Rediscovering Maui by Barb Sligl

If the approach to Maui by plane is any indication, something special awaits below. After flying above nothing but water for thousands of miles the island appears, smack in the middle of the Pacific. Out of every shade of blue rise slopes that are every shade of green. Sun-soaked fields of taro are dotted with patches of shade from the clouds you’re descending through. Everything is bright, fresh and glistening.

Not bad for a first glimpse of this storied island… and then your other senses get a taste.

Coming off the plane into the open-air airport in Kahului the heavy fragrant air feels like a caress and smells even better. Birds chirp in masses of flora. There are palm, banana, mango, breadfruit and kukui trees, and flowers everywhere — ginger, plumeria, bougainvillea, bird of paradise, protea, hibiscus…

Maui is simply a wonderland. For first-timers it’s surreal: exotic yet at the same time comfortable (it is an American state after all). And the island is so surprisingly diverse — from stark lava wasteland to lush jungle — that to make the most of Maui, you’ll likely have to come back. Maui may have a reputation for crowding and an overly touristy ambience, but beyond all the resort beaches (popular for good reason!) there is much, much more to Maui.

Central Maui

From high above the island looks like the demigod it’s named after, shaped like Maui’s head and bent torso (it’s the only Hawaiian island with a godly moniker). Central Maui is the neck that connects West and East Maui, the low, flat central isthmus where sugarcane grows in abundance. And the nape is where Kahului sits on the north coast. Kahului is a working town, known to visitors largely as the site of arrivals and departures via the airport and cruiseship port. But there is culture to be found here. Join the locals and take in the Maui Swap Meet where hundreds of vendors sell wares every Saturday — Hawaiian tchotchkes, local produce, buckets of blooms — cheaper than elsewhere on the island. Find a hawker of fresh coconuts, have the shell split open, and sip the sweet water as you stroll the stalls.

After some sustenance and shopping for Hawaiiana, take a short drive to the “wow” draw on this isthmus, the Iao Valley and the monolithic spires of the West Maui Mountains. The whole valley is verdant green (Robert Louis Stevenson coined the word “viridescent” to describe it), punctuated by a lone pinnacle known as the Iao Needle. Long a sacred spot and place of pilgrimage, this valley was once exclusive to island royalty and later the site of a brutal battle between Hawaiian kings in which the waters of the Iao Stream became clogged with bodies. Nowadays the surroundings are peaceful, although you may see local boys strutting their stuff by jumping off the high bridge into the water below.

West Maui

This is Maui’s head. Its fringe, or his profile, is home to a string of resorts and condominium complexes. At the top is Kapalua, a resort community amidst pineapple fields overlooking the island of Molokai to the north. Heading south along Maui’s profile is the famous miles-long beach of Kaanapali. Stop to check out what’s been called one of the best beaches in the US. Swim alongside Black Rock (Puu Kekaa) at the north end of the beach, where ancient Hawaiians believed spirits jumped off of this world (ka leina a ka uhane) and where snorkelling reveals the lava rock’s underwater seascape. And if you’re lucky you’ll meet the resident sea turtles.

Farther south is Lahaina, a lively tourist-oriented town with a seaside strip of souvenir stores and seafood eateries. Once frequented by whalers and missionaries, it’s steeped in history — including the home of Dr. Reverend Baldwin, who arrived in 1868 as the first modern doctor/dentist in Hawaii. Still on display: the doctor’s fees based on size of sickness, from $50 for “ big” to $3 for diagnosis (“refusal to pay” cost $10).

Don’t miss the huge banyan tree planted in 1873 that now takes up an entire block with its many boughs. Then visit another “giant” landmark, the biggest Buddha outside Asia at the Lahaina Jodo Mission. The bronze figure sits on a dais in commemoration of the arrival of Japanese workers to Hawaii in 1868.

Tour Lahaina’s back streets for some local flavour and grab a bite of authentic island food off the beaten track. Aloha Mixed Plate, down the street from the Jodo Mission near Mala Wharf, offers cheap ono grinds — great food in Hawaiian slang — with an ono seaside view. The mixed-plate lunches are just that, an amalgam of what plantation workers with a variety of heritages once shared midday in the fields. Try the Hawaiian Plate: poi (made from taro), macaroni salad, lomi lomi salmon, rice and traditional kahlua pork and cabbage.

South Maui

The bulk of Maui is the torso of land made up of Haleakala, the massive mountain east of the isthmus. Its slopes are a microcosm of almost every kind of geological zone, from rainforest to lava wasteland. The two-hour drive to the summit of the mountain in Haleakala National Park takes you through as many ecological zones as a road trip from Mexico to Canada. At the base of Haleakala’s southern slopes is South Maui and the beach havens of Kihei and Wailea.

Kihei is reminiscent of old-style beach strips, with lots of development on one side of Kihei Road and beautiful public beaches on the other. Kamaole Beach Parks I, II and III are idyllic spots to sunbathe, swim, snorkel, beachcomb and watch sunsets. Some may disdain all the condos and commercial buildings, but it also means the place is brimming with amenities (like fast-food joints, which here mean mahi-mahi to go at Maui Tacos).

For a far more luxurious slice of Maui life, Wailea is home to five-star hotels like the Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa and other big hoteliers, like the Four Seasons and Fairmont. Even if you’re not a guest in these resorts, you can wander their exquisite seaside grounds from the mile-and-a-half-long Wailea Walk that meanders along the shoreline.

Farther south is Makena Beach, the last coastal stretch in South Maui that hasn’t been developed. A former hippie hideaway, it still has a clothing-optional beach (Little Beach) and roadside lunch stands, and even a mobile taco truck that’s usually parked at Big Beach. Body surfing and skim boarding are big here; grab a fresh fish taco from Jawz Tacos, sit back on the pristine sand, and watch local skimmers riding the waves.

If you continue south you’ll end up at La Pérouse Bay, where the public road ends. Driving through the lava flow that makes up Cape Kinau is surreal; black lava fields line the entire coast here, the result of the most recent lava flow from Haleakala.

East Maui

Perhaps the most spectacular part of Maui is its core, the volcanic body of Haleakala itself. If you do one thing beyond the beach in Maui, drive up in the dark before dawn to see the sun rise over Haleakala (House of Sun) crater. So immense (the crater is 3,000 feet deep, 7.5 miles long and 2.5 miles wide), so high (10,023 feet) and so cold (the summit is about 17°C cooler than the coast); standing above the clouds to see this mass slowly lit by the sun’s rays is unforgettable.

Down the eastern slopes of Haleakala are the Kipahulu Valley and Hana. The “Road to Hana” is hairpin turn after turn (about 600, as well as 57 one-lane bridges) through lush jungle-like greenery to the isolated east end of Maui. Snaking along this sole road to Hana, rental car behind rental car, is part of the experience.

The south end of Haleakala is desert like and largely uninhabited. A single road hugs this barren stretch of land (rental car companies dissuade you from using it), which offers yet another unexpected side to Maui and brings you to the western slopes above Kihei. This is Upcountry, Maui’s cowboy country, where paniolo ride the pastureland of ranches around Makawao, and a foodie’s delight with misty bucolic farmland (Surfing Goat Dairy, Alii Kula Lavender Farm, Tedeschi Vineyards).

Below the north end of Haleakala lies Maui’s surfing mecca. Hookipa Beach County Park, just past the town of Paia, is dotted with surfers when the waves are good. And as one of the best windsurfing areas in Hawaii, it’s also called the “Windsurfing Capital of the World.” Not for the unschooled surfer…

With this much diversity, exploring all of Maui is endless. It’s a world unto itself. The demigod Maui is said to have stood on Haleakala’s summit and lassoed the sun to slow its descent…if only you too could somehow slow time while here. This storied island has many tales to tell. Maybe there’s something to one of the island’s sayings: Maui no ka oi, “Maui is the best!”