If we go to Makena, or even Lahaina, we just about always stop for a walk along the beach and a swim at Sugar Beach in Kihei. Parking along the road is easy peasy with easy access to the beach or the Kealia Coastal Boardwalk and we often spot the protected Hawaiian stilt ae'o bird with their black and white tuxedo feathers and bright red legs and little sandpipers racing to and fro with the waves to catch tiny soft shell crabs. You can walk along this beach for miles, from Ma'alea to Kehei.
