Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [280]
Village Gifts & Fine Arts ( 661-5199; cnr Front & Dickenson Sts) This one-room shop in the Masters’ Reading Room sells prints, wooden bowls and glasswork, with a portion of the proceeds supporting the Lahaina Restoration Foundation.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
The Honoapi′ilani Hwy (Hwy 30) connects Lahaina with Ka′anapali to the north and with Ma′alaea to the south. Ferries to Lana′i (Click here) and Moloka′i (Click here) dock at Lahaina Harbor.
GETTING AROUND
To/From the Airport
To get to Lahaina from the Kapalua/West Maui Airport (Click here) in Kahului, take Hwy 380 south to Hwy 30; by car or taxi, the drive takes about 45 minutes. For information on taxi services from the airport, Click here.
Bicycle
For bike rentals visit West Maui Cycles ( 661-9005; 1087 Limahana Pl; per day $20-50; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun), which has quality mountain bikes, as well as cheaper cruisers that are fine for just kicking around town.
Bus
Maui Bus ( 871-4838) connects Kahului and Lahaina ($1, one hour) with a stop at Ma′alaea, where connections can be made to Kihei and Wailea. Another route connects Lahaina and Ka′anapali ($1, 30 minutes). Both routes depart from the Wharf Cinema Center hourly from 6:30am to 8:30pm. In addition, there’s a free loop route that runs on the hour from 8am to 10pm from the Wharf Cinema Center to Lahaina Civic Center, making a half-dozen stops en route.
Car & Motorcycle
Most visitors rent cars upon arrival at Kahului Airport; Click here.
PARKING
Front St has free on-street parking, but there’s always a line of cruising cars competing for spots. Your best bet is the large parking lot at the corner of Front and Prison Sts, where there’s free public parking with a three-hour limit. There are also several private parking lots, averaging $8 per day, with the biggest one being Republic Parking on Dickenson St. Otherwise, park at one of the shopping centers for free if you get your parking ticket validated by making a purchase.
Taxi
For a taxi, call A Taxi Service ( 661-1122) or Ali′i Cab ( 661-3688), which both operate out of Lahaina.
WEST MAUI
Sheltered by the West Maui Mountains, Maui’s sunny northwestern side has been drawing visitors for a very long time. This is where the whalers pulled into port, where Hawaiian kings set up shop, and where Maui’s first resort developments blossomed. For visitors today, it’s jam-packed with things to see and do. Start with those gorgeous beaches, each with its own personality: quiet bays, bustling resort strands and scurry-down-the-cliff surfer haunts. The mountains looming inward hold adventures of their own, from quiet hiking trails to heart-pounding ziplines. Or just mellow out on a lounge chair, drink in hand, sailboats glistening past Lana′i, whales frolicking just offshore – no place stacks sunsets like west Maui. Lahaina is part of west Maui, too, but so much of a destination that it’s got its own section (Click here).
LAHAINA TO MA′ALAEA
The road between Lahaina and Ma′alaea offers fine mountain scenery, but during winter everyone is craning their necks toward the ocean to spot the humpback whales cruising just offshore.
Puamana & Launiupoko Beach Parks
Puamana Beach Park, 1.5 miles south of Lahaina, is rocky but sometimes has good conditions for beginner surfers – otherwise it’s mostly a quick stop for an ocean view, especially at sunset.
A better bet is Launiupoko Beach Park, where even the rest rooms glow with murals of young surfers hitting the waves. The south side of the beach has small waves ideal for beginning surfers, while the north side ratchets it up for those who have honed their skills. Not that surfing is the only scene here – keiki have a blast wading in the large rock-enclosed shoreline pool, and good picnic facilities make it an ideal spot for families. Launiupoko is at the traffic lights at the 18-mile marker.
Olowalu
The West Maui Mountains form a scenic backdrop, giving Olowalu its very name, which means ‘many hills.’ The tiny village is marked by the Olowalu General Store and