Leeward Coast Provides Interesting Attractions and Pristine Coastline
Southern Maui is a dream vacation – a place where you can get away from it all by laying out on the immaculate beaches during the day, enjoying interesting attractions in the afternoon, and then visiting the posh resorts and enjoying authentic Hawaiian entertainment at night.
The first beaches you will encounter when you reach southern Maui are those along the shores of the slightly congested town of Kihei. Though the beaches here are nice, your dream vacation will start in earnest when you go a bit further south to the resort area of Wailea and the district of Makena.
The beaches of Makena and Wailea are fantastic for swimming and frolicking nearshore while also providing great opportunities for snorkeling and kayaking. The Makena Resort features the Maui Prince Hotel as well as two golf courses.
Here are some highlights of this gorgeous area of southern Maui.
Makena Beach State Park
The two beaches of Makena are located just south of Wailea. The main beach at Makena is Big Beach, also known as Oneloa. This luxurious beach is more than 3,000 feet long with pristine white sand and no hotels or homes along the shore to upset the peace and quiet. Makena means “Abundance” and this beach truly has an abundance of sand
Puu Olai
When Haleakala Volcano last erupted in the 1700s it formed this impressive 360-foot-tall cinder cone located between Big Beach (Oneloa) and Little Beach. You can get to Little Beach by walking over the rocks of the cinder cone from Big Beach.
Keawalai Congregational Church
Constructed in 1832, Keawalai Congregational Church is located in a grove of palm trees along the coast. This charming, historic church offers mass in the Hawaiian language each Sunday. Keawalai is also a very popular wedding location.
Ahihi-Kinau Natural Reserve Area
Important cultural and archological sites are found amidst the trails traversing the lava fields of this unique area. This is also a popular scuba diving and snorkeling area.
La Perouse Bay
After you drive past Makena Beach the highway takes you over lava flows from Haleakala’s 1790 eruption. During this volcani event an estimated 22 square miles of lava flowed from the volcano all the way to the sea. There it hardened and formed the Cape Kinau Peninsula.
The 1790 Haleakala eruption changed the shape of Maui’s southwest coastline and created La Perouse Bay, which is part of the Ahihi-Kinau Marine Preserve located about seven miles south of Wailea.
Diving and snorkeling is excellent in La Perouse Bay where you can investigate the coral reef at your leisure. La Perouse Bay is named after the first westerner to visit Maui’s shores, French explorer Admiral Jean François de La Perouse, who arrived in 1786 in command of two 500-ton armed frigates, the Boussole and the Astrolabe. The original Hawaiian name of the bay is Kalepolepo.
During a 1788 journey La Perouse and his two ships mysteriously vanished, and it wasn’t until forty years later that it was discovered that the ships had perished in a storm off the island of Vanicoro.
Hoapili Trail
Climbing up from sea level and then back down again, the 7-mile Hoapili Trail traverses a rugged landscape that includes many important Hawaiian cultural and archeological sites dating to ancient times.
Traveling about 6 miles through the lava fields along the south Maui coast, the Hoapili Trail may require about 6 hours to compete. The trailhead is located at the end of Makena Road.
Kealia Pond National Wildlife Reserve
Located in Kihei, the 700-acre Kealia Pond National Wildlife Reserve (808-875-1582) is home to many native Hawaiian birds, which can be viewed by a boardwalk over the ponded areas.