There's no charge for a day in the Maui sun.
If you've already been fortunate enough to visit Maui, you know that both the sights and the ticket prices for activities can take your breath away. That said, there are still plenty of wonderful things to do that cost very little--or, in some cases, not a cent. Consider your airline tickets your biggest expenditure and then use this article as your guide to doing Maui on a shoestring. Don't be surprised if you find yourself seeing and experiencing just as much pleasure as folks who spend a bundle to take in exactly the same picture-postcard sites you'll be enjoying.
Instructions
1. Start your tour by learning more about Hawaiian culture, folklore and history at the Hana Cultural Center on the east side of the island. Inspect the island's refurbished courthouse and jail, and learn about Maui's fascinating agricultural sites like sugar plantations and gardens. There's a gift shop on site to help you spend the money you saved by taking a sensible approach to your Maui activity budget.
2. Inspect dormant volcanoes at Haleakala National Park. Considered the most famous of all of the island's tourist sites, Haleakala is home to towering (but dormant) volcanic structures as well as plenty of trails for hiking and studying the island's landscaping and plants. The energy you expend hiking around Haleakala will reward you big time when head for the Kipahula hiking area nearby and discover the mystical beauty of the Seven Sacred Pools, where you can swim and enjoy the views gratis.
3. Examine multiple historic landmarks free when you head over to Lahaina, a town that prides itself on its Friday night art scene. Sponsored by the Lahaina Arts Society, Art Night along Front Street is awash with the work of local artisans displaying their drawings, paintings and sculptures.
4. Get out of the sun by picnicking under Lahaina's famous Banyan tree. It's so huge, tourists come from around the world to sit under the 1-acre shadow it casts. If the art show and the tree don't strike your fancy, tour an authentic Hawaiian village (no charge) and enjoy free hula classes so you can show off your dance moves when you get home.
5. Head for the Pali Lookout, just down the road from Lahaina as you travel toward Wailuku on Highway 3. You'll be delighted to find this whale-watching hot spot to be a favorite free destination for tourists any time between December and May, when the area becomes a mecca for humpbacks.
6. Take your whale watching to a higher level by dropping in on the Maui-based Pacific Whale Foundation. They offer 15 types of tours that mix education and enrichment in and around Molokini Crater and Lanai. If you're saving up for one big adventure, this may be it: sign up for snorkel tours and whale-watching from PWF's 65-foot catamaran.
7. Trek down to the Ka'eleku Caverns during your visit. Carved out by Mother Nature more than 30,000 years ago, this mystical underground world is a 2-mile-long natural wonder with fanciful lava formations that showcase the wonder of the island's geological history. Claustrophobes will find comfort in the knowledge that there are surface gaps that allow cave dwellers an opportunity to peek up at the sky from 40 feet below.
8. Stay fit while you save money by hiking through some of the lushest areas on the island. It doesn't cost a cent to spend a day or more viewing the Iao Needle in the Iao Valley, and there are plenty of Hawaiian temples once used to wage war on outsiders, so make certain you have plenty of film in your camera.
9. Don't miss seeing the 10-acre area known as Haleki'i-Pihana Heiau in Wailuku. Check out the dramatic black sand beaches at Wai'anapanapa State Park, camp and hike in this scenic area and find time for a sea cave tour when you hike Old King's Highway.
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