Just over 16 miles from Maui, the sleepy island of Lanai seems a world apart. One of the least visited and smallest Hawaiian Islands, it retains a unique charm and character—tall red cliffs fronting the tropical blue sea, Norfolk pine-lined thoroughfares and a down-home feel—not found anywhere else. There’s not a lot to do here […]
Detail on the black-sand grains of Pailoa. Photo: Daniel Sullivan/HAWAIʻI Magazine Waianapanapa State Park is a popular stop along Hana Highway—the 64.4-mile Road to Hana, known for its 620 curves, countless waterfalls, lush green scenery and remote hidden beauty. At around mile marker 32, 2 miles outside Hana Town, a sign directs you toward the
Editor’s Note, June 2, 20201: Lānaʻi Cycles is no longer in operation. Fifteen. That’s the number of times I’ve counted my guide, Marcom Pascua, wave hello to a passing vehicle. He’s the co-founder of Lanai Cycles and we’re biking across the length of this island he calls home. Every car, pickup truck and hotel shuttle that
In the beginning, there’s a garden. But for those embarking on the Islands’ most celebrated road trip, like so much of the sprawling vegetation along and up East Maui’s mountainsides, it’s easy to cruise right past without proper notice. Just 15 minutes into what’s projected to be a two-and-a-half hour escapade to Kipahulu, I can
The last thing I wanted to do on my second day of vacation to Maui was get up at 4:45 a.m., but that’s what I did. Groggy but excited, my husband and I drove the short distance from our hotel to the Kihei Boat Ramp, and met the shiny, silver B&B Scuba boat already bustling
Wherever Kathy Carroll goes on the small, friendly island of Lanai, invariably someone asks her about one of her cats, or says a playful “good meow-ning” to her in passing. Kathy Carroll, Lanai Cat Sanctuary founder. Photo by Steve Czerniak for HAWAII Magazine Carroll is known as The Cat Lady. She feeds and houses 425 cats
My gray T-shirt is saturated in sweat, I’m out of water and breath and I’m nearly ready to give in to that tiny voice in my head screaming, “Enough already!” I catch a faint glimpse of a windmill blade in the distance. It’s just enough motivation to keep going, though my ego is a bit
If you ask someone where Turtle Town is on Maui, it’s likely you could get two, maybe three different answers. Several spots just south of Wailea from Nahuna Point to Black Sand Beach have impressive snorkeling with an abundance of turtle sightings. Best of all, none of these spots have the crowds of say, Hanauma
Walking so far up into the clouds along steep switchbacks and knife-edge ridges that the view below is hard to distinguish between sea and sky. This is the Waihee Ridge Trail on Mauna Kahalawai, also called the West Maui Mountains. The 2.5-mile hike is known as one of the most scenic treks on the island, and
The 10-acre forest reserve known as Polipoli sits at 6,400 feet on the slopes of Haleakala in Upcountry Maui. Its trails wind through redwood trees and misty mountaintops, producing a dreamlike experience—and a distinct feeling of not being on Maui anymore. You start with a winding road from Kula to Polipoli… …that climbs above the morning
My first real view of Waihee Valley comes from behind a windshield. Janai Kealoha is at the wheel of a huge, mud-flecked passenger van, the kind that more often hauls large equipment than a group of Maui visitors. As we head into the valley on a rutted, dirt road, she speaks proudly of the steep,
Squinting into central Maui morning sunshine, I survey blue skies directly above a Hike Maui van and worry about the waves of cumulus camouflage rushing toward our alpine hiking destination: the summit of Haleakala volcano. My heart sinks a bit at the sight. I begin wishing that the warm, sunglasses-and-T-shirt weather in the sea level
