This lovely, postcard-size swath of sand, with a straight-on view of Kahoʻolawe island, is worth a peek – although it’s no longer much of a secret. The cove is 440yd after the southernmost Makena State Park parking lot. The entrance is through an opening in a lava-rock wall just south of house No 6900.


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1. Big Beach

0.35 MILES

The crowning glory of Makena State Park, this untouched beach is arguably the finest on Maui. In Hawaiian it’s called Oneloa, literally ‘Long Sand.’ And…

2. Makena State Park

0.39 MILES

Makena State Park should be high on every traveler’s itinerary. Its crowning glory, Big Beach, is the scene that people conjure up when they dream of a…

3. Little Beach

0.79 MILES

Those folks with the coolers and umbrellas, walking north from the sandy entrance to Big Beach? They’re heading to Little Beach, which is part of Makena…

4. ʻAhihi-Kinaʻu Natural Area Reserve

0.87 MILES

Although scientists haven’t been able to pinpoint the exact date, Maui’s last lava flow probably spilled down to the sea here between 1480 and 1600 CE,…

5. Maluʻaka Beach

1.36 MILES

Dubbed ‘Turtle Beach,’ this golden swath of sand behind the closed Makena Beach & Golf Resort is popular with snorkelers and kayakers hoping to glimpse…

6. Keawalaʻi Congregational Church

1.59 MILES

One of Maui’s earliest missionary churches, its 3ft-thick walls were constructed of burnt coral rock. In the seaside churchyard take a look at the old…

7. Makena Bay

1.81 MILES

Want to kayak along the coast? Then drop into this pretty bay. There’s no better place on Maui for kayaking – as you might surmise from the collection of…

8. La Pérouse Monument

2.36 MILES

A lava rock monument honoring French explorer Jean Francois de Galaup La Pérouse marks the entrance to La Perouse Bay. La Perouse, who arrived in 1786,…

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