Maui travel guide
Iao Valley is dramatically beautiful. Towering peaks with waterfalls tumbling down the sheer cliffs towards the gushing river at the lush bottom. The crown jewel of the park is the Iao Needle, a pinnacle which shoots more than 360 meters into the air. Like elsewhere in Hawaii, the valley has a long history and mythological significance. The actually state park is fairly compact with a parking lot and paved short walkways leading to various lookouts.
Ka'anapali Beach is lined with big luxury resorts (Hyatt, Marriott, and Sheraton, just to name a few), but since all beaches in Hawaii are public, there are paths between the private grounds. The wide beach is a mile long with fine sand and crystal clear water. It is surprisingly empty, since most holidaymakers are using the sunbeds around the pool at their resort. There are parking spaces allocated to public beach use, but they can be hard to find.
There are plenty of pretty beaches to choose from at Kihei. If you don't like the first one, go to the next. They all have some kind of beach park with parking and toilets. It's a popular area to stay in Maui, but lacks the restaurants and tourist shopping of Lahaina.
Away from the tourist zones of Kihei and Wailea with not a resort insight, lies this wild and scenic beach. It's a wide stretch of golden soft sand on a backdrop of thorny Kiawe trees. Though Makena Big Beach is popular, it's never crowded. Be careful if going into the turquoise ocean, as the shore break has a reputation of being extremely strong. There is another "Little Beach" further north.
The spectacular road from Paia to Hana is called Hana Highway. It first follows hwy 36, which then turns into hwy 360. Here the road becomes even more winding with hairpin curves and blind spots. The serpentine road passes small communities, lush rainforest and many waterfalls - almost as many as there are one-lane bridges. As parking along the road often is scarce, you won't be able to stop at every waterfall, beach or lookout, but there are so many to choose from. Some tourists turn their car around in Hana and return the same way, but the brave ones continues along the even more challenging section of hwy 360 to Kipahulu Visitor Centre for more waterfalls at Ohe’o Gulch (or hiking Pipiwai Trail). Again, you can return the same way, but if you are in for a wild ride, continue along hwy 360 on the "Road to Hana, South Route" to complete a full loop around Volcano Haleakala.
When people are talking about the scenic "Road to Hana", they are probably talking about the north route from Paia to Hana. However, if you're looking for an adventure do the rugged south route along the Pi'ilani Highway: It first follows hwy 37, which turns into hwy 31, before becoming hwy 360. The first section starts off innocently with soft rolling hills, but soon the paved road will feel like a rollercoaster as it twists its way over the southern slope of Volcano Haleakala. The views of the wild coast and the barren volcanic landscape just seem to get better at every bend. Though this backside road see less traffic than its northern cousin, there are plenty of sharp curves and blind turns to keep you alert. Around the settlement of Kaupo the road condition gets worse. The rollercoaster ride is now reduced to a pothole dodging zigzag. As you get closer to Kipahulu Visitor Centre the road gets better again. Instead of returning the same way you came, do the ultimate road trip by continuing along the "Road to Hana, North Route" to complete the full loop around Volcano Haleakala.
The "Road To Hana" (both north and south routes) passes so many waterfalls, but we will only mention Wailua Falls, which is considered to be the most beautiful of the lot. The picturesque waterfall cascades about 25 meters down into a refreshing small pool. It's visible right from the road, but most visitors would like more than a picture taken from the car window, so parking can be challenging at the small parking lot. There are usually also some vendors selling Hawaiian-made crafts.
Hawai'i is known as one of the best places to watch humpback whales. During summer the North Pacific humpback whales feed on krill in the cold waters of Alaska, but migrates to the warm waters of Hawai'i to breed and give birth during winter. You can see whales breaching (jumping out of the water) and diving tall up from the shore, but to get up close to you need to join a whale watching tour. The best chances are probably from Maui (particularly Lahaina), where some operators give garanties for whale sighting during peak season (January to March).