WEST MAUI - Maui: Including Molokai and Lanai - page 58

Launiupoko Beach Park
Located at the only stoplight between Ma'alaea and Lahaina, Launiupoko is the most
family-friendly beach park on the west side of Maui. It has a protected wading area for
small keiki, a decent sandy beach on the south end of the park, a wide, grassy picnic area,
and numerous surf breaks that cater to beginner surfers and stand-up paddle surfers. This
park is so popular with the weekend barbecue crowd that local families arrive before dawn
to stake their claim for a birthday party with a bouncy house. There is a large parking lot
as well as restrooms and showers, and since most of the parking spots are taken by 8am,
there is an overflow lot on the mauka (mountain side) of the highway. The water here is
too shallow for swimming and the snorkeling is poor, but this is a good place for putting
your finger on the local pulse and striking up a good conversation. Who knows? It could
end up leading to a free beer and plate lunch!
Puamana Beach Park
There's a decent chance that during your time on the island you'll hear a famous Hawaiian
song by the name of “Puamana.” This light-hearted, gently flowing melody was written
about this section of shoreline that serves as the entry to Lahaina. While there is a private,
gated community that goes by the same name, the general public can only visit the small
Puamana Beach Park one mile north of Launiupoko. As at other beaches in the area, the
swimming is poor, although the tables provide a nice setting for a picnic. Longboarders
gather along the shore and small groups of beachgoers strum ukulele in the parking lot.
If you're looking to take a stroll down the beach, the sandy shoreline fronting the condos
is public property, so at low tide you can walk from the beach park to the other end of
the private, gated section (although the grassy area is still private and should be treated as
such). There aren't any restrooms at the beach park, but there's a refreshing shower in the
north end of the parking lot.
Snorkeling
Snorkeling is the most popular activity in West Maui. Hundreds of people ply the waters
of the island's western shoreline, flipping their fins as they chase after schools of yellow
and black manini (convict tang). But there is always room to find your own section of reef,
and the waters of West Maui teem with everything from graceful green sea turtles to the
playfully named humuhumunukunukuapua'a —the Hawaiian state fish (the name is trans-
lated as “big lips with a nose like a pig”).