Author Topic: Kahekili Highway  (Read 5157 times)

kayadogg

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Kahekili Highway
« on: March 08, 2019, 01:24:43 PM »
Heading back to Maui in a week and we're planning a few things that haven't done on previous trips. We're staying on the west side, only area that we haven't explored is the stretch between Kahakuloa Head and Kahului. My wife is a little freaked out from what she has read about the Kahekili Highway. I told her it won't be as bad as some people make it out to be. We've done the road to Hana many times, including going around the back side of Haleakala. So for the locals or anyone that has done this stretch of road, how bad is it? I'm assuming that if you drive like a normal person and use common sense, it will be a beautiful drive.

I tried to search other threads on here but didn't have much. I vaguely recall Stoneaxe mentioning that his wife was ready to kill him after driving this section and also remember PonoBill saying he's done it on a motorcycle before it was paved.

Either way, can't wait to be back out there and hopefully get another Maliko run under my belt even though I know it's not the optimal time of year.

808sup

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Re: Kahekili Highway
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2019, 07:31:24 PM »
Plenty of wind at the moment. No need paddle

toolate

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Re: Kahekili Highway
« Reply #2 on: March 08, 2019, 10:35:24 PM »
raod not too bad as i recall it unless you need to pass

jpeter

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Re: Kahekili Highway
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2019, 03:40:59 AM »
I will say that it was the craziest drive I ever took in my life.   That includes two winters of living in Idaho and making the drive over Teton Pass in full on white outs. 
There were some sections where it's 1-lane and a huge drop for over a 1/2 mile or so.  Worth doing once, maybe better in a small car.   Amazing scenery.  We did the road to Hana,  which was tame compared to the Kahekili. 
Have fun. JP

toolate

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Re: Kahekili Highway
« Reply #4 on: March 11, 2019, 11:31:51 PM »
an old friend owns some property out there in one of the deep valleys.
Really still has the old hawaii feel to it

surfcowboy

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Re: Kahekili Highway
« Reply #5 on: March 12, 2019, 07:36:36 PM »
One tip, check your rental agreement. Some don’t allow their cars on that road. It’d suck to have an accident and buy a car in Maui.

kayadogg

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Re: Kahekili Highway
« Reply #6 on: March 12, 2019, 07:43:53 PM »
One tip, check your rental agreement. Some don’t allow their cars on that road. It’d suck to have an accident and buy a car in Maui.

Then we’d just have another reason to come back  8)

We’ve rented in the past where they didn’t allow us to take the road on the back side of Haleakala but we still did. We’ll be taking it slow and steady.

PonoBill

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Re: Kahekili Highway
« Reply #7 on: March 12, 2019, 07:54:59 PM »
The most important thing is to make sure you do it going the right way. Start from Napili, not Kahalui. That way when you pull over to let someone by you'll be up against the mountain, not teetering on the edge os a cliff that ends a few hundred feet down in water (maybe). take your time, think skinny. I used to do it a lot on my motorcycle and use the tourists as slalom poles. Pick up a loaf of banana bread in Kahakuloa from Julia and eat it with some coconut water up on top of the hill at Karen Lei's gallery. It's a beautiful drive, one of my favorites. I liked it better when tourists were rare there. They get pretty freaked out. If you see the schoolbus coming get the hell out of the way. The driver has the talent level of Juan Manuel Fangio, but he or she will scare th crap out of you. I've followed it on my XR650 with street tires and it was all I could do to keep uo
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lucabrasi

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Re: Kahekili Highway
« Reply #8 on: March 12, 2019, 08:56:13 PM »
I will say that it was the craziest drive I ever took in my life. That includes two winters of living in Idaho and making the drive over Teton Pass in full on white outs.
…... 
Have fun. JP
It's always good when they close it mid day when you're already over and you either got to drive around or stay somewhere.
Done the pass plenty and did the canyon most every day for 18 winters.

 


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