Maui Beta (NSR related)

[bodywhomper]

bump (why is this thread not in padded room?)

family and i are spending 2 weeks in maui in july. half with grandparents in kihei and half on our own. the second half, we're planning on renting some camping gear (including tent(s)), renting a campervan, and staying at the campground just north of hana. there's 5 of us, 3 kids, me, and my wife. we plan to use the van for to get out of storms, cruising around that part of the island, and maybe sleeping. i think i need to call the campervan renters to see if they have belts for 5; most only list how many people they'll sleep. anybody here done this in maui? any specific recommendations for van rental companies? anybody use rvshare.com?

we also need to find a place to stay our last night nearer to the airport. recommendations? not very expensive? maybe in paia area?

thanks!

[willywhit]

holy thread bump. I'll ask some of my friends that live on maui full time. Great call with the RV and camping. Horseback riding is one of my best memories there as a kid.

[bodywhomper]

Thanks.

Input would be helpful.

[bodywhomper]

Bumping

Got back. 2 weeks. We ended up camping for our second week in a base camp manner instead of vanning. It was great. Rental camping gear was the best on the budget and the gear was good (eg paco pads!). We camped at waianapanapa park, which was a good choice for us. Very international family oriented group of travelers/campers there along with some Hawaiian residents (would not have experienced this with staying in a van). We considered moving to the campground at Kīpahulu but the pools were closed for swimming at the time.

importantly, I got in some good whomping. Got all the kids in some small waves in Kīhei. Caught some wrap around of a large south swell in makena (big beach) and another beach Kīhei, and got the tail end of another south swell at hamoa beach in Hana. My wife and oldest got in some good whomping at Big Beach. Hamoa was the real deal for whomping: adequate size, hollow, shallow-ish (no fins needed but not breaking directly in the sand), heavy backwash, and heavy undertow. It was great!

There’s some heavy stuff occurring in Hawaii right now related with the proposed development on muanakea. Protest have been peaceful so far. Hawaiians in Maui are protesting, too. They closed access to waianapanapa park one of the days we were there (except for residents and people that were camping) to increase awareness.

The whole selfie/IG thing is nuts. I live in a very beautiful and frequently visited area and it’s way more out of control on Maui than where I live. It’s pretty sad to see, IMO.

[Ottime]

We watched numerous selfie/IG photo slutting going on all over Kauai. People would show up at a waterfall after a hike, spend 5-10 minutes taking selfies, and head on out. Many not even stopping to take in the view. Kind of crazy the ratio of selfies taken to time spent in a location.

[bodywhomper]

It’s not a trend that I like. We got off the beaten track a bit to a beautiful waterfall that had no selfie stick crowd (though it was early). That was nice. We had the whole beach to ourselves at waianapanapa for a bit because we were camping there, that was nice, too. No selfie sticks out in the line up at hamoa beach, either. It was too heavy .

The tapering ground swell that we caught at hamoa supposedly peaked at 14’ at 16 seconds. I wished I had seen that at a break with direct exposure.

[skizix]

If you're into mtb-ing, there is a supposedly GREAT downhill from Haliakala down to sea level (when's the last time you did a 10,000' descent?). When I was there with my wife, that was one of our primo goals: rent bikes, hire a shuttle, and ride that thing. Unfortunately, the gov't had just shut down, so we couldn't enter Haleakala national park. Pisser!

The snorkeling is phenomenal - don't worry too much about not scuba-ing. Best snorkeling we found was the left-hand side (looking out to sea) of the 4 Seasons beach (and it's a very nice beach, if a bit crowded, vs say, Big Beach) - multiple close encounters with turtles, etc. BTW there are no private beaches, by law, and every single one has easy access (also by law), so you can hang right in front of the 4 Seasons and get $14 cocktails from them if you like (we preferred to bring our own to the beach).

Personally, I wouldn't want to base out of Hana, but spending a day there is a must-do (do not underestimate how long the drive takes).

Do NOT miss out on Mama's Fish House!

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

The bike tours down Hale'a'ka'la are excellent..Yes it's touristy but it's one of those things you should do. Bring fleece.

[phatty]

This seemed like the best thread to bump for Maui beta. Heading to Maui second week of July with my 18yo for his senior trip. Staying in Kihei area. This is my first time to Maui in 20yrs and always staying in Kaanapali area previously. Any updates on best places for snorkeling and boogie boarding? May try surfing as he's already done it a few times.

[Core Shot]

July is windy as fuck. North shore rages. Great for kiting or pole boarding.

All the surf is going to be south shore. And small.
Nice beginner surf near Lahaina. Chill vibe. No haole hate.

[bodywhomper]

I went to maui over July several years ago. There were multiple surf camps/classes in kihei. There were several south swells when I was there. There was fun bodywhomping (hollow shorebreak) at a large sandy beach in kihei, “big beach,” and hamoa beach near Hana. Hamoa beach was the best (lasting memories). None would have been good with a hardboard.

[The Suit]

This seemed like the best thread to bump for Maui beta. Heading to Maui second week of July with my 18yo for his senior trip. Staying in Kihei area. This is my first time to Maui in 20yrs and always staying in Kaanapali area previously. Any updates on best places for snorkeling and boogie boarding? May try surfing as he's already done it a few times.

Check in with Brett Sheerin -- Maui True North -- if you want to surf. He's a kiting friend. Old time ski bum. My sister-in-law got a couple surf lessons from him last month and had a great time.

Here's his instagram, too. He posts a lot.

[phatty]

Thanks guys! As always, TGR comes through. Also looking for any cool waterfalls and hike to spots, too.