Aloha to all my fellow NAM'ers in Hawai'i!
My family and I are visiting Maui from 7/16 -7/22, do any of you have any must see/do/eat suggestions? Favorite diving, fishing, snorkling, beginner surf spots? Stuff that 11-13 year old boys might think is better than playing video games?

I know we'll have a good time, no matter what
Thanks,
Shelly

 

Hmmmm....well Maui is so different depending on the side of island you are planning on visiting. My favorite is Ka`anapali and Hana (where I've got family).

I'm sure others will agree, but you definitely need to go up to Haleakala for sunrise. It's beautiful!

As for surfing, the last time I was there, some friends wanted to learn how to surf and we saw a bunch of people from a local surfing school called goofy foot surf getting lessons. They all wanted to sign up, but they were booked and we were leaving the next day. I did a search and came up with this: http://www.goofyfootsurfschool.com/goofyframeset.html

Front street in Lahaina is a fun place to walk around. Just don't get there too late, as everything seems to close at 9p (except the bars...they only have a few). If Ualena is still playing..check it out. It's an awesome theatrical performance put on by Maui Theatre.

Golf, golf and more golf.

There's also two smaller islands that are part of Maui County...Moloka`i and Lana`i. I believe you can access both by Ferry. They're both very beautiful, or so I hear, I've never been to either.

Other than that, i can't really think of any other reason to visit Maui but to relax.

 

please watch out where you surf this weekend, as a fairly large southwest swell is forecast to roll in this weekend.

oahu is supposed to be getting up to well overhead stuff. maui, i'm not sure how big, as lanai will probably block out some of the swell. still lahaina, kihei side will probably all be getting hit, and possibly maalaea.

take a drive to hana. sunrise at haleakala, then bomb back down on some mountain bikes.

 

Seashelly,

Aloha and good to hear from you. If the weather is not too rough you certainly can do more water sports like ocean kayaking, body surfing, boogie boarding and regular surfing with lessons.

The sunrise over Haleakala is great but happens early and it is a 30+ mile drive up so you have to start very early in the morning like 3-330am or you won't get there before sunup. And it can be very cold up there depending on the time of year so bring some light jackets. There is hiking and bike rides down.

Here are some attractions-
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...ui_Hawaii.html

There are boat trips to Molokini crater and lots of fish to see in the water.
You might even spot some Maui MINIs on the roads.

 

Hi, seashelly! I did the below back in October...

http://www.cruiserphil.com/

Everyone there's so warm and friendly:smile: plus the ride leader and driver were sooooooooo hilarious ! It was controlled fun at its best. [My group contained all adults though I saw several pre-teens in other groups going down the mountain as we headed up.]

Enjoy !

 

Hey Everyone, thanks for the suggestions! Or I guess I should say, Mahalo!
Did the road to Hana, would love to do it again in a MINI, in the early morning, with about a thousand less people! My favorite part was on past Hana and on around on the sorta paved road. We went up to Haleakala, but not for sunrise, couldn't get everybody else outta bed. Shoulda gone anyway, seeing how most mornings I was waking up at 3:30 am anyway (6:30 am CA time)
Did a couple of dives over at Lana'i, love the clarity and warmth of the water, but miss the kelp we have here. Spent a morning at Makena - Big Beach, beautiful spot. Left plenty of things to do for next trip. Maui kinda reminds me of SoCA, there is such a variety of terrain and weather in such close proximity. Wish I coulda spent more time exploring and meeting people.

All the stuff I read put the Maui population at around 100,000 people. You mean all the rest of those people are tourists???!!! Yikes!

I did indeed see MINIs on Maui, usually at least one a day. I'll post them over on the sightings thread.

Shelly

 

Great to hear, Shelly:smile:

 

When is the tourist season? (trying to avoid) We are planning a trip for our honeymoon in December 05 and need some guidance.

 

tourist season is generally February (particularly President's day weekend) March (due to spring break) and June thru August.

Are you trying to avoid crowds or high costs? Because in December (later half) you'll find that the rates are higher, but it isn't very crowded. The rates are simply high because of the demand to travel. but most people aren't staying in hotels when they travel to Hawaii during the holidays...they are normally visiting family or at "home."

You also have to look out for the iron man triathalon, pro bowl, or any other big event that would bring lots of tourists. Those events create a "tourist season" all on their own. You might want to check out the Hawaii Visitor's Bureau website for that kind of information...or any GOOD travel agent that specializes in Hawaii should know.

Good luck!

 

i really don't know if there is a true "tourist season". but i agree that those large events, ie. pro bowl, marathon, triple crown, are not the time to come.

personally, i'd say right now is the time, especially with winter in full force on the mainland and here as well, but the difference is that here the winter storms bring about some very lush greenery to enjoy. plus you can still play in the rain. and the weather is literally perfect in between the rainy spells. a little warm during the day and a little cool at night.

 

When you get to Maui here are a few other things to check out:

http://www.oldlahainaluau.com/index_main.html Even locals drop by this luau. Good food and nice scenery. BTW luau is a more modern term the traditional word is paina (pa-ee-nah). Done it twice and enjoyed it!

http://www.ulalena.com/ 'Ulalena is the Hawai'i version of Cirque du Solei. Very well done and will give you insight into traditional Hawaiian mythology and our beliefs in the creation of the universe.

http://mauimall.com/stores.htm
Tasaka Guri-Guri – Famous local treat, guri-guri is a cross between sherbert and ice cream. Made fresh daily in a variety of fabulous flavors to satisfy any pallet.
Phone: 871-4513. I was at their shop about 10-years ago and this visitor from Texas had just purchased $300.00 worth and packed it up to ship home on his flight.

http://www.waterfrontrestaurant.net/ The Waterfront Restaurant on the way to Lahaina is a favorite of mine. Great atmosphere, excellent service, and an attentive and professional staff.

http://www.queenkaahumanucenter.com/...edirectory.asp Queen Ka'ahumanu Shopping Center in Kahului is a great place to hang out. Be sure to grab a bite at Koho's Bar and Grill. Good home style local food, a full bar, and great prices. Get's pretty busy during the dinner rush!

Feel free to shoot me a PM for more info when your travel date gets closer.

Aloha!

John
JCW04

 

Thanks for the information. We are still in the earlier planning stages and with this information, we can narrow our choices down a little. Much appreciated.

 

Is there such stuff? In a few years maybe girls or driving but...

 

Any updates to this?

The wife and I are talking about a weekend on Maui, with Mini. She'll likely have things to do with friends who live there, but the kids and I will be free to roam. They are too young for bike ride down the volcano -- which sucks, because it looks awesome.

Any good drives to make?

 

Try to contact the MINI club on Maui, I hear there is one.

Lots of good drives-
Road to Hana
Road along coast to Kaanapali
Road up to Haleakala- then ride the bike down yourself. Don't crash.
Don't even think about crashing.

 

Got it. Left them a note on their forums.


Too many sites, too many forums!

 

Maui. Cool. I did two trips with my MINI on the Super Ferry this year. The drive up and down Haleakala was a total blast.

My poor wife faired better on the ferry than the car ride!

Next trip over Hana is on the schedule.

Have a great trip!

 

Have Minis from Oahu ever "invaded" Maui in numbers? Mass loading onto a Super Ferry and then some sort of organized stuff on another island? Social -- not raping and pillaging and stealing good rims.

 

We had discussed it when the ferry first began operations but as far as I know it is still in the R&D phase.

It is a cool way to travel!

 

I think it'd be a grand adventure. Early 2010, spring break time (yes, over a year away). BlimeyCabrio is coming over to visit -- and since the world operated on the "six degrees of BlimeyCabrio" principle, well, he'd need to be involved.

I'll start working on it.

 

In speaking with the folks at Super Ferry they are planning the Big Island route via Kawaehae Harbor starting in April. Sea trials for the second ship begin in January.

Big Island would be a nice cruise too.

 

Well, sounds like a road trip to me!

 

Thanks to JCW04's hookup with the then-President (he was a MINI owner), we were planning it last year when they were about to begin the Super Ferry; however, with all protests on Kauai and Maui, plans got killed real fast.

 

I did this few months back. I had basically a weekend long auto-x event!! I did Haleakala (twice) and out to hana and back.

 

Which MINI did you take? Did you have a problem (scraping) going on and off the SuperFerry?