Traveling around Hawaii, we wanted to experience as much as we could. Hop in the car and come along on our day trip to upcountry Maui. It was a blast!
Exploring the Area on a Trip to Hawaii
Two handy travel resources
We tossed two things into our suitcase at the last minute, and we were so grateful we did.
- One was our TomTom GPS unit (**update! Now you just need your cell phone!!), and the other was
- the Fodor’s Guide to Maui that we’d borrowed from the library.
We ended up using both of those tools every single day we were there. We weren’t the “sit by the beach all day long and fry your skin” kind of Maui visitors. We loved the thrill of exploring. There was something beautiful to see around nearly every corner!
Learn from the locals when planning excursions in Hawaii
One of the many things we liked about the Papakea Resort was that it had an Activities Coordinator (Concierge) on site. Our first morning there, he (Troy) held an orientation session for all of us newcomers. It wasn’t long or drawn out. He quickly outlined the most popular tourist attractions and gave us invaluable advice on what to see and what to skip. Since he was a local Hawaiian, he knew the “scoop” on everything around. Anyone who wanted could book tickets for tours and events through him. There really are options galore for things to do, and this service made it all feel far less overwhelming.
Troy’s presentation gave us insight into the things we wanted to do and see while we were there. Since we’d rented a car, we wanted to drive ourselves rather than travel with tour groups. Fodor’s Guide, a lapful of maps, and our TomTom became our tour guides. It was great fun!
The first adventure?
Discovering Upcountry Maui while traveling in Hawaii
Upcountry Maui.
As we drove along, we kept consulting “Fodor” for his recommended stops. The first stop was in the tiny village of Keokea. It was on his list of “Fun Things to Do Upcountry”:
“Swig a cup of joe with a Hawaiian paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) at Grandma’s Coffee Shop in Keokea.”
Yep, Mr. Fodor, we want to take you up on that offer.
After winding down the narrow mountainside road, we finally came to Grandma’s.
We burst out laughing the first sight of it.
Enjoy coffee time with the locals at “Grandma’s”
It certainly wasn’t a swanky tourist spot. We didn’t see any cowboys, but perched outside the tiny gas station next door were two older gentlemen who asked me in a drawl,
“Whacha takin’ pictures of anyway?”…
By this point, of course, I needed to find a restroom.
“Oh, we don’t have one in here,” the kind girl at Grandma’s said,
“it’s just a five-minute walk down the road at the park.”
We laughed our way down the road.
When we finally reached the park, here was the “restroom” ~
The only people at the “park” were local families with their sweet little toddlers playing around. It was an absolutely delightful stop. We walked past the hugest “hens and chicks” plants I’ve ever seen,
and the upcountry view was incredible:
Maui was experiencing “vog” conditions most of the time we were there. “Vog” comes from southern winds that blow volcanic ash over from the active volcano on the Big Island. It hangs in the air and causes a foggy haze in the sky. Because of that (or perhaps because of my photography skills??), these pictures really don’t show how awesome the view was…
Visit a mountainside Lavender Farm
After our lovely coffee shop stop, we continued driving. The next stop was the Ali Kula Lavender Farm. Again, we were simply following Fodor’s recommendations. It was a fun stop, too, mostly because of the little journey up the narrow gravel road on the mountainside. We saw cows grazing there and a woman walking four big dogs. I don’t know why, but I never stopped to think there’d be cows in Maui! (Obviously, I need to research a little more…)
We skipped the lavender farm tour and passed up the $70 lunch, but we did browse through their gift store and saw some beautiful plants. They also introduced us to their newly found chameleon.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a hilarious little creature. Its eyes were something else!
See the view from Haleakala Crater
Our next stop was going to be Haleakala Crater. The tour guides really try to convince travelers to go to the top to see the sunrise. Although I don’t doubt it would be beautiful, I just couldn’t bear the thought of getting up at 2 am to do so. The winding road carried us up and up…
We drove right through the clouds and ended up at 10,000 feet.
It was so beautiful.
The clouds looked like a blanket you could step right out onto.
(It was the one and only time I wore a sweater in Maui…)
By the time we drove back down the mountain it was about 4 pm. The day was still young! So we decided to check out a beach. But that story deserves a post of its own~
…to be continued
(*I’ve decided to include a “Family Reel” of photos with some of these blog posts. Both of us took cameras, and part of the fun was taking oodles and oodles of pictures. Not all of them are keepers, obviously, but each one is a memory for us. I just figured out how to make a slideshow, so I’m going to throw ALL our pictures from each day onto a little show reel. In case you ever experienced “slide night” in your family home like we did, here’s how it works. All the pictures appear on the screen. Some will be out of focus and some will be sideways…{Can you spot them??}
That’s how it is when you’re “family”! The difference is, if you get bored and decide to walk away, I certainly won’t know! tee hee…
I’ll also include some video clips from time to time. We got a kick out of the “Walk Slowly at This Elevation” sign. Perhaps you needed to be there to see the humour in it??? I won’t be getting any academy awards here…but the memories are great.
The music for this little show is by Corey Doak. The title is “No Sudden Movements.” I thought it fit perfectly.)
Upcountry Maui Family Reel:
For the other posts from our Hawaii trip, check out the links below:
- Over the Rainbow The First Glimpse | Landing in Maui A Visit to Upcountry Maui Discovering Big Beach Kaanapali Beach and a Taste of Hula Pie Molokini Crater Snorkel Trip and Discovering New Beaches A Day Trip to Honolulu and Waikiki Beach Driving the Road to Hana Tips for Traveling to Hawaii + the Highlight Reel Video
