This drive along the north shore of West Maui is one of my favorite routes to take and one of the best things to do in Maui. The views are gorgeous and I find it more impressive in a lot of ways than the road to Hana, which gets more publicity. The route from Kapalua to Wailuku also brings sweeping views of the island, rugged coastlines, amazing hikes, awesome surf watching, and some very lovely beaches and bays which are not as well-known or frequented.
We went rogue this time around – aside from rental car companies who will probably say don’t do the drive at all, people like to advise going clockwise (from Kapalua to Wailuku) but we had to stop at FedEx that morning so we started at Wailuku and embarked on gaining some counter-clockwise perspective for the day. And approaching mile marker 15 early on in the drive proved to be worth it, especially when Kahakuloa came into site. Kahakaloa is a small remote village that is home to about 100 people, two churches, and several roadside stands including the Panini Pua Kea fruit stand and Ululani by the Bay, a pink cart with drinks and snacks.
I was able to capture a few photos on this drive – just enough to remind me how calming and relaxing the experience was when I look at them. Exactly the kind of story I want to tell.
