Kahului Maui HI

Cruise ships dock at Kahului, Maui’s east-side commercial centre. The pier is in an industrial zone with little nearby on foot, while neighbouring Wailuku is the county seat.

Kahului’s Queen Ka’ahumanu Center is the island’s town square and Maui’s premier shopping and entertainment destination. It is in the heart of Kahului and serves as Maui Bus’s main transit hub. The centre is just over a mile from the pier, taking about 25 minutes on foot. After exploring, find the transit hub at the rear near Macy’s Men’s, Children’s, Home Store, via the breeze way between Long’s Drugs and Champs Sports. Maui Buses arrive and leave on the hour and half hour. For the latest schedule. For a…

Kahului’s deep-water port handles busy shipping and the city contains nearly a third of Maui’s residents. This commerce makes the waterfront more about ships and sailing-vessels than sand, although beaches east of the centre remain excellent for swimming or a few sunny hours.

Kanaha Beach Park is close to Kahului’s main airport, less than a landing strip away, and is considered one of the world’s leading places to learn sailboarding. Most visitors happily let surf noise cover the sounds of aircraft behind the trees. The winds attracting sail boarders also bring kite-boarders; sea-kayakers and cautious surfers use the steady breeze and gentle swell to prepare for Hawaii’s house-high breaks.

If water sports are not for you, visit Kanaha Pond State Sanctuary near the airport. There you can see commercial aircraft, migratory waterfowl and endangered Hawaiian stilt and coot.

Kahului centre has familiar local facilities, including shopping malls and the Alexander and Baldwin Sugar Museum.

Car hire is the best way to reach Maui’s most visited attractions; public transport is not a good substitute. All major companies are based here. Reserve ahead, as shuttles take customers to their cars.

For historic buildings rather than air-conditioned malls, take Route 320 to Wailuku, Maui’s county seat. It has several historic buildings and a museum displaying relics from the missionaries-in-Hawaii era.

Follow Route 320, the “Road to ’Iao”, to ’Iao Valley State Park. “The Needle”, a rock pillar, emerges from foliage 2,250 feet above sea level; it once served as a lookout and altar. Enjoying the views and lush greenery on several short park walks asks no great sacrifice.

Look for sugarcane fields as you leave Kahului. The city lies 20 miles, a 45 minute drive, east of Lahaina around Puu Kukui, at 5,788 feet, the West Maui Mountains’ highest summit.

Haleakala National Park is 38 miles south of Kahului, while Lahaina lies 23 miles west.

The official U.S. currency is the United States dollar (symbol: $), and ATM’s are everywhere.

Major cards such as Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted, even for purchases of only a few dollars, and may sometimes be the sole payment method. Overseas visitors should remember that prices can look lower than they are because tax and gratuities are rarely included.

State sales tax varies from 2.9% to almost 10% of the retail price, commonly 4-6%. It is hardly ever included in displayed prices, other than gasoline and, in most states, alcoholic drinks consumed on-premises. The amount is calculated and added when paying.

Tipping is widespread and expected in America. Americans debate both the right amount and who merits it, but typical standards are:

• Full-service restaurants: 15-20%. This is often the wait(ress)’s sole income. Pay tips in cash or add them to the credit-card slip. Few restaurants add automatic service charge; decide any extra amount yourself and check the bill.
• Taxi drivers, hairdressers and other personal services: 10-15%.
• Bartenders: for each inexpensive drink, give $1, or leave 15% of the total.
• Bellhops: $1-2 per bag, with a $3-5 minimum regardless.
• Hotel doorman: $1 per bag when assisting, plus $1 for calling a cab.
• Tour guides: based on length, group size and guided-tour quality. For half-day or shorter tours, allow $5-10 per person; for longer tours, $10-20 per person.
• Private car and limousine drivers: 15-20%.
• Hotel housekeeping: $1-2 daily for longer stays, or a $5 minimum for very short stays; this is optional.
• Pizza and other food deliveries call for $2-5, potentially higher with a very large order.

Many local coffee shops and cafes provide Wi-Fi.

Emergency number: 911.

In large metropolitan places such as New York and Los Angeles, many supermarkets and drugstores operate 24 hours a day, 7 days weekly. Department stores, shopping centres and most other large retailers commonly open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, then use shorter Sunday hours, generally 11 a.m. or noon to 5 or 6 p.m. On holidays they often remain open, except for the most important days such as Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, when stores generally close.