"Left coast" of island has plenty of history

For an island of only 727 square miles, Maui -- "The Magic Isle" -- is as diverse as an area 10 times as large.

While the high-end resorts line the southern tip of the island around Wailea and condos sit side-by-side in Kihei, West Maui is always in sight, calling tourists for a drive to visit one of the area's many towns.

The eastern part of the island is famed for the "Road to Hana," a 50-mile trip that takes close to three hours thanks to more than 600 hairpin turns and countless one-land bridges. But the drive around West Maui is just as harrowing.

Leaving the harbor of Maalaea, where the Maui Ocean Center beckons a visit by everyone, the first town you come across is one of Hawaii's most historic areas -- Lahaina. The old whaling town holds Hawaiian culture and customs close to its heart, and you can feel the history of the area just by walking in downtown.

And what a downtown Lahaina has. Lahaina boasts the best "downtown area" on the island, as shop after shop lines the road adjacent to the harbor. There, you may be able to spot the hundreds of humpback whales in the ocean spouting and breaching.

A must-see is the Banyan Tree in downtown Lahaina. Here, visitors will see a tree that has 12 major trunks, a huge core and a canopy that covers an acre of land.

Farther north on the western part of the island, you'll find some luxurious accommodations and golfing opportunities at Kaanapali and Kapalua. Both have incredible golf courses, white sand beaches and shopping.

When driving around West Maui, this is where the road gets a little interesting. Much like the road to Hana, this drive takes on a meaning of its own once you leave the popular resort areas and head into the backcountry of Maui.

For much of the drive, the road traces the coastline, and you can get views of people surfing and boogie boarding at popular spots like Slaughterhouse Beach. The northern end of the island is where the top surfing is on Maui, and there's no shortage of people willing to make the drive to bust the longboards out. Some of West Maui's top beaches include D.T. Fleming Beach Park, Kaanapali Beach, Hanakao'o Beach Park and Puamana Park.

Once the road veers into the mountains, the driver must really pay attention. Single-lane 90-degree turns in which motorists must honk their horn to alert oncoming traffic await, and while the scenery is second to none, the driver usually doesn't get many chances to enjoy it.

With no guardrails and cliffs of at least several hundred feet just inches off the road, it is a place to enjoy cautiously.

A few hours after the drive begins, it ends as the road widens out to a normal-sized thoroughfare, and you enter the town of Wailuku, which is the government seat for the island.

The town is adjacent to Kahului, the island's largest city and the location where the main airport is located.