Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sacred Garden of Maliko
Swing by the
Sacred Garden of Maliko
(460 Kaluanui Rd., 808/573-7700,
www.sacredgardensmaui.com
,
10am-5pm daily, free admission) to deeply exhale and
bring yourself back to center. In addition to being a working nursery, this quiet, forested
space also offers two labyrinths and a Buddha garden for embarking on a metaphoric pil-
grimage. Labyrinths differ from mazes in that mazes are meant to leave you feeling lost
whereas labyrinths are designed to help you find yourself. Your feelings on alternative
healing aside, this is a nice open space to relax and enjoy the natural beauty of lower
Makawao.
Gentle Kula is rural and rustic, and most of the sights have agricultural ties. Occupying
a swath of mountainside at 2,000-4,000 feet, Kula's bicoastal views are reason enough to
visit. There's just something calming about driving a backcountry road while shopping for
local produce. This is a side of Maui most visitors never see, and the infrequency with
which tourists properly explore the area has inspired the country's largest travel outlets to
label it as “the secret Maui.” Although Kula is not intentionally secret, if you take even
half a day to explore the area, you might find yourself chuckling about how you scored
this place all to yourself.
MM
Kula Country Farms
The
Kula Country Farms
(Kula Hwy. past mile marker 13, 808/878-8381,
www.kulacountryfarmsmaui.com
,
10am-5pm Tues.-Fri., 8am-4pm Sat.-Sun.) genuinely
captures the agricultural spirit of Kula, and provides a window into the locals who call this
beautiful place home. This roadside farmer's market also has one of the best views on the
island. It's not a trendy, New Age farmer's market, it's where farmers literally bring crops
to market. Everything is locally grown, and the colors of the vegetables explode off the
shelves. You can eat a box of fresh strawberries at a picnic table overlooking the south-
ern coastline or visit the pumpkin patch and canoodle in the hay. At the end of the day,
however, two of the best reasons for visiting here are that you're supporting local farmers
and the prices are a fraction of what they would be at the major supermarkets.
