Whenever you think of Hawaii, there are certain things that come to mind even if you’ve never stepped foot onto one of the islands. The gorgeous beaches with turquoise water and fine sand, the beautiful weather year round, and maybe the surfing makes people dream of visiting.
You know what we’re looking for though, don’t you? Of course the Coffeys2Go Pickleball couple were looking for places to play pickleball on Maui, Hawaii. And Maui did not disappoint. We found all of the expected things and the numerous places to play excellent pickleball were cherries on top.
The effects of the recent tragic August wildfires in Lahaina are still felt throughout the entire community. Lahaina is still closed and Google maps shows the vast extent of the affected areas both through closed roads and new satellite photos. Respect and compassion are still greatly needed, and being given.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority has launched a new campaign to support Maui businesses still recovering after the August wildfires. They are ready for people to visit again, and the economy really could use the boost.
Visiting Hawaii can be extremely expensive. Hotels are hundreds of dollars a night, and Airbnbs are not allowed in most places. We are definitely not on an unlimited budget, so how did we stay for three weeks and not pay a penny for lodging? Read on to find out.
Ky and I were invited to a pet sit for a very sweet cat, totally ironically named, “Monster”. She was cuddled up next to me on the couch as I wrote this post. It was a fantastic gig, and we hope to do it again in the future. We don’t repeat very many sits because we enjoy going to new places so much, but we would come back here in a heartbeat!
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On to the pickleball news! Ky and I were able to play at nine different courts. Six of them were public and free, one of them was private, and very expensive, and two were private courts. The photos of the different locations have labels so you can get an idea from those of how great the choices are.I believe this is the most comprehensive list for playing on Maui that exists, and yet there were still a couple of places where we didn’t have the chance to play. Please let me know where else you get to play.
All of these places can be found on Google Maps with the titles provided here.
Kihei, HI - Waipuilani Park Pickleball
This is possibly the best place for free pickup pickleball on the entire island of Maui. There are 8 temporary courts lined on 2 tennis courts which need resurfacing badly, but it’s still worth going. The pickleball community is quite frustrated by government obstruction to getting them repaired. We were told by multiple people that there have been offers to pay for getting it done. However, the donors were told that their money would have to go in to a general fund and they couldn’t be assured that the money would go to repair the courts.
Every morning until noon or so there is play at all levels. Then more play happens in the evenings because they have good lighting. We only played in the mornings here. It can be quite crowded from 8 -11 am, especially in peak season from January to March. They use a very effective whiteboard to group up four people and different colored pens are used to group by skill level so that everyone gets good, enjoyable games. There are lots of friendly people who play with all levels as well and help out newcomers.There are more tennis courts which sit empty most of the time. The beaches adjacent to the courts make for a beautiful full day if you want to bring your swim trunks and a picnic.
Kula, Hawaii Kula Community Center
A friendly group comes here primarily 8am - noon on Tuesday and Thursdays.
They diligently set up draw or tape temporary lines for five courts up top on two tennis courts just for pickleball. Upper level players sometimes set up one or two of their own nets on the lower tennis court. One court below is being used for tennis from time to time.
Up top, they do straight paddle stacking in a rack on the ground near the courts. The lower courts tend to be by invitation to play in highly competitive games.
Wailea, HI - Wailea Tennis Center
The Wailea Tennis Center is a beautiful private facility that has opened to the public as well. We loved playing at these courts, but you have to be ready for the dent in your budget. We have never paid as much to play anywhere else, but these courts are worth it if you have the means. If you are staying for a longer time, and you are staying fairly close by, it is definitely worth it to buy a week or month long pass. We wanted to try it as well as all of the other places mentioned here, so we just paid the drop in fee of $28 each for the day. You can play as long as you want, so make a day of it with a break for lunch and then you can have a second round of play. We played enough in the morning with some new friends to feel like we had gotten our money’s worth.
Lahaina, HI - Lahaina Civic Center
We did a morning trip to Lahaina to check out the status of pickleball since the fires. The four free outdoor courts were full, with a reasonable amount of people waiting. It was good to see that pickleball was bringing people out. Free play is open daily. The level of play seemed to be generally quite high.
From our own personal experience with a house fire in 2001, it is nice to have something that takes your mind off of everything for a little while. Community closeness is also important, and the locals there really seem to have each others’ backs. Signs saying “Maui Strong” are in many places. The town will come back stronger than ever, and we wish everyone there well.
Lahaina, HI - Napili Park
These four dedicated gorgeous pickleball courts are awesome, but they seem underutilized. You need to bring your own group to play here, we were told. When we showed up, there were four people playing. We drilled for about an hour and left, never having seen anyone else come to play. However, it was spring break, so many of the locals might just have been out of town. This side of the island is generally windier than other locations. These are daytime courts only - no lights, in a lovely park. Unfortunately airspace didn't allow for a drone shot and the only one I took was this one of us.
Wailuku, HI - War Memorial Park
Another group of friendly, inclusive locals gather here every day, and set up to four temporary courts with temporary nets on tennis courts. They play from 8 am to 11:30, but the words, “One more game”, will probably keep some folks around until everyone is happy and exhausted. Just below the four courts, there is another area where there is a practice wall and one other pickleball court outlined. We never saw anyone set up there, but it’s available if someone brings their own net. The tennis courts down below were never used during the multiple times we were there.
The group that has dedicated themselves to bringing and putting up the nets have a donation jar to cover the cost of nets, balls (which they do provide for play), and to raise funds for a shade structure.
Kula, HI - Laurie Loney’s home court. We felt very fortunate to get to play at Laurie’s beautiful, newly refurbished court a couple of times. Her history with pickleball spans back to the 60’s. You can hear the whole story on her website, PickleballMaui.com. A great video to watch tells about the history of her family with our sport (called Pukaball there), and of the evolution of pickleball on Maui. It was largely influenced by her and her family. She and her pickleball partner, Todd Richter were so much fun.
You can rent her court for you and your family or friends, or take a lesson with her. She will be the most experienced player you’ve ever had the pleasure to learn from. https://vimeo.com/565931638
Kahului, HI - Kahului Community Center Park
To play here, you generally need your own net and bring your own friends. There are no regularly scheduled open play hours. There are a couple of groups that use the courts, but it is primarily scheduled through WhatsApp messaging. They are in very old tennis courts that could use some cleaning and work, but they are a place to play or drill. When we played, it was exceptionally windy. Sorry that I don't have any photos - too busy playing and too windy to get a good drone shot.
To purchase digital drone photos or videos of these courts and may others, please take a look at my referral link. You get 25% off of your first order.
Kapalua Tennis Garden
One more option on Maui is a place we really wanted to visit, but we just ran out of time. Let me know what you think about it if you go.
I'll try to get one more post up about the people and special paddles I was able to try out while we were there. There are things I really want to share with you all.
I'm a bit distracted though because we've moved on to Japan and there's just so much to see and do here. Stay tuned for a report on Japan. We're having an amazing time!
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