Just west of Wailuku in Iao Park. Around the bend to the north/west is the delightful Waihee. And between Kanaha (airport) and Paia is miles of often secluded beaches.
Your first experience of Maui will almost certainly be of the OGG airport in Kahului. Then the hustle bustle of renting a car and dashing off to your accommodations. OK, stop right here. We do understand that after a long trip in getting here, the thought of a shower and a nice room with AC is so very tempting. However, there are some easy to get to treats that will really enhance your first day on Maui... and they are quite close to the airport.
Head over to Kanaha. Just a half mile from the airport, probably less even, is an excellent beach park. So swing out here, hop around in the turquoise waters, yes there are showers here too. Stretch out on the sand, take a walk to Paia (Just kidding. You can, of course, though it is a bit far.) along the usually breezy, wide sandy beach, past Spreckelsville right into Paia town.
Yay right? Gotta feel better now and probably feeling hungry. No matter what foods you are craving, there are a good handful of popular and reasonably priced restaurants on Dairy Road, so there is no excuse for trying to navigate a sometimes traffic filled drive to your destination on an empty stomach. OK, one excuse is if you are heading out through Paia. Just 10 minutes with light traffic, park in the lot just before town and walk around. I'm sure you will find great food a short walk from here.
are "must visit" destinations for all ocean lovers. Paia town area has many popular parks and beaches such as Paia Bay and Baldwin beach, are excellent for family activities. While Paia is a fun little beach town with every kind of shop and restaurant you could hope for, the beaches with the real waves are a bit farther out towards Hana.
A few miles out of Paia, past Ku'au is Ho'okipa. Very popular with locals, Ho'okipa Beach Park is fairly small with difficult to find parking. At least pull over here at the lookout above, beyond the beach. A great viewpoint can be found here, and if the season is right (autumn) you may be treated to some unbelievable waves crashing into the shore.
The car rental agencies at the Maui Airport are all on the other side of the big parking lot that is just across from the main terminal. You will find their respective kiosks close to the baggage pickup area and they all provide transport to the car lots. Please! Before you drive off the lot do a couple of things.There’s usually plenty of good light to take a “before” and “after” photo of the vehicle, which would prove your innocence should you need to for some reason later on. Cheap insurance! Another thing you can also do is to ask an employee to do a pre-rental inspection which provides for you a list of any existing damage (even the smallest dings, dents and scratches). AND if you can remember when you drop off the car, have someone do another inspection before you go over to the airport. Keep those pics of the car before you drove off, on your phone for a few months. You never know when some employee will make some mistake which ends up putting blame on yourself for something you did not even do. This is not information particularly appropriate to Maui for any reason, it is just good cheap advice which could save you trouble anytime and anywhere you rent a car.
If you have a long list of 'wanna-dos', and they are located all around the island, (of course they are!) then make sure you look at the Bed & Breakfast Inns in the Paia/Kahului area. Though there are abundant good reasons to stay in any of the near and far corners of the island, however if your plans include them all then staying centrally located is certainly worth considering. Trying to head out for the East Side of the island from Lahaina and beyond, even early in the morning (remember there are many local people who commute to work), is guaranteed frustration. Paia is fairly well located half way to everywhere and worth considering even if only for this reason.
The ocean on Maui's North Shore is a whole other experience all-together from Maui's South Shore. The Central North Shore Beaches around Kahului are usually under the influence of the Trade Winds and wilder wavy conditions. For Kiters, Wind-surfers, and the more experienced surfers will prefer this area for these more 'high-energy' influences. The beaches along the turquoise milky waters offer many secluded coves backed by Ironwood and Keawe forests.
North Shore Beaches are not just for wind-surfing and dare-devil surfers. A long walk from Kanaha Beach to Paia Bay will reveal a great many secluded sandy coves backed by semi-wild lands around the airport and then you pass in front of occasional, yet beautiful million dollar houses.
Yes it is true that the ocean is much wilder than on the south side, the strong dependable breezes create choppy milky waters which seem much more inviting once you actually take a swim, so go on in. Baby Beach has this excellent, gentle pool for all of us "non-Olympian" swimmers. If you want beaches but the crowded tourist experience is not what you came to Maui for, then check out the north shore.
Iao Valley is a must see listed in every guide book with good reason. A cool, delightful retreat just ten minutes from sweltering Kahului. If you are not a beach nut, then this could reasonably be your immediate destination from the airport. Take a dip in the creek and a stroll through the Ginger, Kukui Nut and Coffee tree forest.
