Land of Liberty Explorers

Maui is known as the Valley Isle because of the isthmus between the the West Maui Mountains and Haleakalā. It is Hawaii’s second largest island and one of our favorites for the variety of the things to do there! Here are some of our favorite Maui activities.

‘Īao Valley State Monument

This state monument is known for the ‘Īao Needle – a sharp ridge that stands 1,200 feet tall. In 1790, King Kamehameha I defeated the Army of Maui at this site in this quest to unify the islands. The Battle of Kepaniwai was so gruesome that the stream turned red with blood.

Ho’okipa Beach Park

Located at mile 9 on the Hāna Highway, this beach may be the best place in all of Hawaii to see green sea turtles! It is also renown for its windsurfing.

Dragon’s Teeth

We liked exploring this unique geologic feature located on Makaluapuna Point in Kapalua. The island of Moloka’i is visible in the distance.

Road to Hāna

The Road to Hāna is only 52 miles, but it can take up to four hours! The road is narrow and has 620 curves and 59 bridges – many of which are one lane. We drove all the way to Kipahalu and back. Here are some of our favorite stops!

Wai’anapanapa State Park (mile marker 32) – This gorgeous state park features a black sand beach and sea cave.

Kaihalulu (the red sand beach) (mile marker 34) – Locating the red sand beach can be a little tricky. It is actually in Hāna Town behind the Hāna Community Center. Beware the locals treat this beach as an unofficial nude beach.

Wailua Falls (mile marker 45) – Wailua Falls is located right next to the road just outside of the Haleakalā National Park boundary. Check out our post on visiting Haleakalā National Park for information on the Kipahalu District located 12 miles beyond Wailua Falls!

Whale Watching

Humpback whales from Alaska spend their winters off the shores of Maui where they give birth to their calves. We joined the Pacific Whale Foundation for a whale watch off the shore in Kihei. We saw several different whales including a mother with her new baby!

Wailea-Makena

We loved the beautiful beaches in this area including Makena State Park’s “Big Beach.” We saw a number of sea turtles in the area. The Keawala’i Church is a peaceful oceanside sanctuary.

Favorite Maui Restaurants

Maui Brewing Company – MBC has two restaurant locations on Maui. We loved the beautiful Kihei location. The restaurants feature large menus and great beer selections. We like the Pineapple Mana and the seasonal release Two Tickets to Paradise!

Farmacy Health Bar – Our Acai bowls from Farmacy were tasty!

Komoda Store Bakery – This cute shop in Makawao cranks out all kinds of fun pastries and donuts. Stick donuts were the way to go for our drive to Hāna.

Flatbeard Company – After a long day on the Road to Hāna, the wood fired pizzas at Flatbread Company in Paia really hit the spot!

Acevedo’s Hawaiian Cafe – Acevedo’s might be the best Mexican food in all of Hawaii. We loved the fresh carne asada tacos!