One morning on Maui, Lovely & I decided to head a bit further around the island, past Kapalua. Our main goal for the drive was to see the blowhole at Nakalele Point, but we ended up enjoying so much more than that! The drive was totally off the grid, and looked like a place that is rarely ventured to by tourists, or it seemed to be that way anyway, which made it that much more enjoyable. It was nice to be away from any touristy area, and see a different feel of the island, a more rugged side.
We took a nice, leisurely drive since there was little traffic, and made a few stops along the way. The drive took us on winding roads, past black sand beaches, above enormous cliffs, and around off the grid homes. We stopped at make shift “parking spots”, aka sides of the road clear from rocks & grass, to take in the gorgeous cliffs. Some spots had me dreaming of Ireland and was the Cliffs of Moher might look like. Other spots were straight out of Jurassic Park, with mountains of green jungle. It was really a very scenic and cool drive!
Our stop at the blowhole, which is also home to the famous “Maui Ocean Heart” (made even more famous by Pinterest), was a bit different than I’d expected. The spot is so rugged, the signs are hand painted, almost adding to the danger of the climb. But we ventured down to the blowhole anyway, but not too far, of course. It was INCREDIBLY windy and misty with rain and sea spray at Nakalele Point, but we came prepared for trekking on rough terrain. Flip flops are NOT a wise choice here, so be sure you come prepared. The ocean heart is down, around, and to the right of the blowhole, but, because of the wind (and creepy signs) I was terrified to venture that far. Lovely attempted to get to it, and totally would have, but I begged him to come back, as the wind and being so close to the rocky waves was just too terrifying even to watch. Even with the wind, we enjoyed the stop and seeing the blowhole. It was fascinating just to sit and watch.
After spending a bit of time at the blowhole, we headed back towards Kapalua making a stop at Honolua Bay to catch a glimpse of the surfers. Our Haleakala Sunrise Tour guide told us this was a prime spot for surfing on the island. When we arrived there, we knew immediately it was the right spot as there were a ton of cars parked along the side of the road. Because it was so busy we didn’t spend a lot of time here, just enough to watch a bit of surfing and snap a few photos. The surfers were amazing to watch! The navigated the waves so well. We could also see amazing views of our entire resort from Honolua. We really hadn’t realized how big it was until then!
This is definitely a drive and spot I highly recommend venturing if you travel to Maui. The views, various terrains, and blowhole were amazing to see! If we ever make it back to Maui I’d love to give the heart another whirl, IF it’s not too windy! 🙂 Either way, I wouldn’t be mad about taking the drive again. Do you have any off the grid spots you recommend in Maui? I’d love to hear them! Thank you for stopping in. See you back soon.
