Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [297]
Maui Coffee Roasters ( 877-2877; 444 Hana Hwy; 7am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm Sat, 8am-2:30pm Sun; ) Good vibes and good java at this coffee shop where locals linger over lattes while surfing on free wi-fi. Need to jump-start your day? Step up to the bar and order a Sledge Hammer – a quadruple espresso with steamed half and half.
Ale House Sports Bar & Restaurant ( 877-9001; 355 E Kamehameha Ave) Wash-ashores from the mainland and locals alike gather here to watch sports on big-screen TVs. And to make sure everyone shows up, it offers $2.50 draft beers whenever a big game is on.
Entertainment
Maui Arts & Cultural Center (MACC; box office 242-7469; www.mauiarts.org; 1 Cameron Way) There’s always something happening at this entertainment complex, which boasts two indoor theaters and an outdoor amphitheater, all with excellent acoustics. As Maui’s main venue for music, theater and dance, it hosts everything from ukulele jams to touring rock bands. Check the schedule online for the latest lineup.
Shopping
Kahului has all of Maui’s big-box discount chains and the island’s two largest malls, Queen Ka′ahumanu Center ( 877-4325; 275 Ka′ahumanu Ave; 9:30am-9pm Mon-Fri, to 7pm Sat, 9:30am-5pm Sun) and Maui Marketplace ( 873-0400; 270 Dairy Rd; 10am-9pm Mon-Sat, to 7pm Sun).
Maui Swap Meet ( 877-3100; Maui Community College, 310 Ka′ahumanu Ave; admission 50¢; 7am-1pm Sat) For a scene that glows with aloha, spend a Saturday morning chatting with local farmers and craftspeople at Maui’s largest outdoor market. You’ll not only find fresh organic Hana fruits, Kula veggies and homemade banana bread, but it’s a fun place to souvenir shop for everything from Hawaiian tapa to Maui-designed T-shirts. Don’t be mislead by the term ‘swap meet’ – most stands are selling quality local goods and every dollar you spend here stays in the community.
Getting There & Around
For information about travel through Kahului Airport Click here.
CAR
Instead of the usual car rental agencies at the airport, consider going green with Bio-Beetle ( 873-6121, 877-873-6121; www.bio-beetle.com; 55 Amala Pl; per day/week from $50/250), which rents Volkswagen Jettas and Beetles that run on recycled vegetable oil.
BICYCLE
Island Biker ( 877-7744; 415 Dairy Rd; per day/week $40/140; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 3pm Sat) rents quality mountain bikes and road-racing bikes.
Crater Cycles Hawaii ( 893-2020; 358 Papa Pl; per day downhill/electric bikes $75/20; 10am-5pm Mon-Thu & Sat, 9am-noon Fri) are the people to go to for serious off-road bikes with full suspension and all the accoutrements. Non-diehards will like the electric bikes, which run 20 miles on a charge before pedal-power kicks in.
BUS
The Maui Bus ( 871-4838) connects Kahului with Ma′alaea, Kihei, Wailea, Makawao and Lahaina; each route costs $1 and runs hourly, except for Makawao, which runs every 90 minutes. There are also free buses that operate hourly between Kahului and Wailuku.
HALEKI′I-PIHANA HEIAU STATE MONUMENT
Overgrown and nearly forgotten, Haleki′i-Pihana Heiau (Map; Hea Pl; admission free; sunrise-sunset) holds the hilltop ruins of two of Maui’s most important temples.
The site was the royal court of Kahekili, Maui’s last ruling chief, and the birthplace of Keopuolani, wife of Kamehameha the Great. After his victory at the battle of ′Iao in 1790, Kamehameha came to this site to worship his war god Ku, offering the last human sacrifice on Maui.
Haleki′i, the first heiau, has stepped stone walls that tower above ′Iao Stream, the source for the stone used in construction. The pyramidlike mound of Pihana Heiau is a five-minute walk beyond, but a thick overgrowth of kiawe makes it harder to discern.
Although it’s all but abandoned, a certain mana (spiritual essence) still emanates from the site. To imagine