Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Café on the Green
CAFE $
(
875-5888;
www.makenaresortmaui.com
; Makena Alanui, golf couse clubhouse; lunch $8-16,
happy hour menu under $7; 11am-6:30pm)
The view and the food are both top notch at
this cafe overlooking the Makena golf course. For the best experience, settle in on the
hilltop patio at happy hour (3pm to 6:30pm) to savor one of the half dozen or so appet-
izers - from the chicken quesadilla to beef sliders - with a $4 Maui Brewing beer. Then
'ooh' and 'ahh' as the sun sets.
Jawz Fish Tacos
FOOD TRUCK $
(
www.jawzfishtacos.com
; Makena State Park; snacks $6-11; 11am-3pm)
Get tacos, burritos and
shave ice at this food truck at the northernmost Big Beach parking lot. Hours vary, de-
pending on the weather. Look for a second truck on Makena Alanui Rd just north.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Beyond Makena
Makena Rd turns adventurous after Makena State Park, continuing for three narrow
miles through the lava flows of ʻAhihi-Kinaʻu Natural Area Reserve before dead-ending
at La Peʻrouse Bay.
'Ahihi-Kina'u Natural Area Reserve
Scientists haven't been able to pinpoint the exact date, but it is believed that Maui's last
lava flow spilled down to the sea here between AD 1480 and 1600, shaping ʻAhihi Bay
and Cape Kinaʻu. The jagged lava coastline and the pristine waters fringing it have been
designated a reserve because of its unique marine habitat.
Thanks in part to the prohibition on fishing, snorkeling is incredible. Just about every-
one heads to the little roadside cove 0.1 miles south of the first reserve sign - granted, it
offers good snorkeling, but there are better (and less-crowded) options. Instead, drive 0.2
miles past the cove and look for a large clearing on the right. Park here and follow the
coastal footpath south for five minutes to a black-sand beach with fantastic coral, clear
water and few visitors. Enter the water from the left side of the beach where access is
easy, snorkel in a northerly direction and you'll immediately be over coral gardens teem-
ing with an amazing variety of fish. Huge rainbow parrotfish abound here, and it's not
unusual to see turtles and the occasional reef shark.
