Maui, HI - Part II

 Cycling the Island - Olowalu & Haleakala Route

Around the third day of being in Kihei, Maui, my boyfriend and I decided to try a big, famous ride on the island -- the Olowalu route. This route snaked along the north-western coastline and offered very dramatic cliff views of the ocean, passing along the ferry terminal at Maalaea. This route has some tough hills and you'll battle some very strong headwinds close to Maalaea. 

 

The Route:

I was so focused on just getting through this ride due to very strong headwinds going out, I didn't stop to take any photos. 

 

Another day, my boyfriend suggested we try to ride up part of Haleakala - the tallest peak on Maui at 10,023 feet.

The Route: 

This ride was pure torture. I am not sure why I said "Sure, let's try a mountain climb!" I live in the Prairies of Canada, which is home to flat wheat, flax and lentil fields. There are zero mountains. I stopped often and was so slow going uphill, my boyfriend said he waited at the top about 30 minutes for me.

This route did have some scenic views. We passed two very beautiful churches, which proved a perfect stop for resting my sore legs.

Sorry, I don't remember the names of either church...

We got to about 800m + elevation gain and then to re-fuel, we rode to Paia on the northern part of the island for lunch. Paia proved to be my favourite part of the island. I rode there several more times during this holiday to enjoy fish tacos and gelato after almost every ride. I was sad to read Rock & Brews recently closed due to COVID's lack of tourists to the island. I ate here several times as they had the best fish tacos with mango salsa. 

The final post in this Maui series will feature a drive out to route 37 to Kula, which came recommended by the couple who owned the tree house we were renting in Kihei. See you soon!

References

Cerizo, K. (2020, July 8). Rock & Brews Paia closes doors for good. The Maui News. Retrieved from URL. 

All photos by cutenekko.