Visiting Surfing Goat Dairy Maui & Exploring Upcountry

Surfing Goat Dairy Maui
Hawaii Aloha Travel > Blog > Visiting Surfing Goat Dairy Maui & Exploring Upcountry

Let’s head to the Valley Isle, where Surfing Goat Dairy is a great place to visit during a tour of gorgeous Upcountry Maui. 

Our Day Upcountry

During a recent visit to Maui, we stopped by the Surfing Goat Dairy and explored Upcountry.

With an 11:00 am checkout at the West Maui condo (between Kaanapali and Kapalua) and a 7:30 pm flight back to Honolulu, we had a lot of time on our hands to wander Upcountry and take in some fascinating out-of-the-way and locally-owned small businesses.

After breakfast at Duke’s Kaanapali, our first stop was the Surfing Goat Dairy in Kula. I visited years ago and was keen to share the experience with my in-laws. Nothing much has changed at the farm in six years, although donations of old surfboards now number what looks to be at least 100 or more. Maui’s surfing community has embraced Surfing Goat Dairy.

We were “walk-ins,” so we missed a chance for a tour and goat-feeding. But there were a lot of ear-scratching and one-sided conversations with uninterested ruminants. These are happy goats, with an ideal diet and a habitat that is vital to the wide variety of excellent cheeses on offer. 

We inhaled a cheese platter in minutes, noting that several Surfing Goat cheeses have won many international awards since the dairy opened more than 20 years ago.

Tours Available at Surfing Goat Dairy

The Surfing Goat Dairy offers a range of tours throughout the day, most of which last 30 or 60 minutes. You can interact with the “kids,” get a tour of the farm, or even join in on the evening chores. Many tours include a cheese flight, which is a highlight for most visitors. 

Maui Surfing Goat 2 scaled 1
A line for cheese at Maui’s Surfing Goat Dairy

Continuing Our Upcountry Tour

Our trip to Surfing Goat Dairy was just part of a great day in Upcountry Maui. Next on our itinerary was Ocean Vodka Organic Farm and Distillery. Our tastings included Kula Organic Rum (light and dark varieties), Ocean Vodka, and FY Gin. To finish the tasting, we sampled“Brum,” a limited edition rum recipe that goes for hundreds of dollars a bottle and can only be purchased right there in the gift shop.

Maui Ocean Vodka tasting
A fun time sampling local spirits

The Ocean Vodka Farm also offers farm tours and has an onsite cafe where you can enjoy a picnic and cocktails on their beautiful lawn. 

Next, we were off to Makai Glass in Haliimaile, about a 20-minute drive from Kula. There we found – inside a Quonset hut – a fully functioning, working glass furnace and galleries full of vibrant sculpture, photography, and paintings by many different artists. Artists behind dark, protective eyewear peered into the furnace, working molten glass quickly but methodically.

Displays at Makai Glass

Each artist seemed equally excited about the process and the science behind glassblowing. It would have been nice to purchase even one piece of art, but I wasn’t born into generational wealth and I settled with taking pictures.

Seeing More than Surfing Goat Dairy

Finally, it was time for ust to head back to the airport.  The in-laws had a direct flight to Denver minutes after our flight. We timed our return to town perfectly, and my brother-in-law rejoiced in triumph, managing to return the rental car with the gas gauge slumping past “Empty”.

If we had only visited Surfing Goat Dairy, we would have considered our day Upcountry a success. It’s a great spot with lots for all ages to enjoy. But luckily we had time to stop by the distillery and the glass gallery, allowing us to truly understand the makers and entrepreneurs that make the area so unique. There’s nothing like a trip to Surfing Goat Dairy and Upcountry Maui to bring to mind the island’s echoing catchphrase: Maui No Ka Oi, which means “Maui is the Best!”

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