Upcountry Maui
KULA, KEOKEA, ULUPALAKUa (96790) And PUKALANI, MAKAWAO, OLINDA (96768)
Lulu walking in Keokea
Makawao town, Maui’s cowboy town
The rolling hills, panoramic views, and cooler climates of Upcountry Maui make it an ideal place to call home. Upcountry is home to many of Maui’s farms and ranches and is the epicenter of Maui’s paniolo (cowboy) culture. Located on the fertile slopes of Haleakala, the communities Upcountry comprise a wide variety of living options.
Upcountry is highly community centric with local festivals and traditions which mirror the history of Maui. Some of Maui’s most prestigious schools are Upcountry including Seabury Hall and the Maui campus of Kamehameha Schools for children of Hawaiian descent.
The town of Makawao is located approximately 1600 ft above sea level and is known as Maui’s cowboy town. Cowboys & cowgirls on horses still come into town for a bite to eat, or for some shopping. The supply and tackle shops have been replaced with boutiques and restaurants, but there is still the Rodeo General Store where you can pick up groceries. Also still present is T Komoda Store and Bakery which has been a fixture in Makawao since 1914. No Upcountry celebration is complete without Komoda’s guava malasadas, stick doughnuts, coco cream puffs, butter rolls, and/or chantilly cake. The Rodeo parade which normally rolls the 4th of July Saturday to kick off Maui’s rodeo season is not to be missed!
Pukalani is only across the highway from Makawao, but a totally different climate. Meaning hole ‘puka’ in the heavenly sky ‘lani’, Pukalani stays sunny and dry most of the year whereas Makawao can be rainy for days on end. The perfect weather is one of the reasons Pukalani is home to Upcountry’s only golf course, the Pukalani Country Club.
Further up and around the mountain is the area known as Kula. Homes here go up the mountain near 6500 ft, but the majority of neighborhoods are at the 2000-4000 ft level which provides an ideal growing climate for many Maui farms and ranches.