West Maui - Driving Over the Top

Forget the road to Hana, if you want to spice up your Maui driving experience try driving around the "top" of Maui on the Kahekeli Highway. What do we mean by spice it up? We're talking about that feeling you get as you wind your way along a VERY narrow one lane road that's carved into the side of a cliff hoping that no one is coming the other way feeling. If that's not for you, then drive to Hana, there's more to see and you can buy a "I survived the Hana Highway" tee-shirt when it's over.

Here's a few cautions before driving over the top.

• First, check your rental car contract. Some companies prohibit driving sections of this road.
• Second, there really are sections of very narrow road carved into the side of a cliff. If you meet another car here the uphill vehicle is expected to back-up to a wider spot in the road. (Backing up on the side of a cliff not for you? Don't go!)
• Third, there are no services and no cell phone coverage along most of the route. Check your fuel before going.
• Lastly, leave whatever valuables you can't carry with you back at the hotel. Auto break-ins are common on Maui and this is a very isolated area. Our practice is to leave the windows down and the doors unlocked, that way the thief doesn't have to break the window to check the trunk.

Let's get started. We're going to drive from Kapalua towards Wailuku "clockwise" around the top of Maui. We've driven it both ways and believe me it feels better to be on the "inside" lane on those tight cliff-side corners.

Driving west on hwy 30 our first stop, just after the 32 mile marker, is Mokulea Bay, better know as Slaughter House Beach. There's a paved parking area here and concrete steps leading down towards the beach. Driving a bit further to just before the 33 mile marker you'll find another paved parking area and a trail leading to Honolua Bay, a marine preserve. Continue around the corner and up the hill and you'll see a wide dirt road to the left. Down this well traveled road you'll find a great view of Honolua Bay and if the surfs up lots of surfers on the waves below.

Thanks to reader John Carty for pointing out Honolua Bay is being loved to death. See http://www.savehonolua.org/ for more information.

Next is Windmills (Punalau) Beach, 6/10's of a mile past the mile 34 marker. There's a dirt road leading down to the beach. We're glad we chose to park the car at the top and walk down. This is a beautiful sand beach with many trees for shade. The beach is blanked with coral that's washed ashore. There's also plenty of evidence of partying here, so our suggestion is to avoid it on weekends.

Now the real fun begins. You've got about 25 miles of curves and great views ahead of you. A small side point here. While checking out one of these great views a couple of local gentlemen, driving an old Buick with a flat front tire, stopped and inquired if we might be interested in purchasing some of Maui's "other" cash crop. When we declined they happily drove off completly unconcerned with the flat tire.

Which brings us to Honokohau, a small village past mile marker 36. There's a road leading off back into the valley here, but after the look we got from a local chap, we decide to bypass it. Do, however, check out the small beach here, just past the bridge. It's a great photo spot.

At about mile 38.4 you'll see a dirt parking area on the left. A trail starts here and leads about a 1/4 mile down to the Nakalele Blowhole. Here if the ocean's in the right mood you'll see jets of water shooting 30 feet or more into the air from the blowhole. If you don't want to hike down there's some great view's from the bluff above.

The Bellstone, an interesting curiosity, can be found at mile 42.7 on the mountain side of the road. Strike it with another stone and it's supposed to make a metallic sounding clang. (Advice is to strike the mountain side of the stone, if it doesn't clang try another spot.) From the marks on the Bellstone it appears a lot of places have been tried.

Just past the Bellstone you'll find a dirt parking area ocean side and a path leading down to "Olivine Pools" along the shoreline. Some consider them a great place for a swim before getting to the really challenging part of the drive. As always when near the ocean use extreme caution.

The next mile marker you see will be 16. This is because state hwy 30 ends and a county road that will become hwy 340 in a few miles begins here. Now the fun really begins! As the road narrows watch for a little yellow school bus parked oceanside called "Da Smoothie Bus." Pull over here and you'll get a great view of Kahakuloa Town. Watch the traffic comming up the hill towards you, when it looks clear drive on down to the town. The first bad section of road is behind you.

As you drive into the village you'll see a sign for "Lorraine Shave Ice - Banana Bread, Drive to Rear." Drive on back. Ask to try some of her "wood chips." Up the street is "Julia's Best Banana Bread on the Planet." We bought some of her's and some of Lorraine's and did our own taste test. On your way up the hill leaving town there's a turnout with a great view of the village.

When you reach the top of the hill you're in cattle country. Kahakuloa Head and it's sister peak called Pu'u Kahuli-'anapa dominate the view towards the ocean. The road widens and you breath a sigh of relief, you've made it! Not quite brah! A few more miles of narrow winding road are still ahead of you. Just past mile marker 11 is the hairpin turn of all hairpin turns.

By the time you reach Waihee Golf Course you can breath a sigh of relief, you've made it! As you pull into Wailuku there's just one more test ahead of you. The last block of this street is one way, going the other way. We only noticed it because of the arrows on the roadway. A couple of "Do Not Enter" signs would be great here.

And finally here's six minutes of video someone shot as they navigated the road on a motorcycle.