Maui, Hawaii

Maui is my home away from home. I’m always a little embarrassed when our ship docks in kahalui. It’s the “big city” of Maui; Airport noice, shipping tanks, traffic jams, and homeless pushing shopping carts thru Walmart parking lot. No different than big cities across America.

The Maui I love is on the West Side. In particular, Kapalua. For the golfers out there this is where they hold the Century Tournament of Champions every year. It’s a televised golf tournament held first week in January. It’s a night and day difference from the city vibe that Kahalui gives off.

Sadly, we lost our beloved west side town center to a tragic fire on August 8, 2023. Rebuilding is slow and tedious. Just last week they finished clearing the last lot of fire debris. That’s 18 months just  for cleanup. Things don’t happen fast here and I don’t expect the Lahaina that I love so deeply will ever return.

I don’t recommend visiting the west side on a cruise ship stop. The Honopiilani hwy, commonly know as the Pali, is the only way to reach the west side and a fender bender can back that road up for hours. A fatality usually means 5-6 hours of total road closure. Not something you want with a cruise ship schedule. Visit the west side on a land trip. There is plenty to do on the East side of the island to keep you busy.

Like Kona, I recommend renting a car here. So much to do. You can drive the famous Road to Hana (go early). I drive it often because everyone who comes to visit me wants the experience. It is totally doable, although a rough day on the driver. I highly recommend the gypsy or Shaka app before you head out.

If R2H isn’t your thing, you can drive to the top of Haleakala. At 10k feet you’ll get beautiful views. Be sure to buy some flowers from the street side stands along the road on the way up. Just gorgeous.

Upcountry with vineyards and vodka distilleries, the quirky little surf town of Paia, Hookipa with its turtles and surfers, and twin falls will all offer a memorable day.

But the star of this show is whales! If you are here in the winter months, we affectionately call this time “whale soup”. The Maui Nui basin has one of the largest concentrations of humpback whales in the world during the migration.

Getting mugged by a whale- I have hours and hours of whale video. I will be adding to the Maui section of the blog.

I have put together a 12 page document on how to whale watch when coming in on a cruise (without using ship excursion), including transportation  choices and directions to Ma’alaea Harbor. The doc is saved on my desktop so I’ll upload later.

I don’t have much to report on my visit to Kahalui in 2025 because all I did was meet my favorite Maui neighbor for Cocktails. I’ll fly to Maui direct from San Diego at the end of the cruise, but they will be gone. However: I will be blogging from the condo in Kapalua after the cruise, so lots of Maui info and more photos and gobs of whale video soon come.

A few photos along the industrial port

Remember- at this port taxi is best for anyone with walking challenges. Uber picks up at longs drugs which can be found behind the stacks.