Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [315]
LA PéROUSE BAY
Ocean and land merge in an eerie desolate beauty at La Pérouse Bay. The ancient Hawaiian village of Keone′o′io flourished here before the 1790 volcanic eruption and its remains – mainly house and heiau platforms – can be seen scattered among the lava patches. From the shoreline look for pods of spinner dolphins, which commonly come into the bay in the morning. The combination of strong offshore winds and rough waters rule out swimming but it’s an interesting place to explore on land. It was at this bay that the first Westerners set foot on Maui. When the French explorer Jean François de Galaup La Pérouse landed here in 1786, scores of Hawaiians from the village of Keone′o′io came out to greet him. A monument to La Pérouse marks the end of the road.
Makena Stables ( 879-0244; www.makenastables.com; 2½-3hr trail rides $145-170; 8am-6pm), just before the road ends, offers horseback rides up the slopes of ′Ulupalakua Ranch, led by a Maui-born cowpoke whose stories are as fascinating as the terrain.
From La Pérouse Bay, the Hoapili (King’s Hwy) Trail follows an ancient footpath along the coastline across jagged lava flows. Be prepared: bring hiking boots and plenty of water. The first part of the trail is along the beach at La Pérouse Bay. Right after the trail emerges onto the lava fields, it’s possible to take a spur trail 0.75 miles down to the light beacon at the tip of Cape Hanamanioa. Alternatively, walk inland to the Na Ala Hele sign and turn right onto the trail as it climbs through rough ′a′a lava inland for the next 2 miles before coming back to the coast to an older lava flow at Kanaio Beach.
NORTH SHORE & EAST MAUI
Families living off the grid, surfers challenging death-defying waves, a hiker beating a path to a secluded waterfall – this is the free-spirited side of Maui. Start up north in the windsurfing haven of Pa′ia, then follow the serpentine Hana Hwy for the jaw-droppingly dramatic drive to Hana. Maui’s most Hawaiian town dishes up a taste of Hawaii the way it used to be: s-l-o-w, friendly and quintessentially local.
Beyond Hana lies Haleakalā National Park’s less frequented Kipahulu section and the cool pools and forested trails of ′Ohe′o Gulch. A fitting finale to it all is the adventurous romp through the cowboy village of Kaupo and the Pi′ilani Hwy, a road so remote some maps don’t even show it.
PA′IA
pop 2500
Home to an eclectic mix of surfers and soul seekers, Pa′ia is Maui’s hippest burg. Once a thriving sugar town, a century ago Pa′ia boasted 10,000 residents living in plantation camps above a now-defunct sugar mill. During the 1950s there was an exodus to Kahului, shops were shuttered and Pa′ia began to collect cobwebs. Attracted by low rent, hippies seeking paradise landed in Pa′ia in the 1970s. A decade later windsurfers discovered Ho′okipa Beach, and Pa′ia broke onto the map big time. It hasn’t been the same since. Its aging wooden storefronts, now splashed in sunshine yellows and sky blues, house a wild array of shops geared to visitors. And the dining scene? Any excuse to be here at mealtime will do.
Orientation
At Pa′ia’s one stoplight, the Hana Hwy (Hwy 36) intersects with Baldwin Ave (Hwy 390), which leads through the Upcountry to Makawao. Everything in Pa′ia is on these two roads, and the whole town is walkable. Traffic backs up along the Hana Hwy as commuters shuttle to and from jobs and whenever the surf is up on the North Shore. Pa′ia is the last place to gas up your car before Hana, but that’s not a problem as there’s a 24-hour gas station in town.
Information
Bank of Hawaii ( 579-9511; 35 Baldwin Ave) Has a 24-hour ATM.
Green Banana Café ( 579-9130; 137 Hana Hwy; per min 10¢, minimum $3; 6am-8pm) Ecofriendly place to surf the net – lots of stations,