Polipoli State Park, Upcountry Maui

Once upon a time, Polipoli State park and its trails may have been a nice place to visit, but since two minor hurricanes blew past the island in 2014, felled and cut-up trees have left the area looking like a warzone. Combine this with the fact that there is little to no views on this often cloudy backside of Haleakala and elevation changes that are unchallenging to say the least make this place forgettable. Or, it would be forgettable except for the 6-mile long bumpy one-lane dirt road that take you to the remote park. Totally not worth the drive, folks, not unless you really like Redwood trees, which make up less than a mile of the trail, btw. Sorry, Polipoli, I'll leave you to the locals.

This link will take you to the state's official page. Notice what little information they give you...

Directions: From Kahului, take Highway 37 through Kula to the junction of Highway 377. Turn left on 377 for about 0.3 mile, then right on Waipoli Road. This becomes Polipoli Access Road at the first cattle guard and climbs up the mountain through a long and annoying series of switchbacks until it enters the forest at 6,400′ elevation, where the pavement ends and the road becomes an annoying one-lane dirt road with potholes. Parking lot has some picnic tables and surprisingly, a flush toilet.

Worst map ever.

Nice view.

What? No orcs?

Most interesting thing on the trails.

Ocean Vodka, Maui

Hooray for vodka! Especially if you just spent time with your kids at Surfing Goat Dairy next door. Surfing Goat Dairy is uninteresting to say the least, making Ocean Vodka look like an oasis if the distillery is going to be your second stop in the area. (I don’t think anyone is going to stop and tour the nearby landfill, but hey, you never know.)

The first thing you’ll notice when you get to Ocean Vodka is how nicely landscaped the grounds are; simple and clean. In fact, simple and clean is how you might describe the entire operation, from the vodka they make to the facility itself which is shockingly spotless, not to mention mostly self-sustaining. Another thing I like about OV as a company is the fact that almost all the employees (except for the girls in the gift shop) participate in most aspects of the company, from playing tour guide to bottling. And on tour, the guides are quite knowledgeable and friendly. My wife and I were fortunate enough to have Kai on our private tour and he answered our numerous questions without missing a beat. While there isn’t a whole lot to see on the tour – it’s really just a look at and explanations of the different sugar canes on site and the facilities – the tour is very informative and ends, appropriately enough, with a vodka tasting. Yes, OV is definitely the smoothest and most enjoyable vodka I’ve ever come across, though that’s coming from someone who is more of a whiskey man.

At $10 a pop for the tour, I feel the tour was worth its price (unlike at Surfing Goat Dairy, sorry). It’s also nice that the on-site gift shop does not charge anymore for a bottle of their vodka than you’ll find in the store. Actually, it’s the same price at Costco in Kahului and more at other retailers. It would be nice if Maui Brewing Company did likewise at their facilities, but I guess you can’t have everything. 

Upcountry Farmer's Market, Pukalani/Kula

As someone who has been to lots of farmer’s markets, I know that which I speak of. While I admire the motto of the Upcountry Farmer’s Market (“Occupy Farms”) I can’t help but say that this market, held Saturdays 7am-12pm, is probably the weakest farmer’s market I’ve ever been to. Granted, I did not get there until about 9:30am, so it’s hard to say if all the best items were wiped out early or if the farmers just don’t have much to sell. Frankly, most vendors appear to have plucked whatever looked ready in their backyard that morning and brought it to the market. Then there is the matter of just how uninterested the vendors are to sell you what they do have, mostly ignoring you and opting to chat with their friends or the next vendor over. And it’s not like there are very many vendors; most are selling you already processed items or widgets instead of fruits and veggies. The only bright spot here was the vendor selling Indian food, which although early for lunch, was as close to good Indian food as you’re going to find on Maui. Unfortunately, the fruit and veggie vendor who set up in Kihei four days a week has been AWOL for months now, forcing me to try this market. Decent Indian food aside, I tried this market but I will not be back.

The Upcountry Farmer’s Market is located on Hwy 37 at the Kulamalu Town Center near Long's Drugs, Pukalani/Kula.