Kool Time in Upcountry Maui

A huge Mahalo to Travelin' Pat for another great Maui day trip.

Self imposed mandatory walk complete, next on the agenda is an excursion upcountry to Kula Lodge. It is 3000 feet in elevation in a lovely garden setting. I have to admit though, I felt a bit chilly way up there. However it’s a neat place with a restaurant, chalets, a nifty market place and an art gallery featuring local artist Curtis Wilson.

Onward and upward we go and on impulse turn and head to the Alii Kula Lavender farm. It's nestled on the slopes of the Haleakala crater and if I thought it was getting nippy before, add 1000 more feet and my first thought was to rush straight to the gift store and buy a sweatshirt. Alas all they had for sale was every kind of lavender gift you could think of (they grow 45 different varieties) plus an enticing lavender and scone tea. In my mind it is a pretty “cool” spot to see.

Finally, we wind our way along the narrow road toward our last stop, the Tedeschi winery. This time we lose some elevation, now we are down to 2000 feet and all thoughts of buying warmer clothing have vanished from my mind. The air-conditioning comes back on and we drive through astonishingly pretty green hills reminiscent of parts of England. The views are almost too spectacular because with that big ol car of ours too much gawking at the view can be a dangerous thing! Anyway bellied up to the bar for the free wine samples, we tasted a refreshing chardonnay, a fruity red blend and their unique pineapple wine. Happy as heck we head home.

An hour later we are sitting on the ocean shore, glass in hand enjoying the Maui sunset and congratulating ourselves for being so clever as to choose to come to Maui for a vacation.

Make a Maui Vacation Rental your base when you explore Upcountry Maui.