Aloha Campers in Maui?

[relaxedryan]

I live in Maui and know of great places to camp or set up shop with your bus/van. Tons of hidden spots as long as you are respectful. PM me if you want some advice!

[boognish76]

I would love some advice- I am going to Maui in a few weeks and plan on camping for five nights- fill me in, please!

[davevickery]

If you haven't PMd him, here is a few places I know about.
Polipoli state park is halfway up haleakala on the the backside less travelled roads, just google polipoli state park. It is in the clouds and yukaliptus treees and not very heavily travelled. There are 2 Haleakala National park campgrounds, one up the front side of the mountain and more visited but probably never and issue finding a campsite and hte one at eh other end of the island, after Hana, which overlooks the ocean. Great open camping area, I don't think any fees and tons of things to explore over on that side of the island. The beach near Paia on the northshore has a tent camping area out front that might have some parking nearby. The windsurfing beach on the northshore seemed pretty unofficial and might be able to campout there, I forget the name, but it is where all the windsurfers park.

If you go up past Polilipoli state park up toward the top of the volcanoe you get to some open space and level areas where you can camp and won't see anyone else. Eventually going up that dirt road, you will get to a gate and can 't go up to the top unless you hike, but there are some good spots, or were when I lived there.

If you go further down the roads than most tourists, you can find places that look camping friendly. I haven't been there in 15 years but I don't imagine things have changed much. Daves Adventures Maui.

[indytriple]

[Farfrumwork]

We really liked staying at the black sands beach park (Waianapanapa) out near Hana. $5/night and a seperate area for 'campers'. blow holes, black beaches, etc... like stated - get permits in the city (Wailuku iirc)


We were there 4yrs ago and the Kipahulu campgropund was under construction. I think that is the one at O'heo Gultch (7 sacred pools) - great place before 10-11:00 am when the other tourists show up.
That would also be a great spot.

East Island is the best (Paia through Hana, and around the south side)


Found a really killer secluded spot on the south route around Haleakala - would have to search it out. Nothing is on that part of the island.
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[sansarret]

My wife our 15 months old daugther and I just returned from a wonderful trip from Kauai and Maui.

We rented a 1990 Westfalia camper on Kauai from http://www.kauaicamperrental.com/ for about a week. The Van was great, clean and very well stocked with clean linens, dishes and included a tent and air mattress. We own a 1991 Westy camper and I was amazed at how much stuff they provided us, everything was neatly stored. They also pick you up from the airport. Those guys care about their business and I would totally recommend them.

Only thing is they won't let you go to Pohilahe state park because of the road, and it's a must to go there if you are in Kauia. We ended up going there in another rental

On Maui we rented a 1995 Eurovan camper from http://mauicampersrental.com/

The van was a total beater and I would not recommend it. The van's transmission was clunking badly, the dashboard lights didn't work, the pop top struts didn't hold the top up so you had to use a piece of wood, all the locks required different keys. Also the fridge didn't work and they told us it did so we were stuck with a small cooler they gave us.(the westy fridge in Kauai didn't work either but at least they told us and provided us with a decent size cooler and I expected a westy fridge to not be working.)
Also it felt dirty in the camper and it didn't smell very good. The only good thing is he provided us with snorkelling gear and I fell in love with the outside shower head on the Eurovan camper, super handy at the beach.

Do yourself a favor and rent a minivan somewhere else on Maui and bring or rent camping gear. This guy doesn't seem to really care about his van. (By the way my wife rented from Aloha camper a couple years ago and told me this van was better than what she got from Aloha, so I can't imagine how bad it was).

We still had a great time in Maui, I didn't care too much about the flaws of the Eurovan while chilling on the Beach. I'm glad to be back in a Vanagon, it's so much nicer to drive than the Eurovan, the Eurovan feels like a truck.


kauaicamperrental.com review
mauicampersrental.com review
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1991 Westfalia full camper 2.1 manual

[Chelseamac]

Hi guys,

In a couple of weeks I'm camping with a vw for four nights. I really don't want to be around other campers and ideally would lie to have front row access to a beach or view. Are there are spots that are hidden gems in Maui? Is it true that if you have a fishing rod you can camp on the beach?

Any help would be amazing, thank you!

[vw4life]

My wife and I rented a van from aloha in November for our honeymoon (yeah I picked an awesome girl!)

The camping situation is confusing. We got there about 6 pm on a Saturday and are dinner and had difficulty finding a spot but saw literally hundreds of people parked on the beach next to a no camping sign. There are plenty of spots on the south western side if the island to
Park and are next to a few porta potties. The islanders had full tarps, tents and lights and were partying all night long.

We camped one night by the airport. Loud, roosters everywhere and more homeless camp. This is a mistake and I would not stay here . We were exhausted and figured it was safer than getting a knock on the window by police at 3 am.

The place we loved was camp Kanae YMCA towards Hana. We stayed here 2 nights at $35 each, had the place to ourselves and hit showers and real flush toilets. Can't say enough about this place.

1 night at hosmers grove, towards the Haleakala volcano. Get
Here mid afternoon to secure a spot. Cold, but a nice spot and quiet.

Pm me if you need more info

[vw4life]

I did the first write up on maui, but wanted to touch base regarding Aloha Campers

The service was pretty good. They stayed late to let me pick up the van on a saturday. Things operate way different on the island as i called Saturday mid day during our layover in Honolulu to tell them we would arrive earlier than expected and got a voicemail.

Got a shuttle and they were getting the van cleaned up a Bordeaux 87 westy with a grey interior. It wasn't a gem but wasn't beat to death either. The fridge didn't work and since I was on vacation I wasn't about to fuss with it for 4 days as they gave us a cooler anyways.

The van was an auto which I have never drove a auto vanagon. It ran smooth, shifted ok but wasn't like picking up a rental from hertz or enterprise. It was as expected. The crappy headlights on vanagons suck and it gave me more "street cred" since I have H4's in my westy and my wife always asks "do we really need that?" Now she knows not to question me. The road to Hana is pitch black, switchbacks and you really need some better lighting

The van was stocked with all the curtains, stove worked as did the sink. Couldn't really complain, it was a bit rough around the edges but what do you expect for a 25 year old rental car? We got the sheets/pillows as an package so we didn't have to worry about carrying that with us.

The return was smooth and got my deposit back no problem.

I would recommend to vanagon/classic car owners that know what to expect. If you drive a 2015 Toyota Corolla this isn't for you.

[TBrown2008]

Hello! A couple of us ladies are heading out to Maui at the end of the month and looking for a laid back trip. I've been looking into Aloha Campers and having mixed feelings on the reviews - has anyone booked there recently?

We are totally fine with some rustic attributes to the van and if things break down then it sounds like we'll be taken care of in a timely fashion.

Being that it will be just the two of us gals out on the road together, are there any places that you would recommend us avoiding? Where are the best places for us to see? We would like to do some hiking, snorkeling, lounging and we are both foodies so if you have ANY recommendations on great places to eat, please share!!

TIA!
Tracy

[davevickery]

I think you can have a good time in a car with back packs and a tent.
These are the non public campgrounds and they are all good from what I remember. The backpacking sites are too time consuming to do, and fairly rugged hiking, but the others are good for a week's visit.
http://www.mauiinformationguide.com/hawaii-camping.php

If you want to meet some other travelers you can spend a night at a hostel and pick people's brains and maybe invite a couple join you for some adventures (since you have a car and they may not).

Regardless whether you get a westy or car camp, I would do 2 days at Kipahulu Nationa Park near Hana. Or one night at Waianapanapa and 1 or 2 at Kipahulu, in the same general area. Lots to see around both of these. At the National park you can hike up to some waterfalls, and through a bamboo forest to a neat swimming hole that most people won't go that far. And you will pass through Hana which you will want to check out.

I might camp 1 night at Kahana or maybe there is still some boondock camping around there on the north shore but you would have to just explore a bit to find it. It is near everything and on the beach but I never camped there so don't know what it is like. Youi used to be able to camp at Hookepa beach, nothing special but you are right at the beach. Stop at Paia which is a cool town to explore and have a meal.

The camps at higher altitudes are nice if you are tired of the heat. Polipoli St Park and Haleakala are both good. From Haleaka you can head up and check out the Volcano crater (bring a jacket).

I'm sure there are some good private campgrounds, but there are enough not to bother. People have like the Boy Scout camp, but I don't like the Keanae pennisula other than a quick site see. It is visually pretty impressive.

If you follow the road all the way around as far as you can go Southeast past McKenna you will find a huge beach and then old lava flows and some small snorkeling coves.

If you ignore the rental company rules, you can drive all the way around the east side of the island. It is a bit remote and looks like Colorado back roads to me, but it is fun not to go back the same way you came. THe road is always fine unless it just flooded in which case you turn around and go back the long way.

Lahaina is a nice town to site see and have a meal. Old buildings, shopping, restauarants, not snooty like the high end resorts.

Makawao used to be a cool quiet town for just walking around a bit.

But you should have breakfast at a high end resort, relatively affordable and the same incredible views and facilities. Any place around Kanaapali, the Sheraton used to be a good not-too-high-end but nice and a break from camping lifestyle. You might take in a hotel show if there is something going on. You can pay for a a Luau feast too if that sounds like something you want to do. Sheraton beach has nice snorkling off the point, or at least used to. Sea turtles were common.

Don't leave anything in your car. If you leave some things, definitely put them in the trunk. I don't see anything wrong with renting a Westy, I just think a small modern car would be easier to get around and maybe less trouble and expense. You could also rent a condo if you want less adventure and more comfort. http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/hawaii/ma...aqodoqaapq

http://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/files/2012/12/Maui-State-Roads-and-Highways.jpg BTW, my intel is all 15 years old at this point. I am due for a return trip one of these years.

[ThankYouJerry]

[Sodo]