Driving Around Maui: Wailuku via Kahakuloa

One morning during our recent trip to Hawaii we drove around the upper of Maui’s two halves. Top down and tunes playing through the radio via the iPod and iTrip, we were ready to roll.

Starting from just north of Kaanapili our route took us north by Kapalua, Napili and on around the top of the island. The road narrows and continues on around, through Kahakuloa and finally ends up in Wailuku. We had a great lunch at the Vietnamese restaurant located just off Main street. There is no sign; we literally found it by following our noses! From there we dropped by the Iao Valley before continuing on back through Lahaina and back to our condo. Here are a few of the pictures we took along the way.

There is a nice beach, down some steep steps, at Makuleia Bay. It’s adjacent to the much more accessible Honolua Bay.
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Honolua Bay is our favorite snorkeling destination.
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Closeup of the reef at Honolua Bay.
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A very isolated retreat right before the village of Kahakuloa.
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Kahakuloa Head, guardian of the town of Kahakuloa.
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The tiny town of Kahakuloa. The road is very, very narrow in these parts and strict attention must be paid to oncoming traffic.
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Looking back towards Kahakuloa one can easily see where the lava flowed down from the volcano that formed this part of Maui.
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Another view looking back towards Kahakuloa.
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Goats on a hill reflect Maui’s continuing strong agricultural traditions.
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One of the impressive spiny peaks that enclose Iao Valley.
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Kids were leaping into the creek, and one older fellow jumped from the bridge we were standing on. Looks like fun; hopefully no one gets hurt.
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Wailuku suburb looking towards airport.
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Wailuku suburb looking towards Haleakala.
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Wailuku suburb looking towards Maalea and Kihei.
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