South Kīhei Road at Kamaʻole II reopened to traffic on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. That was earlier than the county's original target of this fall. The road is whole again, but the beach stretch around it runs on different rules than it did last winter. Maui County's Park Maui program started at Kamaʻole I and III on July 15, while the detour was still up. With the road open, those rules are now the everyday setup. For anyone with a Hawaiʻi driver's license, parking is still free. The real change is the clock. On weekends and county holidays, the paved lots at Kamaʻole I and III are for residents only until 10 a.m.
What five months of detours were about
The damage covered about 150 feet of county road. A powerful Kona low hit in March, and the record rainfall overwhelmed the drainage system. The county says floodwater and a ruptured water main undermined the road. That meant the drainage system and roadbed had to be completely redesigned before permanent repairs could start. Federal emergency funding was secured, and the Department of Public Works gave the job to P.B. Sullivan Construction Inc. in May. Construction started June 1.
What went back in the ground is more than fresh asphalt. According to the county, the repair package included:
- Drainage improvements plus slope and site stabilization under the road
- Waterline restoration
- New curb, gutter and sidewalk work
- Paving and restoration of the park area next to the road
- New traffic signs, striping and pavement markings
The edge of Kamaʻole II Beach Park was part of the job. The section along the road was repaved and restored along with the street.
The parking program that started in a smaller form
When Park Maui went live on Wednesday, July 15, the road closure shaped how it rolled out. KHON reported that the county scaled back the Kihei launch because of the closure. Street parking and the dirt lot near Kamaʻole I stayed free during construction. The program covered only the paved lots at Kamaʻole I and III. Kamaʻole II was left out while repairs continued.
Here is how the rules read in the county's launch announcement and on the program's website:
| Hawaiʻi residents | Nonresidents | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily cost | Free all day with a valid Hawaiʻi driver's license | $10 |
| Longer passes | Not needed | $50 for 7 consecutive days, $150 for 30 consecutive days |
| Weekend and county-holiday mornings | Paved lots reserved for residents before 10 a.m. | Parking opens to everyone at 10 a.m. |
| How it works | Scan the barcode on the back of your license at a pay station or in the Park Maui app | Pay in the app or at an on-site pay station |
The Park Maui site lists lot hours at Kamaʻole I and III as 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The parks themselves are open to everyone. The residents-only window applies to the parking, not the sand. The system uses no paper tickets. Each parking session is tied to a license plate, and the Kamaʻole lots are in Zone 797, which is the number the app asks for.
Money from paid parking and permits goes into the county's parking revenue fund. Any surplus can go to parks, transportation, business districts, and cultural and environmental sites.
A weekend morning, step by step
The first weekend morning is the one where the rules matter most. Here is how a Saturday at Kamaʻole I or III works under the system:
- Before 10 a.m., the paved lot is for Hawaiʻi residents only.
- Scan your license at a pay station or in the Park Maui app. The barcode on the back is what the system reads. In launch-week coverage, The Maui News reported that people using the kiosk also entered their plate number.
- Ask an ambassador if you get stuck. Parking Ambassadors work on site to help with the app and pay stations.
- At 10 a.m., the lot opens to nonresidents, who pay the daily rate or use a pass.
The first reports were mild. The Maui News story ran July 19 under the headline "easy peasy." Maui resident Genna Joyce found the kiosk easy to use, and the reporter described early reactions as positive. The paper also reported that ambassadors described a transition period when violations got warnings instead of tickets. The story gave no date for when that period would end, so don't count on a warning today.
The system has already paused once. When Hurricane Lala passed the islands in mid-August, the county pulled ambassador staffing and stopped active enforcement at Kamaʻole I and III at 4 p.m. on Aug. 15. Staffing came back Monday, Aug. 17.
Two pieces still unconfirmed
The reopening was supposed to trigger the next phase. In July, the county said the dirt lot across from Kamaʻole I, next to the ABC Store, would join Park Maui once the sinkhole repair was finished and the road reopened. Until then, it stayed free from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily for beachgoers and for employees and customers of businesses in the Kamaʻole Shopping District.
The road has been open since Aug. 11, but no county announcement confirming that the dirt lot has been added could be found. The Park Maui beaches page still lists only Kamaʻole I and III as operating lots. Kamaʻole II is murkier. The program's rates page lists resident and nonresident rates for Kamaʻole I, II and III. The beaches page does not include Kamaʻole II. Neither page tells you what's posted at the curb today. The pay-station signs at each lot, and the contact form on ParkMaui.com, are the most reliable way to check.
The businesses that stayed open through the detour
The new parking rules matter most for the shops and restaurants along this stretch. They spent spring and summer at the end of a detour. In mid-July, KHON talked to people working on this part of South Kīhei Road. Eammon McKinney, a bartender and house musician at Moose McGillycuddy's and Fred's Mexican Café, said business had slowed a lot. Tom Ravensberg owns Take Home Treasures, a family business. He said his shop made it through the storm without major damage, but the closure dragged on longer than anyone expected.
"It's been four months now. Dozens of restaurants and shops—we're all off 30, 40 to 50 percent. It's just not sustainable for a small family-owned business."
Ravensberg also told KHON the timing of the paid-parking launch worried him. In his view, the stretch needed every customer it could get.
The county stepped in with help. It put up "Open for Business" signs, ran radio ads, and worked with Google Maps on routing around the closure. Starting June 1, it also offered partial rent reimbursement to eligible in-person businesses within 1,200 feet of the closure, covering 50%, 25% or 10% of rent depending on distance. The county's August reopening notice said surrounding businesses and restaurants stayed open throughout construction. Hawaii News Now's Aug. 12 reopening story said the same.
These are the addresses you can drive straight to again:
- Moose McGillycuddy's and Fred's Mexican Café, 2511 South Kīhei Road. Fred's lists daily hours on its website. Moose's calendar shows Bingo on Monday, Oct. 19, and Taco Tuesday on Oct. 20.
- Take Home Treasures, 2463 South Kīhei Road, #B15. The shop's website still lists this address, and it also runs an online store.
A dinner here doesn't fall under the beach-lot rules the way a morning swim does. Park Maui's 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. hours apply to the paved lots at Kamaʻole I and III. The July announcement described the dirt lot by the ABC Store as the free option for people visiting businesses along this part of the road. If that lot moves into Park Maui as planned, its signs will be where the change shows up first.
A continuous drive north for the fall calendar
With the road open, the drive from the Kamaʻole stretch north along South Kīhei Road no longer needs a detour. Kihei Fourth Friday is listed for Oct. 23 and Nov. 27, from 6 to 9 p.m., at Azeka Shopping Center, 1279 South Kīhei Road. Those listings come from an event page first set up in early 2025, so check with the organizers before you plan around either date. The November date falls the night after Thanksgiving.
Questions about how Park Maui, the reopened Kamaʻole stretch, or the next phase of county changes affect daily life in Kihei? Chaston Marcos follows these South Maui updates closely and is happy to talk them through, whether you've been here for decades or are just figuring out which lot opens when. Let's Connect.
