The other side of Maui

• Kahakuloa Coast map (graphic)

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau

Kahakuloa Head towers over Kahakuloa Hawaiian Congregational Church on the north coast of West Maui. Photos by Timothy Hurley • The Honolulu Advertiser

Ululani Ho‘opi‘i (holding her 6-month-old grandson, Likeke) runs several roadside snack stands at Kahakuloa.

Yet relatively few know about the drive to Kahakuloa (the name means "tall lord.").

"It's still one of the best-kept secrets on Maui," said Michael Miller, director of the Kaukini Gallery in Kahakuloa, one of the few commercial ventures on the 25-mile route linking central and western Maui.

The secret is starting to get out. A decade ago, little was found in this region except for cows, cowboys and the isolated village of Kahakuloa. Today there are luxury-home subdivisions, art galleries and a variety of roadside snack stands, including three in the village alone.

Even so, the landscape remains undeniably backwater, and most of the free tourist maps still warn visitors to stay away because of narrow and bad road conditions. Indeed, while no one has to "survive" the well-maintained road to Hana anymore, this backcountry route actually has tricky one-lane sections carved into towering cliffs with no guardrails.

But if you can stomach the death-defying drops and drive at cautious speeds around blind corners, the Kahakuloa Coast is well worth a visit. A growing number of tourists are realizing this.

Cindy Petersen of Lynden, Wash., traveled the road to Kahakuloa on her Maui vacation four years ago. On her return trip in January, she brought her friend, Jean Davis, of Rochester, Minn.

"I wanted to show her the real Maui. I think this is the prettiest part," she said.

Petersen said she prefers the road to Kahakuloa over the Hana Highway because there's less traffic and it's more peaceful.

"The first time I came here, I was absolutely astounded it was this wild. This is the part of Maui people don't know about."

Bob Cullers and Retha Thoma of Oklahoma City also were in awe of Kahakuloa's untamed beauty that day. They stumbled into the area while killing time away from their posh Wailea hotel.

"I had no idea it was this desolate and dangerous," Cullers said. "But it's beautiful."

Driving at your own pace, you can make a morning or afternoon of it, or take the whole day to explore and enjoy the breathtaking views. Pack a picnic lunch and binoculars. During whale season, roughly December to April, you can see humpbacks playing near shore.

Embarking on the journey

From West Maui, follow the Honoapi'ilani Highway (30) north. It turns into the Kahekili Highway (340). From Kahului, take Kahului Beach Road north, then turn right on Waiehu Beach Road. Follow that to Kahekili Highway, turn right and you're on your way.

Past the town of Waihe'e, the road begins to get curvy as it winds across a pali filled with blind curves and one-lane bridges. Take it slow. If a local who knows the road starts tailing you, stop and let him by. Stop every now and then, anyway, and enjoy the views.

At the six-mile marker and across from the entrance to the Mendes Ranch (which offers horseback riding to those who sign up in advance) is the road to Boy Scout Camp Maluhia. Interested in a mountain hike? Follow the road to the camp to the Waihe'e Ridge Trail trailhead, which will be off to the left nearly a mile up. The hike is a five-mile round trip into native forest with gorgeous ocean and valley views, including plunging waterfalls. Enjoy your pack lunch at a picnic table nestled in a grassy area at the top end of the trail.

Back on the road and just before the 10-mile marker, you'll get to Turnbull Studios and Sculpture Garden, which is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. The property contains the home of sculptor Bruce Turnbull, which also is open to the public. Stop and take a look around. Inside the home are some of Turnbull's stylish works, along with dramatic coastal views as you look back at Haleakala.

House-sitting for Turnbull recently was Rose Martillano, who said she fell in love with the road after she first saw it 10 years ago.

'Stunning' yet challenging

Martillano, who lives in Lahaina, said she finds it much more appealing than the renowned Hana Highway, on the eastern side of Maui's north shore.

"Hana is a jungle — and a jungle is a jungle," she said. "What you see here, you don't see anyplace else. The meadows and pastures can look like Ireland. It's stunning."

But watch out during and after inclement weather, she warns. While the road has improved somewhat in recent years, it's still a challenge following storms because of fallen rocks and potholes. During recent rains, a huge boulder fell onto the road, covering three-fourths of the path, leaving just enough space for cars to squeeze past for several days. Because the road is isolated, it doesn't get the immediate attention of county road crews like other roads do.

On another occasion, traffic was backed up for a half-hour or so, Martillano recalled.

"So I walked up to look what's going on and there was an older Japanese couple in an SUV with the wife on the road waving the car forward, as if to say 'It's OK.' He was terrified, and it was just so funny."

Martillano, a poet, writer and artist, said she loves the road so much she's writing a country song titled "Mile Marker 10," the marker near the Turnbull gallery.

"It's very inspirational, a place to be and create," she said.

Just before Kahakuloa Village is the Kaukini Gallery and gift shop. Artist Karen Lei Noland started the gallery on the ranch that once belonged to her grandparents. There, you will find Noland's original paintings and prints, plus works from other artists and lots of Maui-made jewelry and gift items.

When Miller started as gallery director six years ago, only a couple hundred cars passed by on a good day. Now, he said, the average is more than 1,000 cars a day — 95 percent of which is visitor traffic.

"I keep hearing, 'I had no idea this type of scenery existed here. I just thought Hawai'i was sandy beaches and palm trees.' "

Tourists are a bit frazzled when they walk through the door, and that's why the shop's "I survived the Kahakuloa road" T-shirt is nearly as popular as its public restroom.

Traffic is picking up

Down the road and past towering Kahakuloa Head is the fishing village of Kahakuloa, home to a handful of families who live at the base of a lovely valley with taro lo'i (paddies). Tiny Kahakuloa Hawaiian Congregational Church is the subject of more than a few artists' paintings.

There's no downtown Kahakuloa, but with the increase in tourist traffic, the village now bustles with roadside commerce. Among three roadside stands is Ululani by the Bay, a pink cart with sodas and snacks run by Ululani Ho'opi'i, wife of recording artist and Kahakuloa favorite son Richard Ho'opi'i, better known as half of the Ho'opi'i Brothers.

Ululani, who sings harmony on her husband's first solo effort, titled "Ululani," said the roadside business was first started years ago as a juice stand by her kids. She took over when it became clear that the business could help the family make ends meet.

Ululani, who was born and raised in Wailuku before marrying Richard and moving to Kahakuloa, said she enjoys sitting in the shade of her cart and talking to tourists from all over the world.

"In my younger days I wanted to get out (of Kahakuloa), but as I get older I realize I could never find a place like this again. It's a beautiful paradise," she said.

On the Kapalua side of Kahakuloa are some of the most perilous parts of the road — a narrow, one-lane section for about a mile and a half — but the reward for a successful passage is great. Not only will you find a nicely paved two-lane state highway (Honoapi'ilani Highway 30), but you will see some stunning coastal landscapes where jagged, wind- and sea-eroded rock formations and cliffs meet the Pacific on one side and bright green pasture on the other. Watch out for cows, and don't leave valuables in your car if you get out and explore.

Near the 16-mile highway marker is the Pohaku Kani ("bell rock"), a basalt boulder. Hit it in the right place with a rock and it might sound like a bell, sort of.

Past the 20-mile marker is the Nakalele Blowhole, which can shoot a spectacular stream of sea water if the tides and currents are sufficiently worked up. If it's blowing, this is well worth the short hike to the sea.

Another half-mile away is Nakalele Point, offering a pleasant walk among rock pools and arches.

If you're driving from the Lahaina side, read this story in reverse.

Getting there

Flights and cars: Hawaiian and Aloha airlines offer daily Maui flights. The most economical options are Tuesdays through Thursdays and at less-traveled hours (10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or therabouts). Current fly-drive rates are about $180 (air fare and car for one day).

The road: Maui's shape has often been compared to the head and bosom of a beautiful woman. The drive to and through Kahakuloa traces the outline of the woman's head and neck. You can start in Kahului and end in Lahaina, or the other way around. Expect to spend the better part of a day. Pack water, beach togs (there are good beaches on the Lahaina side), snacks. Highway 340 (Kahekili Highway and sometimes "the Kahakuloa road") begins at Beach Road in Kahului, heads northwest along the coast through Waiehu and Waihe'e and Kahakuloa and, at the very tip of Maui's "head" at Honokohau, becomes Highway 30 (Honoapi-'ilani) and leads you through Kapalua and Ka'anapali into Lahaina.