Kahakuloa is a village that most people drive past in a minute and remember for years. It sits in a steep green valley on Maui's northwest coast, where the Kahekili Highway dips from the cliffs to a small bay, with a church and a handful of houses, taro patches along the stream, and a great domed headland, Kahakuloa Head, standing guard at the seaward end. The headland rises more than 600 feet from the water and is a famous landmark, a volcanic plug that glows a rich green in the morning sun.
This is one of the few places on Maui where traditional life has held on. Families have lived here for generations, growing taro and fishing, and the little church, with its white steeple and blue roof, is a photographer's favourite. The village is small and private, and visitors are asked to be respectful: keep your voice down, do not wander into yards, and park where the signs say. Roadside stands sell banana bread and fruit, which is worth buying if you find a stand open.
The road is the challenge. North of Kahakuloa the highway narrows to a single lane in places, with blind curves, steep drops and the occasional pothole, and the surface can be broken by rain. The route between here and Honolua Bay is slow and rough, so do not plan to hurry. The southern approach, from Wailuku, is a little easier, but still twisty, with a series of hairpins as it climbs and descends between valleys. Mornings are the best time, when the light is soft and traffic is light.
Wailuku, about twelve kilometres away, and the neighbouring towns of Waihee have petrol stations, and Lahaina and Kapalua on the west side have more. Take food and water, since the stands are sporadic. Weather can switch from sun to rain in a minute, and wet tarmac under overhanging foliage demands care. Check that your hire agreement allows the road. Leave the village as you found it, and drive carefully on the way out, because the next bend is always tighter than the last.