Mauii Help......

[glrydays]

On POA in July - Want to do the following:

 

Road to Hana

Haleakala Sunrise

Snorkel in Molikini

 

I dont think we have time for all three - Do we? Which 2 of the three are musts....

[sue402001]

Sounds like what we want to do next year. I think we're going to snorkel the Molikini Crater in the morning and do a sunset in Haleakala that night then do the Road to Hana the next day. I'm not one for getting up early in the morning.

[Tampa Girl]

A friend who visited the Islands four years ago does not recommend the Road to Hana. He thought it was not worth the 4 hours it takes. I'm sure others, however, will have different opinions.

[redzin]

There is so much to do in Maui. Can anyone who has been there come up with the best 2 day itinerary. Iao Valley and Kepaniwai Park Gardens, Wailuki and Kahului, Lahaina, Makena, Ulupalakua Ranch and Winery, Road to Hana, Haleakala Natl. Park, etc. Was going to do RTH first day and Haleakala day two but missing so much. Leave out RTH???? Don't want to rush and know it all can't be seen in 2 days but if I never go back can someone plan their opinion of the best in 2 days?

[beachchick]

A friend who visited the Islands four years ago does not recommend the Road to Hana. He thought it was not worth the 4 hours it takes. I'm sure others, however, will have different opinions.

 

Just want to mention that the RTH takes more than 4 hours even if all you do is drive flat out from Kahului to Hana and return, making no stops to enjoy the scenery along the way. To "do" the RTH, you need to plan on 7 hours or more because the point of the journey in this case is the journey.

 

glrydays:

 

It's possible to go to Haleakala first thing and then do the RTH for the rest of the day, but it would be a really long day. Morning snorkeling is almost always better than the afternoon, but you could plan on Haleakala first thing on day 1 and then an afternoon snorkel. Another option would be to do the RTH on day 1 and then go on a crack of dawn snorkel the next morning before visiting Haleakala later in the day. The risk there is that it does tend to get fogged/clouded in as the day goes on because of the inversion layer.

 

But the real question is how much do you love long, winding scenic drives? If you absolutely love them, then the RTH is for you. Otherwise, we do not consider it a must do (and we have done it).

 

To get a taste of what the RTH is like, you could visit Iao Valley (right outside of Wailuku and easy to get to) for a couple of hours after going up to Haleakala first thing on day 1; day 2 would then be open for an early snorkel excursion followed by beaching and enjoying the island without cramming every second with activity and/or driving.

 

beachchick

[redzin]

Thanks. We're definitely going to Haleakala, Makawao, Ulupalakua ranch and the winery (maybe lunch at Mamas). Also, squeezing in Iao Valley maybe early or after. Where is the best snorkeling that is not deep water? Also, on the other day any suggestions for towns and beaches to get a beachy, resort experience? What about Ka anapali and Wailea where the hotels are? What are the good stops and things to do? Never been to Hawaii.

[smrtypnts]

But the real question is how much do you love long, winding scenic drives? If you absolutely love them, then the RTH is for you. Otherwise, we do not consider it a must do (and we have done it).

 

To get a taste of what the RTH is like, you could visit Iao Valley (right outside of Wailuku and easy to get to) for a couple of hours after going up to Haleakala first thing on day 1; day 2 would then be open for an early snorkel excursion followed by beaching and enjoying the island without cramming every second with activity and/or driving.

 

beachchick

I know for sure that I am doing the Haleakala sunrise on day 2 that PoA is in Maui. After that I will choose a beach to rest and hang out on the rest of the day since I know I will be exhausted from getting up so early. I thought I really wanted to do the RTH, but (with your so very knowledgeable expertise) now I am not sure. If I do not drive the RTH, then I know I want to do the OLL. I would then head to Lahaina by early afternoon and enjoy the town, but what one or two things might you suggest I "go see" first and possibly second along the way? Thanks for your help.

[Giantfan13]

[B]Really, I do not see why the OP cannot do the itinerary that she states. The RTH is day one. Back to the ship in the evening, get to bed early, Sunrise on Haleakala, and then they have the rest of day to to do what they want, either do some snorkeling or just relax on a beach.

On our two day there, we did the RTH on day one, took our time and enjoyed it immensily. On day two, we opted to go to Haleakala around 9 ish and after that we headed to Iao Valley and had a great picnic lunch there. After that we drove to some waterfalls, and they back to the rental place. We had plenty of time for this.

On a side note, we are NOT beach people, so we never even considered lounging on a beach or snorkeling. That might make other's plans different than our. But the OP original plan will work.

 

Cheers

 

Len[/b]

[redzin]

Don't mean to sound dumb but who is the OP and how do I contact he or she?

[CruisingGoddess]

Don't mean to sound dumb but who is the OP and how do I contact he or she?

 

OP stands for "original poster", meaning the person who started the topic so in this case, it would be grlydays. :D

[1Alaska]

My personal must do's on Maui....Molikini snorkel and sunrise at Haleakala, and if time permits, the road to Hana with a continuation of the drive all the way around the island!!!!!!! Yes, I know, the sign says no rental cars, but we went on anyway and had a spectacular experience on the "other side" of maui. Took us 12 hours round trip.