Maui

A seaside state park just before Hana, with the black lava sand of Pāʻina Kai beach, lava tubes, sea arches and a coastal path along the ancient King's Highway.

💡 Reservations are required for non-residents, with a time slot, on the Hawaii state parks website: book as soon as you know the date of your Road to Hana drive. Aim for the first morning slot and carry on to Hana. Price: $5 per person, about €4, and $10 for parking, about €9.

A 6.4 km return hike in the Kīpahulu district, past a giant banyan and the 56-metre Makahiku Falls, through a creaking bamboo forest to the 120-metre Waimoku Falls.

💡 Do it in the morning, before the Road to Hana tours arrive around 11am, in shoes that grip in the mud. Do not swim at the foot of the falls: flash floods and rockfalls are frequent there. Price: included in the Haleakalā National Park entrance fee, $30 per vehicle, about €26.

From the 3,055-metre summit, the sun rises out of a sea of clouds above an 11 km rust-and-ash crater, before the Sliding Sands trail leads down among silverswords and nēnē geese.

💡 A reservation is required to enter by car between 3am and 7am: $1 per vehicle on recreation.gov, released 60 days ahead at 7am Hawaii time, with a second batch two days before. Bring a down jacket, hat and gloves. Price: $30 per vehicle, about €26, valid for three days, Kīpahulu included. The park is not one of those that apply the $100 surcharge to non-residents.

Oneloa, the Big Beach, over a kilometre of golden sand with no buildings in sight, closed by the Puʻu Olaʻi cone, with a powerful shorebreak and sunsets facing Kahoʻolawe.

💡 Only go into the water when the sea is calm, preferably in the morning, and never with your back to the waves. There is no drinking water and no shade, so bring a parasol and a supply of water. Price: $5 per person, about €4, and $10 for parking for non-residents, about €9.

A half-sunken crescent-shaped crater 4 km off the south coast, a marine reserve where over 200 fish species swim in water often clear beyond 30 metres, usually followed by Turtle Town.

💡 Take a morning trip from Māʻalaea or Kīhei harbour: the sea is calm before the trade wind picks up around 11am. Allow about $130-200, or €110-170, depending on the boat, with mask and meal often included. Bring mineral sunscreen: Maui bans the sale of the chemical filters that damage coral.

A deep, cloud-wrapped valley in the West Maui Mountains, where the green ʻĪao Needle rises 366 metres and Kamehameha I crushed Maui's army in the battle of 1790.

💡 Reservations are required for non-residents on the state parks website, open from 7am to 6pm. Come early, as the clouds cling to the valley in the afternoon. Price: $5 per person, about €4, and $10 for parking, about €9.