What to do with a week in Maui? (Wailuku, Lahaina: car rental, rental)

[Citykid3785]

I'll be staying in Lahaina for 8 days and I'm trying to put an agenda together. I've never been to Hawaii before. I would say in general I prefer history/natural beauty/adventure over blatant tourist things like amusement parks and shopping malls. Any ideas? What's good, what's not worth it? Thanks for the insights! Oh, there will be three of us in our upper twenties
If that helps.

[KoaKine]

Aloha

Day 1 arrive walk around hotel grounds walk Lahaina town buy the blue book have a drink or 2 nice dinner watch sunset

Day 2 get up early for you it will be normal time but get up at 4 am drive to top of Haleakala before sunrise and watch the most beautiful sunrise of your life . This will be easy the first morning your there because the time change you will be up anyway if you put it off you won't go. Go to the beach swim snorkel

Day 3 Drive to Hana hike to the pools swim in the river , hike further up about an hour to the bamboo forest drive to hotel full day.

Day 4 take a helicopter tour around if you can

Day 5 Snorkel black rock sit on beach sit by pool enjoy life

I will leave the other 2 or 3 days to the others

Have a great vacation
Koa

[zitsky]

Rent a board and go surfing. If waves are big enough (just a few feet) rent a longboard, you might catch a few waves. If it's not good in Lahaina, consider driving up the the northern part of the island and surf there.

Go snorkeling at Molikini Crater. You'll see some amazing aquatic life.

Visit Haleakala volcano/crater. It's a long drive but it's an amazing view up there. It's definitely worth it. If you stay for a few hours you could visit some of the trails there.

Drive all the way around the island (yes it is possible). Roads are gravel and pretty rough in some spots in the south part of the island but there are spots where they are asphalt. Some car rental agreements won't let you take your car there.

[Pilgrim21784]

My suggestions: (many repeating other posters)

Go snorkeling at Molikini Crater. Try and rent a polarized mask, it makes a big difference in the colors of the fish.

Visit Haleakala volcano/crater. Beware of the bicyclists on the roads. Its COLD and sometimes very windy at the top. If you happen to see a green ball cap blowing around with "Pura Vida" on it - it is my wife's, circa 2007.

On the way back from the volcano, detour over to Makawao and have lunch at the Stopwatch restaurant. It has the best Maui beef burger on the island. Makawao also has some really cool art type shops.

You might also enjoy visiting the lavendar farm and tropical garden in the Upcountry area, both are worth a visit.

Drive the West End to get some local banana bread. Be extremely careful, some road spots are blind, one lane and you may have to back up quite a distance. It is not a trip for the faint of heart. It makes the road to Hana look like a main highway.

Driving around the entire island is not advised (did it), its not worth the hassle and your rental agreement will probably preclude it based on road conditions.

Do the road trip to Hana, it is actually quite pleasant and not nearly as taxing as the west end. There are some breathtaking road stops/photo opps along the way.

Visit the Maui Winery in Kula and do the taste testing, they have some great wines.

Visit the Maui Ocean Center in Wailuku, its quite interesting.

If you try surfing by yourself (no guide), be aware that the locals are very territorial and you must exercise the utmost politeness to avoid hassles.

Enjoy! Maui is a delightful place to visit and there is a lot to see and experience.

[Citykid3785]

Thank you all for being so helpful, this is perfect!

[Ghengis]

include a whale watching excursion if you are there between December and March. Stay away from the big cattlemarans that pack dozens to over 100 people on board even if they use the word "foundation" in their name.

Molikini is over used as a snorkeling destination, stick with some of the smaller bays with less users on the west end or take one of the excursions that goes over to Lanai. Consider a SNUBA excursion for an extended below-the-water perspective without the SCUBA certification requirement.

[Razzbar]

Stay in your hotel room the entire time. Do not leave it for any reason. Have food sent up to you. Keep the curtains closed. Watch TV and take notes.

When you get home, rave about the great TV shows they have over there. Your friends have heard all the other stories.

[winkosmosis]

Haleakala is high enough elevation to kill the infirm. Be wary if you have some kind of health issue like anemia or heart problems. It's not for babies or small children. And don't look at the sun, it will damage your retina, even if it's right on the horizon.


Spend a day walking around Lahaina. If you're going swimming, go while the sun is high in the sky otherwise you'll be cold.

Here are some hikes to do:
http://hawaiitrails.ehawaii.gov/trai...01&island=Maui
http://hawaiitrails.ehawaii.gov/trai...01&island=Maui

Another good one is Twin Falls but I don't really know how to give directions to it. It's on the Hana Highway, behind a little market. Usually there's a lot of cars parked out front.