Angie’s least favorite month in the Northwest is November because the days get shorter and it grows progressively darker. This year (2024) we decided to spend the week of November 11-18 in Maui. We had been to Maui twice before: once in the spring when our kids were small with her parents, and once for an extra long weekend in the fall back when I was still working. We wanted to find a place with a nice view, that was close to nice beaches and snorkeling. We found a condo in the Papakea resort complex just north of Kaanapali on Airbnb and decided to make that our base for the week.
We had previously driven the road to Hana, but had never driven up to the summit of Haleakala so we added that to our list of things we wanted to do.
Many people like to see the sunrise from the summit. So many that you now need to have a reservation to enter the national park between 3:00 -7:00 am. Our condo was a two hour drive away from the summit which would have meant leaving at 4:00 am so we opted to try to catch a sunset instead of a sunrise.
It was cloudy the first couple of days of our visit and windy until our departure day. We weren’t sure what the weather would do so when the Wednesday morning looked reasonable and the forecast was for major clouding to hold off until the evening, we decided to make a trip to Iao Valley and then up to Haleakula that afternoon. In hindsight, it would have been better to wait until Friday as that day was clear throughout the day. As it was, we enjoyed the short trip and walk at Iao Valley, which was very lush and not too crowded.
We had a unique experience at Haleakula. We decided to go for the sunset instead of sunrise for two reasons. We didn’t want to drive up in the dark and read that it gets very crowded at sunrise with the possibility of being turned away when the parking lot capacity is reached. The problem with going later in the day is that the summit often clouds up as the day progresses. When the land heats up, that warm air rises pulling moist air from the surrounding waters. As the air rises it cools. Cool air holds less moisture than warm air and the moisture starts to condense forming clouds. When the sun sets, the air cools. Thus the summit is often clear for sunrise and cloudy at sunset.
Sure enough, as we made our way up the mountain we noticed the clouds starting to form. We knew it would be colder at the summit, but it was even colder than we expected.
On our last full day, we drove up to the northern point of Maui. It was very windy , but we enjoyed the drive. We stopped at the trailhead to walk down to the Nakalele blowhole. The blowhole was blowing, but we didn’t walk all the way down to it so I don’t have photos of it in action. The best I can do is the warning sign.
That’s essentially it for interesting pictures since we often left our phones behind when we went to the beach, snorkeling, or on my morning beach walks. A short summary of our daily activities follows.
Monday November 11 – Arrived at Maui airort (OGG) around 4:30, picked up Budget rental car, stopped for groceries, and drove the 45 minutes to our condo. It was eerie driving by Lahina and seeing the dark empty lots. We’d see more of the devastation from the fire in 2023 when we passed the area in the daytime in the coming days. After checking in to our condo and unloading our gear, we walked to a nearby food truck park and had dinner from the food truck with fresh fish. The food was very good. We returned to the condo and spent a few hours on the patio enjoying the view and warm night air.
Tuesday November 12 – we walked along the beach and adjacent boardwalks down toward Black rock point. We turned around a bit passed Kahekilli Beach park. We browsed the various stalls at the art show along the walkway of the Westin. Angie bought a small loaf of gluten free banana bread. We then returned to the condo for lunch and ventured to black rock in the afternoon for snorkeling. We found a free parking spot in the small Sheraton lot. The water was clear and pretty calm. Snorkeling was pretty good and we saw a few turtles. It was windy and we needed to limit our time in the sun so we were finished in a by mid to late afternoon. We walked to Dukes for an early dinner. They wouldn’t seat us outside , though several tables remained vacant the entire time we were there. the food was good and we enjoyed splitting a piece of hula pie for dessert.
Wednesday November 13 – I walked down to Black Rock Point in the morning and stopped for a couple of swims on the way back. We had a lazy morning and then visited Iao valley (advance reservation and paid parking required) and Haleakula National Park in the afternoon. The clouds continued to build in the afternoon and the summit of haleakula was completely socked in when we arrived around 4:00 pm. It was windy and cold (probably in the high 40s without wind chill). We explored a bit though didn’t bother walking down into the crater as there was no view and the wind was really blowing up the crater. We drove up to the summit and were treated to brief periods where we could see over the clouds as we watched the clouds race up and over the crater. We stayed for sunset and left pretty soon after the sun had set as we were cold and the clouds would have obscured most star gazing once. It took 2 hours to drive back to the condo through periods of rain and increasing darkness. It took us a while to warm up. We were pleasantly surprised at the warm air when we arrived back at our condo. We had dinner in.
Thursday November 14 – I walked south on the beach in the morning. We then drove the short distance to Kahekilli Beach park and spent a few hours there on the beach and snorkeling. There was plenty of parking, nice facilities, and the snorkeling was the best of the trip with nice coral reefs, a decent number and diversity of fish and a few turtles. I really liked this beach. Angie was bothered by flies here and didn’t enjoy the time on the beach very much. We returned to the condo and spent the afternoon at sandy beach a short distance to the south of our condo. We had dinner at Miss Arepa– a gluten free restaurant in a small strip mall close to the condo. I really liked the food.
Friday November 15 – I walked the beach in the morning and snorkeled at Kahekilli reef on my way back. We had a bit of a difficult time agreeing on what to do and eventually headed north to Fleming beach. The beach was nice, but the surf was up a bit and the wind was pretty strong. We stayed about 10-15 minutes before leaving with the thought to visit Napili beach. We found a good parking spot at Napili, but didn’t stay as it was crowded and there were no public bathrooms. We returned to the condo, regrouped and then headed south towards Kihei. We spent a few hours at Kam III beach. It was fairly crowded when we got there. The snorkeling was ok. the wind pitched up after a bit, but angie noticed that there was good shade on the bluff above the beach so we relocated there until it was time to head home. We had dinner at Star Noodle with Angie’s friend Sue, who was also visiting Maui. The food was pretty good (Angie rated her Pad Thai as the best she’s ever had and her best meal on the trip), but the service was a bit lacking and with attitude. We had to do some on the fly navigation to find an alternate way home when the main road was closed for a bit as the result of a motorcycle accident.
Saturday November 16 – I walked the beach and snorkeled in the morning. I met angie on the beach by our condo on the way back and we spent the remainder of the morning there. In the afternoon, Angie shopped at the Whalers village (Kannapalli shopping center) and after finding a free parking spot, I walked the Kanapali boardwalk south to Hanakaoo Beach park. We made a repeat visit to Miss Arepa for dinner.
Sunday November 17 – I walked the beach and swam in the morning. We returned to Kahekilli Beach for our last snorkel (conditions not quite as good as our first snorkel as it was windier and the water a bit less clear). We returned home then drove to the north end of Maui and the Nakalele blowhole. We had dinner at Aloha Mixed plate. It is adjacent to Star noodle. It’s is 100% outside seating with nice views of the harbor. We had much friendlier service at AMP than Star Noodle. Angie’s Shoyu chicken beating out my mahi mahi mixed plate.
Monday November 18 – I had time for a quick swim in the morning before it was time to pack up, return the car and fly home. Everything went smoothly and after a long day of travel we returned home to cold, dark, and rainy weather.
Saturday November 16 – I walked the beach and snorkeled in the morning. I met angie on the beach by our condo on the way back and we spent the remainder of the morning there. In the afternoon, Angie shopped at the Whalers village (Kannapalli shopping center), where they already had their Christmas tree set up. After finding a free parking spot, I walked the Kanapali boardwalk south to Hanakaoo Beach park. We made a repeat visit to Miss Arepa for dinner.
Sunday November 17 – I walked the beach and swam in the morning. We returned to Kahekilli Beach for our last snorkel (conditions not quite as good as our first snorkel as it was windier and the water a bit less clear). We returned home then drove to the north end of Maui and the Nakalele blowhole. We had dinner at Aloha Mixed plate. It is adjacent to Star noodle. It’s is 100% outside seating with nice views of the harbor. We had much friendlier service at AMP than Star Noodle. Angie’s Shoyu chicken beating out my mahi mahi mixed plate.
Monday November 18 – I had time for a quick swim in the morning before it was time to pack up, return the car and fly home. Everything went smoothly and after a long day of travel we returned home to cold, dark, and rainy weather.