Category Archives: 4 Destinations

Kula – a Drive in the (Up) Country

Posted on by Chris Murray

Looking West from the Kula Highway

Too much sun or just looking for something new to do? Consider a drive to Kula and through the Up Country on the western slope of Mount Haleakala. It’s shorter (and easier) than a drive to Hana. You won’t see any magnificant waterfalls or show-stopping marvels, but there are fabulous panoramic views and several places worth a visit. In the picture to the right you can see the Island of Kahoolawe, the cinder cone by Big Beach, and the tiny crescent of Molokini. Click on the photo to to enlarge. Farther to the right (outside the photo) is a great view of the West Maui Mountains, Maalaea Bay, the Island of Lanai and, if the clouds aren’t in the way, Molokai.

It’s not far from Kihei to Kula as the crow flies (or Oprah drives). But unless you’re a crow or have a key to Oprah’s private road, you have to go through Kahului before you head uphill. (See our post What’s Up with Oprah and Maui? if that’s confusing.) As you get to Kahului, head toward the airport then turn right onto the Hana Highway. Turn right again at the stoplight a few miles down and follow the signs to the Haleakala Highway. It starts getting interesting from Pukalani on. For this post, ignore the cutoff to Haleakala National Park, we’re staying on the Kula Highway.

While a trip to the Up Country is about the journey and not the destination, there are fun things to see and do as you drive the Kula Highway. Sadly, our favorite botanical garden, Enchanting Floral Gardens, closed at the end of 2011, another casualty of 9/11. (Long sad story.) Continue on to Keokea where you’ll find a small but lovely Catholic Church (especially inside), a small county park (with the only public restrooms in town), an art gallery and Grandma’s Coffee House. (See our Grandma’s Coffee House posting – you’ll want to stop for the locally grown fresh-roasted coffee, a snack, or a meal.)

View from Sun Yat-Sen Park with Kihei in the distance

Look for the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Park between mileposts 18 and 19. It’s very small but it has a couple of cool statues, picnic tables, and a terrifc outlook. (Notice how close you are to Kihei in this photo!) The park grounds were donated by Ulupalakula Ranch and the improvements by the Sun Yat-Sen Foundation for Peace and Education. Often called “the father of modern China,” Sun Yat-Sen was a pre-communist revolutionary who lead the overthrow of the Quin Dynasty in 1911. A nice place to enjoy a picnic.

Past the park the road narrows and winds through pasture lands. The occasional house may be luxurious, ordinary, or “rustic.” The views, however, just don’t stop.

There’s not a lot of traffic on this road but people coming the other way may have been imbibing at the Tedeschi Winery where the samples are free or the Ulupalakua Ranch Store and Grill (where they’re not). I wouldn’t worry though – it’s probably more dangerous on South Kihei Road. And speaking of the Winery and the Ranch Store and Grill, that’s our next stop.

The Ulupalakua Store and Grill

The Ulupalakua Ranch and the Tedeschi Winery are well worth a visit. In the photo to the right, Kathy is making friends with some of the locals. I think they’re a little shy.The old guys sitting on the bench, and other solid country folk about the place, are a foretaste of what’s inside. There are the normal souvenirs, local arts and crafts, and so forth. But there are also old and sometimes odd things. One sign on the wall says “Bad decisions make for good stories.” A look around and a hamburger or sandwich from the grill won’t make a great story but it wouldn’t be a bad decision. You can eat there or take your food across the road to one of the picnic tables on the winery grounds.

Unlike a lot of wineries, tasting at the Tedeschi Winery is free. I’m not going to give a review here but if you like sweet wine (think pineapples), you may like what they have to offer. Suffice it to say, I’m not a fan of sweet wine. Like I said, it’s the journey, not the destination.

The small grounds around the tasting room are very nice with some amazing tree specimens. Check out this one!

If you drive the Kula Highway you get to do it twice. Unless you plan to keep on going you’ll eventually have to stop and turn around and the Ulupalakua Ranch and Winery are as good a place as any. The views are just as fine in the other direction.

There’s lots more to see and do on the roads above Kula – not the least Haleakala National Park – but I’ll save that for future posts.

Surfing the Big Water at Honolua Bay

Posted on by Chris Murray

When the surf is up the best surfers head for their favorite spots. In the winter months, Honolua Bay, past Kapalua at the northwest corner of Maui, can be one of the best. This picture was taken in December, a day before a women’s pro event sponsored by Billabong. The best vantage point is down the dirt road on the east side of the Bay. Unless there’s an event going on, there’s lots of parking available.

While you won’t always see great surfing at Honolua Bay, it’s well worth the trip. When the surf’s not running some of the West Maui snorkling boats stop there. But you don’t have to spend the big bucks to see the fish and fine coral of Honolua Bay. Take some beach chairs, towels and snorkle gear from our condo and head out. Past the paved view point overlooking Honolua Bay from the east, the road goes downhill and curves around the bay. Park at the bottom of the hill (you’ll see other cars) and take the trail to the beach. You can swim out from there.

Oh yes, the beach isn’t sandy – so take some water shoes or reliable sandals to protect your feet.

Frank Lloyd Wright and the King Kamehameha Golf Club

Posted on by Chris Murray

As you approach the building on the slopes of the West Maui Mountains, the silhouette of the King Kamehameha Golf Club clubhouse might remind you of Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous Marin County (California) Courthouse. However, if you thought the clubhouse is a derivative of the Marin County design, you’d be mistaken. The clubhouse has an interesting history that long predates the Marin County building.

The 75,000 sq ft clubhouse evolved from unrealized plans for a 7,000 sq ft luxury home for a couple in Forth Worth Texas in 1949. Two years later, Wright enlarged and adapted the design for another client, this time in Mexico for a site on the cliffs above Acapulco. Again, the house was never built. In 1957, he once more adapted the design for none other than Marilyn Monroe and her third and final husband Arthur Miller. Because of this, the clubhouse is sometimes called the “the Marilyn Monroe house.” The next year, before the house could be built, Monroe’s marriage to Miller ended in divorce. Wright died in 1959 and never saw the building except on paper and in his fertile mind.

Of course there is a huge difference between a large house and a 75,000 sq ft clubhouse, so much of the design is actually by Taliesan Architects who inherited the original concept and drawings from Wright. Nonetheless, the much expanded building includes many elements by the master himself – including a lovely staircase, expansive art glass, and an amazing elevator door. The overall design concept was preserved by putting two thirds of the expansion underground.

Seen from the entry on the Mauka side (literally the “mountain side” or “toward the mountains”) all resemplance to the Marin County Courthouse falls away.

Outside the front entrance is a 7 foot bronze statue, The Conch Blower, by Maui artist Dale Zarrella. Legend has it that the Pu (shell) of Waikapu could only be blown by warriors of particular merit. They say the shell’s call could be heard in Hana, 50 miles away. Those warriors must have had some powerful lungs!

Additional works of art by Dale Zarrella and other Maui artists can be seen inside the clubhouse, elsewhere on the grounds, and by visiting the golf club’s website (see link below).

Oh yes – you can golf too. While King Kamehameha Golf Club is Maui’s only private 18-hole course, you can buy a “guest for the day” pass and enjoy a round of golf in a spectacular setting.

To learn more about the King Kamehameha Golf Club – the Frank Lloyd Wright design, the club’s art collection and golfing opportunities – visit their website at http://www.kamehamehagolf.com/ To see our other posts about Dale Zarella, click here or, for a little wimsy, here.

Grandma’s Coffee House in Kula

Posted on by Chris Murray

Located at 9232 Kula Highway, Grandma’s is one of those destinations reached more by curiosity than intent. It’s past the cut-offs to Haleakala National Park and the Lavender Farm but before you get to the Tedeschi Winery and long before you get to Hana by the back way.

From the outside Grandma’s looks like a hole in the wall; but behind that humble facade is some of the best coffee and desserts you’ll find on Maui. In fact, Grandma’s coffee may be one of the best coffees anywhere. (Note: this is from a guy born and raised in Seattle where coffee is either an obsession or an addiction. I can still remember the first time I sipped fresh-roasted Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee on a trip to the Carribean 30 years ago. Grandma’s coffee is in the same class.) Since 1918, four generations of the same family have been growing, hand-picking, and roasting organic coffee on the slopes of Mt. Haleakala. They even have a few coffee plants growing next to their outdoor seating.

Grandma’s also serves breakfast and lunch. Once, when we were there with friends, there was live music in the outside seating area – a guy with a good guitar and nice voice. Another claim to fame is that Oprah has a home nearby and occassionally drops by. At least that’s what we were told. If I were you I wouldn’t go there just for the chance of seeing Oprah. I’d go there for the tiramisu. Check out this beauty. And how about that cool table?

Want to learn more about Grandma’s? You can even have some of their great coffee shipped to you on the mainland by visiting their website at http://www.grandmascoffee.com/homepage.html.

Perhaps a pound of Grandma’s coffee is too expensive for your taste. Fly to Maui (and stay at our condo!) At Grandma’s a latte or other coffee drink is no more expensive than at your local Starbucks. And believe me, those young ladies working at Grandma’s know how to pull an espresso!