Perfect Days  #28 - #30 - North Shore

The North Shore deserves more than just one Perfect Day. The real benefits of spending several days on the North Shore, however, really require staying for several consecutive days in a vacation rental anywhere from Spreckelsville to Huelo or Pa’ia to Kula in Upcountry

What are the differences between just passing through the North Shore or staying for a while? On a daytrip it’s unlikely that you’ll walk or jog on the beaches of Kanaha, Spreckelsville, Baby and Baldwin Beach Park, perhaps at different times of day when light, wind, waves and beach look and feel quite different. You may decide to stay at Kanaha for a whole morning mesmerized by kitesurfing, sailboarding, or windsurfing at Ho’okipa Beach Park, and Jaws. Any of these places and sights can be part of a daytrip but along the 8 miles from Kanaha to Ho’okipa are at least a half-dozen unique, scenic coastal places that require leisure time, especially to hangout with surfers, windsurfers and locals to learn about what makes the North Shore tick. It’s worth it.

Leisurely driving on scenic roads winding through Haiku and Ulumanu from Baldwin Avenue to Kaupakalua requires ample time and no rush, especially with a stop at the Haiku Cannery for lunch or to pick up a bicycle and then pedal around Haiku and maybe up to Makawao.

Every one of the more than a dozen coffee shops, restaurants, and eateries as well as galleries, shops, boutiques and general stores just in Pa’ia, around Baldwin Ave. and Hana Hwy., is sufficiently different and special that one day in the area simply won’t do. At least 3 or 4 Perfect Days would be better, but even staying overnight for two full Perfect Days can make a big difference in your experiences on the North Shore. A couple of Perfect Days allows enough time to head up Baldwin Avenue to Makawao and Kula in Upcountry, once again completely different places than Pa’ia and the North Shore.

Almost everything that you want to see and do on the north side of Haleakala can be reached by car within 20 minutes: from Kanaha Beach to Twin Falls on the Road to Hana; and from Pa’ia to Makawao. Both Pa’ia and Makawao can lay claim to being the center of this small universe on the North Shore. Makawao has many more art galleries than Pa’ia, but both have about an equal number of shops and boutiques. Both are tourist towns but their main customers actually are locals living within a couple of square miles. Unlike Lahaina, neither town ever becomes a tourist town frequented by locals. Many of these “locals” on the North Shore may have arrived recently, to surf or find a job or both, but they seem to quickly blend in quite well with locals that have been around for decades.

Two of the best restaurants on Maui – Hali’imaile General Store (in Hali’imaile, a very small place Upcountry) and Mama’s Fish House (on the coast in Ku’au, just past Pa’ia) – are in two totally different locations within 10 minutes drive of each other. Small world – lots of differences. Makawao, about 10 minutes drive further Upcountry from Hali’imaile, can boast of Casanova, in its own class for Italian food and nightly entertainment. You can rent a relatively inexpensive vacation rental east or west of Baldwin Avenue that is within 10-15 minutes drive of every beach, other attraction, restaurant and eatery on the North Shore. Spend at least 2 or 3 Perfect Days and it will seem like a week.

Pa’ia
Drive on Hwy. 36 to Paia to browse in the town’s art galleries and boutiques. Park off Hana Hwy. in public parking a few blocks west of Baldwin Ave. Just a short walk from the parking lot, on the way to Baldwin Ave., stop at Anthony’s for coffee or cross Hana Hwy. to Livewire Café for coffee, breakfast and to check your email. Maui Hands a few doors away from Anthony’s provides an exceptional introduction to local artists. Likewise the Maui Crafts Guild across Hana Hwy. See “Shopping, Browsing and Eating” in PART II for a description of Pa’ia’s shops and boutiques. Pa’ia has plenty of choices for lunch but on one day on the North Shore have lunch on the terrace at Mama’s Fish House. Sit outside, watch the surf and enjoy great food (at a much lower price than dinner).

Trip to Huelo
Pick up a picnic lunch in Pa’ia (and a bottle of wine) for a trip to Huelo and the fabulous Hono Hu’aka Tropical Plantation, a very special retreat, botanical garden, picnic spot and wedding location. Tour the garden and then picnic with beautiful cliffside views. On the way to Huelo, stop at the Ho’okipa Lookout to watch surfers and windsurfers. Pass Twin Falls and stop for a smoothie at the Twin Falls Fruit Stand. Save a visit to Twin Falls for the return trip or another day. Huelo includes some our favorite vacation rentals which should start you thinking about spending many Perfect Days in one of Huelo’s vacation rentals.

Huelo’s Kaulanapueo Church
Drive for almost a mile from the Twin Falls Fruit Stand to the HVB marker and a line of mailboxes on your left (watch out for the blind curve) marking the Door of Faith Road to Huelo and beautifully restored Kaulanapueo Church. When you see the church, its lawn and graveyard, you’ll understand why this place is so perfect for weddings and vows.

Hono Hu’aka Tropical Plantation
About a half-mile down the dirt road leading away from the church, at the HVB sign go through the double gate, take the right fork, follow the road to another fork, bear left and drive until you see the sign for “Nature Trail Parking” at the Hono Hu’aka Tropical Plantation. A 30-acre retreat, vacation rental, and botanical garden open to the public, the site is covered with thousands of trees and flowers and a nature trail to a pavilion and picnic area at the edge of a 300-foot cliff overlooking Waipi’o Bay. After walking the lovely nature trail, enjoy your picnic before returning to Pa’ia. (Admission: adults $5, children 6-12 $2.50, under 6 free. There’s not much else to see from the road on Huelo peninsula since the rest of the coastline is blocked by the sites of vacation rentals.)

Twin Falls
Along Hana Hwy. about a mile before Huelo, the first waterfall on the Road to Hana is an easy drive from Pa’ia. Drive past MM16 (where the route changes to Hwy. 360 and mile markers change) to MM2 just before the Ho’olawa Bridge. Park at the Twin Falls Fruit Stand (where you’ll see quite a few cars) and walk about 5 minutes to the first waterfall and pool and then to another waterfall and pool about 15 minutes further on.

Haiku Cannery
On the way back to Pa’ia, drive up pretty Haiku Rd. to the Haiku Cannery at Kokomo Rd. and check out bikes at the Haleakala Bike Shop Save some time by renting bikes in the afternoon to use the next Perfect Day. Discuss local roads for bicycling with the owner, Ben Hall, and get a road map. Several eateries in and around the Haiku Cannery are perfect for a light lunch or drive on take a scenic drive on twisting Haiku Rd. to the Pauwela Cannery on Kuiaha Rd.

Sooner or later most visitors to Maui drive up Haleakala Highway (Hwy. 377) to Crater Rd. (Hwy. 378) and head up to Haleakala’s summit. Additional sightseeing in Kula usually consists of the recently restored octagonal Holy Ghost Church, several protea farms and gardens, the gorgeous drive through Ulupalakua to the Ulupalakua Ranch Store and Deli and Tedeschi Winery, and out Thompson Road for a few scenic miles to the end. Of course you can drive past Tedeschi Winery down Hwy. 37 and Hwy. 31 through the Southwestern Rift Zone to Nu’u Bay, but that’s reserved for another Perfect Day.

Like Haiku, another unique aspect of Kula sightseeing (usually missed) is the many sideroads all of which are full of trees, shrubs, gardens, orchards and pleasant surprises including vacation rentals in charming mountain homes. Pick a road, any road, and drive it, probably to an eventual dead-end. That may not be classic sightseeing, but it sure is pleasant and especially on a bicycle.

A mountain bike also is the best way to see:

• Polipoli Springs State Recreation Area, biking up Waipoli Rd., stopping often for views (and to rest your legs) and then biking down along Boundary Trail (keep in mind that you have to bike or walk back so pace yourself)
• spectacular views from Hwy. 37 to the Tedeschi Winery, stopping at Alfredo Franco’s Grandma’s Coffee House for coffee or a refreshment and snack
• Thompson Rd. undulating through two miles of Ulupalakua pastureland past Thompson Stables
• Protea farm touring at the Maui Agricultural Research Center (7:30am-3:30pm) on Copp Rd. (near the Holy Ghost Church), Maui Sunburst Farm ,just up Copp Rd. (16-acres of proteas), Kula Botanical Garden, and Sunrise Protea Farm, on Hwy. 377 and near its intersection with Hwy. 377

Driving up steep roads, Upcountry protea farm touring also can include: Valley View Protea Farm, up Crater Road at the 4000’ level (call Richard & Cori Pohle, 878-2758); and Anuhea Flowers  (800 Olinda Rd., call Bill and Judy Mertons, 572-6877).

Touring Kula

• Visit 8-acre Enchanting Floral Gardens (at 10MM on Hwy. 37, open 9am-5pm daily, 878-2531) that includes 1500 species of plants from Hawaii and around the world
• Continue on Hwy. 37 to Copp Rd. make a left turn, then a right on Lower Kula Rd. to the Holy Ghost Church. Return to Copp Rd., turn right and drive to Hwy. 377, and turn right to the Kula Botanical Gardens (on Hwy. 377 near the intersection with the Kula Hwy., open Mon.-Sat. 9am-4pm, adults $5, children $1). The 6-acre Kula Botanical Gardens displays several thousands plants for self-guided tours including a large variety of proteas.
• As an adventurous side trip, just past the Kula Botanical Gardens Waipoli Rd. winds uphill to Polipoli Springs State Recreation Area. Paved halfway up and well-graded the rest of the way (but you would be happier in a 4WD), grassy areas along the roadside provide great views over Kula to the South Coast and Central Valley and perfect places for picnics.
• Continue driving on Hwy. 37/321 to Keokea where the road turns toward Ulupalakua but also splits to Thompson Road. Leave your car along the side of the road near Grandma’s Coffee House and take a walk along beautiful Thompson Rd.
• Continue on Hwy. 37 to Tedeschi Winery (Hwy. 37, Ulupalakua, tasting room open daily 9am-5pm, free tours 9:30 am and 2:30pm, 878-6058).

Returning Via the Central Valley
Visitors returning from Kula to the South or West Coast can take a shortcut and avoid driving back to and through Kahului on Hwy. 37 and Hwy 36. With the amount of construction on roads around Kahului, it’s a good idea to avoid roads through the city connecting with Hwy. 380 to Ma’alaea or Hwy 311 to Hwy 31 and Kihei. Instead at MM11 on Hwy. 37 in Kula, turn left on Pulehu Rd., the back road to Hwy. 350, bypassing Kahului.

From Pulehu Rd. take a left turn on Hansen Rd. to the Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum (Mon.-Sat., 9:30am-4:30pm, $5 adults, children 6-12, $2), directly across from the HC&S sugar mill at the intersection of Puunene Ave. and Hansen Rd. The museum provides some fascinating insights into Maui’s multi-ethnic society fostered by the sugar industry, the development of water resources in the Central Valley essential for growing sugar, and the workings of a sugar mill and plantation.

Puunene and Waikapu
Once a thriving sugar-plantation town with hundreds of homes, a school, shopping area and a community center, today Puunene is little more than a sugar mill, post office and the Sugar Museum. Across the sugar cane fields from Puunene, and about 3 miles south of Wailuku on the Honoapi`ilani Highway (Hwy. 30), lies the tiny, one-street village of Waikapu, home of the Maui TropicalPlantation. The best way to get to Waikapu is directly from Wailuku, only a 3-mile drive, on a return trip to Ma’alaea and the West or South Shore.

Like the Sugarcane Train between Ka’anapali and Lahaina, the 40-minute narrated tram-ride around fields of pineapple, sugar cane and papaya trees in the Maui Tropical Plantation will be mainly of interest to kids. Trams leave about every 45 minutes (tram tours 10am-4pm, $9.50 for adults, $4.50 for kids ages 3 to 12). The Plantation’s marketplace has a large selection of made-in-maui products. (1670 Honoapi`ilani Hwy., 244-7643, 9am-5pm, admission free except for the tram ride). 

Waikapu Country Club

The clubhouse at the Waikapu Golf and Country Club originally was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright as a house for an American family. Marilyn Monroe and her husband, Arthur Miller, wanted to use the plans to build a house in Connecticut, but didn’t because the celebrity couple separated the next year. Billionaire Japanese investor and businessman (developer of the Grand Wailea) Takeshi Sekiguchi, with an affinity for great art, adapted Wright’s plans for the clubhouse of his 18-hole golf course.

Irrespective of whether or not the Waikapu Country Club fits the setting, this extraordinary building is worth seeing by fans of Frank Lloyd Wright and exceptional architecture. Likewise for couples who might consider using it for a wedding or vows, people planning a reunion for a large family and friends or some other large special event.