What To Do In Maui When It Rains

February 21, 2024

28

The Best Rainy Day Activities On Maui

You come to Maui for the ocean, beautiful scenery, fantastic restaurants, relaxing atmosphere, amazing activities and to have a relaxing vacation. You most likely don’t expect it to rain! But sometimes it does! During this 2018 winter season, Maui has seen an unusual amount of rain. That much rain can put a hitch in your ‘sunny beach time‘ giddyup! Not to worry, we’ve put together the most extensive Best Rainy Day Activities on Maui guide to help you find something wonderful to do while it’s raining!

You may be interested

We chose to buy our condo on the ‘dry’ side of Maui. Kihei is considered the desert area and though we do get rain, it’s generally short-lived. Even still, this year we saw some torrential downpours and I actually bought an umbrella on Maui for the first time.

It’s hard to rely on the weather forecast because the weather can change in a matter of minutes. You just have to adopt a ‘live in the moment‘ attitude and Ho’o Nanea or go with the flow.

Parts of Maui get rain every day, or nearly every day. The Hana side is the wettest side of the island and rain is expected over there. Maui is made up of hundreds of micro-climates and if it’s raining in one area, generally speaking one can find sunshine on another part of the island.

Let’s take a look at all the activities and adventures you can take in when it rains on Maui. These are, of course, listed in no particular order.

1. Head to a sunnier part of the island. Well seasoned Maui travelers know that if it’s raining in Lahaina, come to Kihei – it’s probably sunny. If your plan was to lay on the beach and soak up some rays or snorkel and play in the ocean and Mother nature has other ideas, then have a look at some of Maui’s web cams to see if there’s a dryer spot you can lay your towel down and have a swim. (TIP– when you’re homesick for Maui, you can visit the webcams while you plan your next trip!)

2. Take in a Free Hula/Polynesian Show. There are several places that offer free live Island style entertainment, not just hula but other types of free things to do such as Ukulele lessons, crafts etc. Check out these places for free activities Shops At Wailea, Lahaina Cannery Mall, Queen Ka’ahumanu Shopping Center (Kahului).

3. Shop Till You Drop. There’s no shortage of shopping to be found on Maui and since we just mentioned three of the largest shopping malls on Maui, you might as well do a little shopping while you’re there. Look specifically for Maui Made products so that you’re supporting the local economy and artists. A few other places to take in some shopping is the open-air Kalama Shopping Market (Kihei), Kahana Gateway Shopping Center (Lahaina) and Maui Mall (Kahului).

Refer to more articles: When Is Crabbing Season In Texas

4. Island Art Party in Kihei. Talk about a custom island souvenir! Get in touch with your inner artist. (From their website) Put on apron…Order a drink…have a seat…it’s time to paint and party! No experience necessary. Just follow along as a Partista ( Party Artist) provides step-by-step instructions in creating the featured painting. More info here.

5. Take in a movie. Maui has 3 movie theaters (one in Lahaina and two in Kahului) and one slated to open soon in Kihei. If you’re like me, you never seem to find time to make it to the movies at home. If it’s raining, go take in a movie and most likely by the time the show is over the rain will have stopped.

6. Visit Maui Ocean Center. Come face-to-face with sharks, stingrays, turtles, and thousands of vibrant tropical fish at Maui Ocean Center – The Aquarium of Hawaii! Read our post on visiting the Maui Ocean Center.

7. Check out a live show. Live entertainment can be a great way to ride out the rain storm. One of my all time favorites is Ulalena (update 7/23 – Ulalena is no longer performing), Ulalena is a world-renowned Hawaiian theater production dedicated to telling the story of Hawaii’s people. Burn’n Love the best Elvis show this side of Las Vegas [Edited to say that Burn’n Love has closed it’s doors and is no longer, much to the sadness of the fans that truly loved the show – I’m leaving the video up for all to see how fun it was]! The Historic Iao Theater in Wailuku offers live plays and entertainment. If you dig magic, then go see Warren and Annabelle’s Magic Show.

https://youtu.be/8eMN4OlP284

8. Get the royal treatment at a Spa. Who doesn’t love a massage? Go ahead and pamper yourself, you’re on vacation. (TIP– Check groupon.com for a coupon)

9. Try one of Maui’s Escape Rooms. What is an escape room you ask? An escape room is an interactive adventure game in which players solve a series of puzzles and riddles using clues, hints and strategy to complete the objectives at hand. Great activities for families, friends, birthday parties, celebrations and even businesses because they rely on team building exercises. At the time of this posting, there are presently 5 different escape rooms to try on Maui.