Is it possible?

[galipemi]

I'll be sailing on the Zaandam to Hawaii in two weeks. I've been to Hawaii before, but my travelling companion has not. I have worked out plans for most of our ports and thought I had Maui sorted as well. Now I'm not so sure.

 

We'll be in Lahaina (tendering) from 0800-2300. My friend is planning to do a surfing lesson here if she can, which we'll have to plan independently. I'd also like to go up to Kaanapali for the afternoon and then have dinner in Lahaina Town before getting back onboard.

 

So here's my question, is it possible to add the drive to Haleakala in here somewhere? Even if it means sacrificing something. How long is the drive? Where are the rental cars picked up (as in does it add 30 mins each way)? How long can we expect it to take and is it worth doing if we can't go at sunrise?

 

Thanks,

[CruiserBruce]

Generally the best time to do Haleakala is first thing in the morning- before you even arrive at Lahaina. Visibilty varies based on clouds, with the fewest clouds at sunrise. Not sure where your rental car pickup is (some car lots are up the road almost to the West Maui airport- about 15 minutes from the location where the tender docks), but considering tendering and pickup, I doubt you could be on your way much before 9:30. From Lahaina to the top at 9:30 is going to be around 90 mins, maybe a little more. There is traffic on Maui.

 

I don't know about surfing lessons, but you could get back to Lahaina around 1:30 if you simply got to the top of Haleakala, took 2 pics, and immediately drove back. Kaanapali is another 5-10 minutes past Lahaina. Traffic mid day in Lahaina can be slow. How about lunch?

 

With your late sailing, dinner isn't an issue. Then you have to return the car and get back to the ship. So in summary, you could do it, probably including a 2 hour surfing lesson, but there won't be many extra minutes to breath.

[vbmom87]

I can only comment on one of your questions. I definitly think Haleakala is worth it even if you aren't going for sunrise. I couldn't get my group interested in a sunrise tour, so we went around nine o'clock I believe. We left from Kahului, where our cruise ship docked. Kahului is not a tender port like Lahaina. We had a very clear day and it was a wonderful viewpoint. We thought it was worth it. You just have to realize that you can't do it all and prioritize what you want to see and do and then go from there. You can always go back. ;)

[Browezilla]

Haleakula is in the top 5 of my Hawaii experiences. I plan it and work everything else around it.

[galipemi]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I'll send her off to her surf lesson at 10 and then decide what's next after walking around a little. I"m not normally a cram it all in kind of person so we'll see :D