I was on an Upcountry Maui mission. There were specific places I wanted—no, needed—to stop on a whirlwind day exploring the island’s Kula district. I craved fresh cream puffs from Komoda Bakery in the cowboy town of Makawao. I had plans to stroll the fields of Alii Kula Lavender Farm, high up on the mist-kissed […]
“Paddle, paddle, paddle!” Dustin Tester shouts to Elena, who digs her hands swiftly into the warm Maui waters. With a gentle push from Tester, the board Elena is lying atop gets picked up by the oncoming wave’s momentum, and now she’s coasting. Slow, but steady to her feet, Elena stands on her large, foam surfboard—
“There’s something funny about putting on a wetsuit and then walking across a golf course,” jokes Tim Rollo, our Maui scuba instructor from Tiny Bubbles Scuba, about our nighttime excursion. We’re strolling the beach path that’s right next to the Royal Kaanapali Golf Course, clad in wetsuits for our night dive at Puu Kekaa, aka
When I first catch sight of Armin Engert outside his hangar in Hana, he’s wheeling a Radio Flyer wagon—and it’s filled with three jugs of gasoline. It’s a practical means of transporting fuel out here at the Hana Airport, where bananas and papayas grow right by the runway and pigs rustle in the bush. Compared
I wasn’t even there yet, but already I was more relaxed. I was driving east in my compact rental car to Upcountry Maui. The area, hugging the slopes of Haleakala, is known for its agriculture and has been farmed since early times. Today, Upcountry has cultivated a reputation for harvesting strawberries, onions, protea and lavender and
All right. First off, stop chuckling at the seeming absurdity of a great road trip in Hawaiʻi. We’ve heard every reason our incomparably scenic island byways never make it onto any great American road-trip lists. Yes, we live on a collection of eight mostly smallish islands, each separated by miles of deep blue Pacific Ocean.
The largest beach on Molokai is hardly a secret, but it sure feels like one. When we reach the summit of Puu o Kaiaka, a cinder cone headland that hovers over Papohaku Beach’s northern end, the overlook delivers on the buzzwords so often used to describe it: Empty. Secluded. Massive. Perfect. What is Papohaku? Gazing across
We’ve reached the point that most people don’t look forward to—the Road to Hana’s famous twists and stomach-churning turns. From the passenger seat, I watch the driver grip the steering wheel with both hands as he turns it all the way left, all the way right, then left again with so much precision and effort
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
