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A Driving Tour of Upcountry Maui

By , About.com Guide

3 of 10

Pukalani to Kula

Kula Upcountry Maui

Kula, Upcountry Maui

Photo by John Fischer
The drive from Pukalani to Kula will take you past many local homes and some beautiful country with plenty of flowers everywhere. When Highway 400 ends you'll want to bear left on Highway 37, the Haleakala Highway. You'll soon pass the turnoff for Highway 377, which is where you would turn if you were headed to the summit of Haleakala. Don't turn; just keep driving along Highway 37.

You'll be entering Kula "which in Hawaiian means plain, field, open country, pasture. It also lets one know that it is dry-land farming, rather than wetland farming country. The name also means source, and Kula, Maui is the source of most of the island's produce from the farms"*

Indeed, at an elevation of approximately 3000 feet, Kula produce includes sweet Maui onions, lettuce, tomatoes and potatoes. Kula is also abundant in eucalyptus and flowers of many varieties. Most of the carnations used in leis throughout Hawaii are grown here. You'll also find proteas, orchids, hibiscus, and jade vines.

Upcountry Maui's rich agricultural history dates back to the early Hawaiians, who grew taro and sweet potato. The Hawaiians switched to Irish potatoes to supply the whaling fleets that arrived in the early nineteenth century and the locals have continued to adapt to new crops even to the present time.

*Kula Elementary School Website

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