Driving from Lahaina to Haleakala for sunrise, any coffee or gas stations open 24 hours? (Kahului: rental car, appointed)

[pjnugget]

Hi All,

Going to our honeymoon 2 weeks from now and going to make the early drive our first day there. Any coffee shops/gas stations open early between Lahaina and Haleakala? We are thinking of leaving our hotel around 230-3am...We want to try to get snacks/coffee for the trip...

Thanks in advance!

[Mick St John]

You'll be going through Kahului to get to Haleakala Highway and I'm sure you'd find something in Kahului.
I would advise against taking the trip on the first day though. You'll be pretty wiped out by the flight. On the other hand, jet lag will probably have you awake at 2 AM anyway.

[Calico Salsa]

Minit Stop at 333 Dairy Road, behind the 76 gas station, opens at 3am.

It's just before Hana Highway, on the left side of the street for your direction of travel.

[hotzcatz]

Fill the car up the day before and have a thermos of hot coffee made the night before, too. If you use the thermos as part of your carry on luggage, you'll be able to fill it with water at a water fountain after you go through the TSA and have water to drink on the plane, too. Some folks use plastic coolers as luggage so they will have them to use on their vacation, also. Tie it shut with a luggage strap and you'll have some fairly indestructible as well as useful luggage.

[Calico Salsa]

I think you are only asking about places to get coffee & food, but if you are also asking to get gasoline, then the Shell station across the street from Minit Stop is open 24 hours.

Just FYI you will see a McDonald's on Dairy Rd, but they don't open that early.

You will drive down Dairy Road from the airport to Lahaina, so you can see the spots on your way to your hotel.

If you are only driving a rental car from airport to Lahaina, and then the next morning up to Haleakala, you won't need to gas up for the trip up the volcano. Unless you are renting some super gas hog, you will have plenty of gas to get u and down the volcano, and you can fill up on your way down in Kula or else back down in Kahului.

You've probably researched this, but take plenty of warm clothing for the top of Haleakala. It's up 10,000 feet, and it will be cold. Pretty please don't take the bedding from where ever you are staying - kind of rude when people drag blankets around in the dirt just because they don't want to pack a jacket.

Wear layers, so you can start in your shorts and add clothing as you drive up. Then if you hike around up there when the sun comes up, you can shed layers.

If you take hotzcatz advice and bring a big thermos, bring some extra cups as you will probably be able to sell some hot coffee up there! Or give them away and make new friends...

[AlohaHuey]

Don't take a closed bag of Cheetos unless you want to see them explode all over the car and cover everything in a fine, orange crust.

[hotzcatz]

A fine orange dust, eh, AlohaHuey? And you would know this because????

[pjnugget]

Great advice everyone! Especially the cheetos...how about any tips when we plan to drive to Hana...any must stops we have to do on the way to Hana?

[Dthraco]

Drive to Haleakala:
The earlier you get there the better. The viewing area gets pretty crowded, so you want to get a good spot early. As others have stated, dress warm, it is chilly up there in the morning.

But the biggest thing is to drink plenty of water and be aware that you just climbed 10K feet....take it easy when you get up there. Take deep breaths and treat it as though you just finished a marathon. My wife passed out up there, and it was not fun. The people in the shop were very helpful and got her a glass of water. But it would have been way better to have avoided it by taking it easy and drinking water. Aside from that, the sunrise from up there is spectacular!!!

Hana:
The black sand beach is amazing. Often missed, the fresh water caves are in that same park. You can swim in them. One of them in particular has an area where the roof goes further back, and there is a ledge you can sit on. The water is a bit brisk at first, but it's really fun.

As far as the drive, just don't be in a hurry. It takes a while to get there, and rushing will only put you in danger. Note that going to Hana is pretty much 75% of a day, most of it in the car. If you like road trips, totally worth it.

[Calico Salsa]

Drive to Hana -
As already noted, for most people it is about the drive rather than the destination. That is, visitors expect Hana to be a quaint little town with shops & restaurants, but it is not. Beautiful small town, but not shopping or dining destination. There is a small store, but you might want to pack a lunch if you have special dietary needs.

Many visitors who are not comfortable on winding roads bounded by cliff and drop offs will drive fearfully all the way to Hana non-stop, then be disappointed and dread the drive back.

Here's how to enjoy it - take it easy. Stop frequently along the way to take a look at the surroundings, including the incredible plant life.

There's a privately owned fee-charging arboretum, I suggest you go to the free one instead. It's a simple place, with small signs identifying many of the trees & plants.

Stop at a fruit/smoothy stand, and get some tasty drinks and snacks. Highly recommend you buy banana bread where ever you see it sold by someone roadside. Help the local economy and so fresh and tasty!

Look for cars pulled off when you are passing tall green bamboo - pull off and take a short hike in to enjoy the peaceful sound of the bamboo clacking together in the gentle wind.

Wear or bring closed shoes for hiking, but be ready to get them doused in red mud as you'll be on the wet side of the island. If water isn't dropping from the sky, it's trickling down from the hills. Oh, and be prepared for a little rain. That means toss an extra towel or two in the car, ones you don't mind getting a little muddy, not the ones you'll use to dry off from swimming. Unless we get a storm, the rain is easy and the day still warm.

What else to pack: Cooler with ice and make it larger so you can bring home tasty treats, water, first aid kit if you are going to hike off road away from town, already said closed shoes but bring slippers to be comfortable hanging out, cash is appreciated at roadside stands (no credit cards), beach chairs if you want to sit on the beach for a while, sunscreen always, bug spray for sure!, sunglasses, hats if you wear them, camera a must.

There is the state run park past Hana, with a bamboo forest. Personally the 7 magic pools or whatever they call it is kind of a bust...better in the brochures.

If you are not afraid of remote drives, come back the back way. It will take you past Hana, down the south west side of Maui, then the road leads back up to Ulupalakua to Kula and you'll be back at the start of your Haleakala trip. The back road is incredibly beautiful, but it scares some with the one lane sections going around blind curves. Just take it slow, honk to warn people you are coming, keep your lights on, and hug the cliff. No one wants to hit anyone else, so most are as cautious as you. No cell signal over there; make sure you have gas, but if you have any car problem someone will be along soon anyway.