garden park area with wandering trails and a winding stream. The valley area is where Kamehameha the Great fought the Battle of Kepaniwai, one of his bloodily successful battles to unite all the islands.
On your way back, stop by the nearby Kepaniwai Park and Heritage Gardens, where there are no battles, just lovely monuments and structures representing contributions to Maui from various cultures, including the Chinese, Japanese, Filipino and Portuguese. It’s fun, educational and well worth the stroll.
Your bright-sights strolling might have caused your appestat to ding: Honor your reward system by heading back to the Cafe Mambo in Paia. Its open-to-the-street layout and illuminated bar will catch your eye, but the dining will capture your taste buds. Because I believe carbohydrates are love, I had Pasta al Limone with a side of focaccia, and because I know we need fruit too, a glass of pinot. Victory!
Alice had seared, skin-on kanpachi on a purple bed of sweet-potato puree, green papaya salad and peanuts. She said it was delicious, but I was distracted by the need to have pasta and focaccia in my mouth at the same time so I couldn’t reply.
The ’Iao Valley makes a splendid inland trip, but in Hawaii, the great Pacific ever beckons, and one of those beckoning beaches is only a mile or so from Paia: Ho’okipa, known as the “windsurfing capital of the world.” A series of reefs offshore provide sizzling breaks when the wind is up, which it often is. There’s also a shore-level beach park with a nice walk, but we preferred to pull into the cliffside parking lot above and just gaze, mesmerized by the long line of waves and the long lineup of surfers angling intothose waves.
Surfers were ripping with aplomb. There was even a guy who had a toddler on the front of his board and once, when they were whooshing into shore, the kid stood up, nearly hanging ten. Scared me to death, but I bow to the glory.
We wanted a bit more exertion than watching other people exert themselves, so we headed to the Kapalua Coastal Trail on the west island side. (Note: We’d heard that the road over the top of the west side of the island to get to the Lahaina area can be iffy, so we went south on Highway 30 through Wailuku and down to Maalaea and then north again.)
The Kapalua trail flanks some extensive luxury resorts for its 2.5-mile length, but you can ignore those Champagne-poppers and look instead to the varied and striking ocean views. You’ll walk on some paved areas, some dirt, some lava — and with views of waves crashing in coves and on lava outcrops, you’ll walk on air.
We stopped at a cluster of food trucks and small shops in Olowalu, outside slowly-rebuilding Lahaina, where the views of the green volcanic hills are majestic. Nearly as majestic were the fish tacos from the Fish Tacos El Blue food truck. I could see making a habit of them if I lived nearby. Or I could be easily persuaded they are worth another 2,500-mile trip.
Another day, another soulful town and tasty meal? We couldn’t go wrong in Wailuku, which had the good-vibe feel of Paia, too, and is an easy drive between to compare their delights. There’s a beautiful mountain backdrop, streetside strolling among eclectic shops and striking murals on many buildings.
The oddly spelled SixtyTwo Marcket, which to my investigative eye is a restaurant, not a market (or marcket), offers great grub on the outdoor patio. Alice had seared ahi on a fresh bed of greens, and I had a taro burger with a quinoa salad. Friendly folks run the joint, the food was splendid and I refrained from correcting that Marcket sign on the wayout. (I was full and couldn’t stretch up on my tippy-toes.)
More? The Sea Spirits Distillery in Kula (dandy rum cocktails!), the Kanahā Pond Wildlife Sanctuary in Kahului (the stilts!), the swimmable beaches in Kihei, seeing whale tails and spouts many times … yes. And that’s even without trekking out to Hana or up Haleakala.
It’s impossible to not like Maui. We’ll be back.
IF YOU GO
’Iao Valley Monument: Open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Parking is $10. Make reservations at https://gostateparks.hawaii.gov/iao-valley.
Kepaniwai Park and Heritage Gardens: Open from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily at 870 Iao Valley Road, Wailuku
Cafe Mambo: Opens at 8 a.m. daily at 30 Baldwin Ave. in Paia; www.mambomaui.com.
Ho’okipa Beach Park: Open daily at 179 Hana Highway (Mile 9 marker) in Paia; www.mauicounty.gov/facilities/facility/details/169.
Kapalua Coastal Trail: Take Highway 30 north from Lahaina to Office Road and turn left. There is parking available near Kapalua Bay and in some metered resort lots. www.alltrails.com/hawaii/maui
Fish Tacos El Blue: You’ll find this and other food trucks, a pie shop and a general store at 812 Olowalu Village Road in Lahaina.
SixtyTwo Marcket: Open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at 62 N. Market St., Wailuku; www.sixtytwomarcket.com.
All Hands and Hearts: Find information on donation and volunteer opportunities at www.allhandsandhearts.org.