Magical maui

Sunset, Nov, 2001 by Jeff Phillips

Three getaways reveal a different, more natural island, where misty waterfalls, ancient temples, and family adventure await

Sliding the steaming mug across a counter both polished and scarred by years of use, Al Franco smiles and waits for me to sip his coffee. I'd been drawn into the false-fronted old building by the pungent aroma of roasting coffee beans. While waiting for a pot to fill, Franco explained that his organic coffee is all grown on small farms within walking distance of his tiny restaurant--Grandma's Coffee House--high on the slopes of Maui's Haleakala volcano. I take a sip: The rich, black brew is delicious.

With all the vacationers jammed in all the resorts along Maui's fabled beaches--we can see the white sands stretching far below--I'm surprised that there isn't a line lingering out the door. Franco isn't. "A man came in the other day who said he had been staying at the same condo in Kihei for 18 years and that this was his first time up here," Franco recalls. "The poor guy said he was sorry he waited so long."

That experience is typical of most travelers to Maui. The fact is, the vast majority of the island's vacationers head to the beach resort areas of Makena, Wailea, Kihei, and Kaanapali--and stay there the whole time. They have ample reasons. Maui's sunny beaches are some of the best in the state and are fronted with shopping, dining, and lodging options for all budgets.

Of course, the same intensity of development that makes a vacation along Maui's west coast so appealing can also make it confining. The most spectacular and least developed corners of the island are long, exhausting day trips from most resorts.

The secret to exploring these hidden gems is taking the time to do it right. Maui's figure-eight system of roads--portions of which are rough and narrow enough in places to make driving a real adventure-- lends itself to leisurely exploration. Each of the following drives can be a destination in itself.

That, I tell Franco--just a bit smugly--as he tops off my mug, is what I've been doing for years.

HANA: THE 44-MILE DRIVE TO PARADISE AND BEYOND

There are said to be 54 bridges on the road to Hana, and I always intend to count them. But once again I'm distracted by the impossible beauty of this torturously twisting, narrow road that runs 44 miles from Paia to Hana. Somebody with a bean counter's soul has probably tabulated the waterfalls, as well. I just try to spot them all.

Early afternoon is the perfect time to go if you intend, as I do, to spend a night or two. By then, visitors who've made the killer day trip (from most resorts a six-hour round trip, minimum) are beginning to straggle back.

Tucked between the highway and its placid, horseshoe-shaped harbor, Hana is about as low-key as Maui villages come. The town's old plantation-style homes, a couple of quirky B&Bs, and even the posh Hotel Hana-Maui all look like they've always been here--and seem invitingly impervious to change.

One continually improving attraction is Kahanu Gardens, a branch of the National Tropical Botanical Garden. Hana native Arnold Lono has worked here for 18 years with his father, Francis, who recently retired after 30 years. In the Hawaiian tradition, Arnold is now taking over the stewardship of the garden's cultural resources. The garden contains a remarkable collection of some 178 cultivars of breadfruit, but as we walk through the 123-acre site, Lono stresses its cultural heritage.

"At one time this must have been an important place, with several thousand Hawaiians living in the Hana area," Lono says, pointing out new plantings for what he calls a canoe garden--a plot containing the plants the early Hawaiians brought with them from Polynesia. But what really makes Kahanu Gardens a must for visitors is the view of Pi'ilanihale Heiau, the largest ancient Hawaiian temple in the state. The recently restored, 45-foot-tall temple may be as much as 800 years old, and it is still considered sacred.

After your stroll through the garden, head for the beach. The choices are incomparably scenic: the black sand beach (dangerous when surf is up) at Wai'anapanapa State Park just north of town, the beach park (typically the safest swimming) in town on Hana Bay, and the white sands of my favorite, Hamoa Beach, south of town.

I get up early my last morning in Hana to beat the traffic to waterfalls and swimming holes in Oheo Gulch in Kipahulu in the coastal arm of Haleakala National Park. The trailhead parking at the Kipahulu Visitor Center is nearly empty, and I see only a few other hikers on the 1.8-mile trail up through guava groves and bamboo forests to Waimoku Falls. On the hike back, I detour down the trail toward the ocean and the series of deep pools in the lower canyon that are perfect for an after-hike dip.

About 4 miles beyond Kipahulu (see rental car caution on page 91), the road narrows even more as the pavement ends, then winds slowly beneath high bluffs for 2.4 miles to the turnoff to Hui Aloha Church. It is is the perfect place for a picnic: a windswept promontory with stunning views and a simple church dedicated in 1859. The surprise as you drive here is how quickly the vegetation changes in the rain shadow of Haleakala. A mile farther down the road is Kaupo General Store, an outpost built in 1925, and the only stop for a cold drink--and not much else--beyond Hana.