After getting our fill of sand and sun at Napili Beach, we headed back to the condo to get ready for some northwest Maui sightseeing. Our first stop was the Dragon’s Teeth. These teeth were formed by molten lava that was whipped back by the wind and the strong waves and dried straight up.
Unlike most of the lava on other parts of the island, these lava formations were gray and white.
The wind and ocean swells here were something fierce and definitely not to be taken lightly. It was so intense I was afraid to get too close. Even though I was standing pretty far back, I still managed to get pretty wet. Mr. A, of course, had no fear.
We continued up the northwestern coast to our next stop the overlook of Honolua Bay. At this point, the highway started getting a little sketchy. The very narrow two lane road moved sharply around the rugged coastline cliffs. Often times, there was only a guardrail between us and a 1,000 foot (probably even more drop). I was too scared to even take pictures. I had read that the highway would be intimidating but I didn’t think it would be worse than the Road to Hana—it definitely was. With Hana, most of the cliffs were covered in trees and other greenery so it was difficult to judge exactly how far down the cliff went. In northwest Maui, there isn’t as much vegetation disguising the steep cliffs so you can see them from the passenger seat. I closed my eye several times on the way back to the condo.
The Bay itself was gorgeous, bright aqua water sprinkled with black rocks surrounded by the gorgeous cliff lines. The Bay is supposed to be legendary for snorkeling but we had had our snorkeling fill for the day.
Beyond the Bay was Nakalele’s Blowhole. When we arrived at the pullover, there was a huge sign warning us not to get too close to the blowhole as it had killed several people. I didn’t need any further warning and decided to maintain my distance. There were however still plenty of people standing feet away from the hole.
The blowhole was created by the waves degrading the lava shelf beneath the shore. As the waves crash into the rocks, they are pushed through the hole creating the geyser like explosion. Just for some perspective, this is Mr. A walking up from the path to the blowhole. I was able to take the blowhole picture from this viewpoint–that’s how high it shoots in the air.
We had one more stop to make past this point but our dinner reservations were creeping up on us and quite honestly the highway was looking more and more ominous. So we decided to turn around and head back to Lahaina for dinner at Mala Ocean Tavern.
For our fancy dinner on Maui, we pick Mala on the oceanfront of Lahaina. We schedule our reservation early enough that we could get the prime table on the patio to watch the sunset.
We started off with the Mahi Mahi Ceviche. I can never get enough Mahi Mahi.
For dinner, I kept it in the fish family by getting the Ahi burger, fresh ground Ahi with herbs and spices. It was delicious.
Despite the food being delectable, the main event for the evening was the sunset. We happened to sit in the prime real estate, a front row view of the ocean. Just before the sun was about to set, the staff raised the bamboo shades and lit the tiki torches.
It was time for the magical Maui sunset. Every single sunset was equally as breathtaking as the last. One day I swear I will learn how to photograph them properly. It’s so difficult to get the proper exposure.
I would definitely recommend Mala’s if you are looking for a nice dinner on Maui—just make sure you get there early enough to get a table on the patio (it’s pretty noisy inside). While the meal will probably be one of your more expensive ones (this is Maui after all), the food was incredibly fresh and imaginative and the service was spot on.