Maui - Hawaii - page 575

Take the drive immediately north of Napili Kai Beach Resort to get to the beach park-
ing area, where there are restrooms and showers. A tunnel leads from the parking lot
north to the beach. The beach is also a starting point for the Coastal Trail.
Dragon's Teeth CULTURAL SITE
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Razor-sharp spikes crown rocky Makaluapuna Point, looking uncannily like the mouth of
an imaginary dragon. The 3ft-high spikes are the work of pounding winter waves that
have ripped into the lava rock point, leaving the pointy 'teeth' behind.
Signage states that the outcropping is sacred to native Hawaiians. Visitors are strongly
discouraged from walking onto the formation, as well as the adjacent Honokua burial
site , out of respect for native customs. The point is also potentially hazardous, subject to
powerful waves and covered by uneven, sometimes sharp, rocks.
You can skirt along the outside of the 13-acre burial area, which is en route to
Dragon's Teeth, but don't enter sites marked 'Please Kokua,' which are easily visible is-
lets of stones bordering the Ritz's manicured golf greens.
Get here by driving north to the very end of Lower Honoapi'ilani Rd, where you'll
find parking and a plaque detailing the burial site. The path to the Dragon's Teeth leads
down from the plaque along the north edge of the Kapalua Bay Golf Course.
Slaughterhouse Beach & Honolua Bay BEACH
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This gorgeous spot is a favorite of snorkelers and surfers. Kalaepiha Point separates
Slaughterhouse Beach (Mokuleʻia Bay) and Honolua Bay. Together the three form the
Honolua-Mokuleʻia Bay Marine Life Conservation District. Honolua Bay faces northw-
est and when it catches the winter swells it has some of the gnarliest surfing in the world.
In summer, snorkeling is excellent in both bays, thanks in part to prohibitions on fishing
in the preserve. Honolua Bay is the favorite, with thriving reefs and abundant coral along
its rocky edges.
Spinner dolphins sometimes hang near the mouth of the bays, swimming just beyond
snorkelers. When it's calm, you can snorkel around Kalaepiha Point from one bay to the
other, but forget it after heavy rains: Honolua Stream empties into Honolua Bay and the
runoff clouds the water.
The land fronting Honolua Bay is owned by Maui Land & Pineapple. The company al-
lows recreational access to the bay for no fee. A few families have the right to live on
this land, but they cannot charge an access fee or restrict visiting hours. Once you reach