Driving OGG - Lahaina
 

Others in my group have decided to do the SuperFerry ($59) at the ungodly hour of 6:30 am getting to Maui at 9:30 am.
This means getting a car at OGG at 9:30 am and driving to Lahaina.
Since we only have two nights in Maui I want to do some of the sites along the 45 minute drive to the hotel.
Can someone recommend things to do that early in the morning?

Thanks!

(We have to get to the SuperFerry by 6 am and the HNL hotel is quoting prices of nearly $100 for a sedan shuttle. We don't trust taxi's and would like to avoid them, so is there a better way to the pier)

You might want to check the last few pages of the existing thread on the SuperFerry; http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=407094

I recently took the ferry to/from Honolulu Harbor to Kahului and found the taxi to be the best option on making the early departure. I've always used Charley's Taxi and never had a problem. If you get there about 30 min before departure, that would be ample time.

Ditto. They're pros.

There's nothing really along the way except for ag fields the first 1/2 of the way and pristine ocean view the second 1/2. There is the Maui Ocean Center ( http://www.mauioceancenter.com/index...ontent=visitor ), which opens at 9 but is pretty pricey.

I'd suggest stopping by Sam Sato's for breakfast in Wailuku, then going along the drive and enjoying the view as much as possible.

You could go the north route on Hwy. 340, which eventually becomes Hwy. 30. The car rental maps do what they can to discourage this, but this is not a rough or dangerous road. It is a paved road in good condition the entire way, and the scenery is spectacular. I've ridden this route on a road bike many times, and it's one of my favorite rides in the world. If you can, give yourself time for some brief stops along the way. Including stops, this would take about 90 minutes.

The only caveat is a minor one (at least in my mind). There are a few switchbacks where the road is narrow, and it might be necessary to pull to the side and let an oncoming car pass. Also, some anxiety-prone people are spooked by vertigo.

Can someone give me an idea how long it takes to get from OGG to the Ka'anapali resort area? We will be arriving into OGG at 8:00 on a Sunday night.

Thanks

We did the drive in 45 minutes in June. Budget about 60 minutes depending on who's driving in front of you.

Thanks! That is exactly the kind of info I was looking for! Too bad I arrive on Sunday :(

90 minutes to the Sheraton? Sounds like an interesting ride.

90 minutes? Really? I'm thinking double that if you make stops...

I noticed when we were there in July that they've repaved and widened the road north of Kapalua, including blowing out the sides of the mountains so that there weren't the blind curves, and putting in guardrails. Much needed and appreciated. However, I'm not sure if they go all the way around.

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For a side trip, you might consider Iao Needle. It's close to Kahului. It can be done in an hour and a half.

If your stops are long enough it could take three hours. But I'm talking about maybe two or three 5-minute breaks to get out of the car and enjoy the view.

FWIW Google Maps predicts 1 hr. 34 min. from OGG to Lahaina using the northern route. Perhaps I should adjust my 90 minutes to 1 hr. 45 min. to be on the safe side.

I strongly recommend this to those visiting Maui.

I live on Maui. The "nothern route" is very, very slow going because the road is so curvy and is often extremely narrow.

The road from the airport into Lahaina takes about 40 minutes as long as there are no holdups. There is now a bus system run by the County. Check out the County website for the routes.

A drive up to Iao Valley is a nice short sidetrip.

Someone forgot to mention that Maui has one of the biggest Buddhas in the world. I suppose this was left out because it is fairly close to the final hotel destination. Anyway good thing I read about it at the last minute.

And unlike on the Big Island you can actually get to the airport on it.

Sure that route is very slow compared to Highways 360 & 30, but what's the rush? If you have some spare time (and visitors should have a lot of that), why not enjoy that incredible scenery on the northwest coast? As many of your island's bumper stickers suggest, "slow down -- this ain't the mainland".