The dry, red barren upper slopes of Haleakala are otherworldly in the context of the green leafy tangle of plants so characteristic of Maui generally. At 10,000 feet above the warm and dreamy Pacific, Haleakala stands in sharp contrast to the balmy lowlands.

Ka‘anapali stretches along nearly four miles of seductive white-sand beaches and blinding seascapes. Resorts here offer golf and gourmet for those in Maui for easy luxury; if you're at the beach to log your snorkelling hours, the depths around Ka‘anapali are alive with a colourful and active fish communities.

Kahakuloa, a small village roughly a lot of curves away from both Lahaina and Kahului is also, not surprisingly, one of the island's most isolated areas. However, isolation breeds some spectacularly un-peopled views of the rugged coast.

Kahului, Maui's deep-water port, is home to nearly a third of the island's resident population and busy with shipping traffic.

Sprawling along Maui's northern coast, Kapalua is a quick scenic drive up from Ka‘anapali on Route 30. Kapalua, like Ka‘anapali, has golf-courses and tennis courts to supplement carefully tended beachside resorts.

Lahaina is Maui's dressed-up city. Stretching along the western coast, Lahaina's small down-town area is lined with picturesque curio shops, clothing stores and restaurants—a good afternoon's worth of air-conditioned activity.

Makawao catches the visitor up in a tropical John Wayne film, somewhere between luscious rainforest vegetation and tumbleweed. A self-acknowledged 'cowboy' or 'paniolo' town, the old-west style buildings remind guests that they are in the heart of ranch country—Hawaiian ranch country.

Regulars to Maui know that the best winter snorkelling is along the island's southwest coast, more protected from winter winds than the north western shores.