going to maui

The road to Hana is one of my favorite places on Earth.  Drive it early in the morning to avoid tourist traffic and make sure you go all the way to the pools.  The top of Haleakula is pretty cool too.  The Xterra tri course might be on private land, so that may be out.  Best advice I can give is to buy Maui Revealed by Andrew Doughty before you visit.  By far the best guide book out there.

reporting from oahu....unfortunately XTERRA leases the land for the race, so normally can't get access because it's privately owned.

Don't know of any tri shops on maui...but...

if you've never been to Maui, tons to do.

-trip to Hana is a good one, or rent bikes and ride !

-snorkel Molokini (Scuba if you are certified or want to get certified)

-kite surfing and windsurfing in Kanaha (instruction available)

-Haleakala volcano hiking (sunrise trip is pretty nice)

-hit the beaches ! swim in the warm clear water!

-west maui horseback riding

I lived there for years and did my best to explore every inch of the island.  It is about as close as you can get to paradise for athletes (or anyone for that matter).  Definitely try to find out if the Aluminum Man group is training while you're there. 

With all of my tips to friends and family going there I may as well have written my own guide book at this point.  PM me if you want some detailed recommendations.

Where are you staying?  We always stay in Wailea and there are several cool beaches to go to.  You can go to Molokini, but plenty of fish and reef right off the coast.  All the dive shops have a little pamphlet with some nice reefs along the coast line.  On my list next time I go there is to try surfing.  Hit the farmer's market and there's a straw market by the airport that is worthwhile.   

In addition to what's already been mentioned there is a blow hole if you follow the highway up the Western most side of the island... drawing a complete blank right now on the town names, etc. but it is a cool site.  Pack some shoes, we hiked down to it in sandles and flip-flops.  Here's a pic down by the blow hole... note the improper foot attire for hiking down a steep hill with volcanic pea gravel all over it.    
 

My family loves Maui... my favorite place to vacation and if my wife had her way, we'd be living there.  I've done the road to Hana twice and I'm done with that... cool black sand beach though, we stopped at one picnic area and hiked back into the rain forest found a picturesque waterfall into a pool of water... went swimming and it was COLD!!! 

You're going to love it and not want to come home.

If you get motion sickness at all DON'T go to Hana, unless you're the driver.  It's fun, but also can be miserable.

You might go through Haiku....At Haiku market place (a.k.a the old cannery) there's Haiku Market for rubbah slippahs, and a place called Colleen's if Chef David still works there it's got THE BEST.hashbrowns.ever. Ultimate breakfast and casual luxe dinners with fantastic pizza (especially when Mountain makes'em).  In that little joint there is also Hana Hou Cafe, great burgers and awesome local food, AND a taco stand with killer $3 tacos.

If we were coming back for a visit I would make sure to visit Kula lodge, the Ali'i Kula Lavender Fields, Spreckelsville Beach (a.k.a Baby Beach), Makena/Big Beach, hang out at Ho'okipa watch the surfers, the two fantastic yoga shalas one at the tomato farm and t'other on the way to Hana.

Pa'ia for crepes and Cafe Mambo, oh, and that fish house with great cole slaw that was on the corner of main intersection.  Horseback riding is just up the road from there through Makawao (the cowboy town) and though I didn't go 'cause I was only few weeks post-partum, my mom and siblings say it was fantastic!

*sigh* I miss it now and then.    It's been almost 4 years since we moved, but those places hopefully are still around.  IMO Hana is just as tourist as many other places.  If you want modern Maui I'd hang around Wailuku & Kahului walk around in town. Oh! Speaking of in town, Brigit & Bernards Garden Cafe has awesome German food.

ANYWAY, yes there's a training group there but I think it's based on Oahu.  GREAT idea to check out the Xterra course, wish I was into tri when we lived there!  Have fun and be safe!

Loved maui revealed guidebook - lots of detailed info and mostly very accurate. One of my favorite spots on Maui was snorkling in Fishbowl. It was listed in the revealed guidebook - a decent hike thru raw lava fields to a hidden shallow tidepool with ooodles of fish and coral. Simply gorgeous. We snorkled out of the tidepool to the open ocean and poked around- saw amazing sea turtles and huge rays! Very cool. Have a great time!

I was in Maui in January and did a lot of the things mentioned in this thread. I recommend every one. It was a fantastic trip.

I rode the West Island loop, staying in Lahaina, north on the 30, the 30 turned into the 340 and then back into the 30 south, then west and north back to Lahaina and I have to say I enjoyed that loop and road as much as I enjoyed the road to Hana. It was beautiful. That's where the blowhole above is as well.

I rode south through Kihei, past Big beach to La Perouse bay and sitting on a volcanic beach was pretty cool too. Good snorkling there as well.