Maui Pineapple Tour: Tasty Fun and History at the Maui Gold Farm

Once upon a time Hawaii produced more pineapple than anywhere else in the world, but that’s changed since the 1960s and now experiences like the Maui Pineapple Tour let you both taste and learn the history of pineapples in Hawaii. Agritourism is one of my favorite things to enjoy throughout the Hawaiian Islands and visiting the Maui Gold Pineapple store and doing the tour was really cool. You get to see up close just what a production it is to grow and supply some of the best pineapples in the world. And you get to eat it out in the fields, surrounded by beautiful plants that smell so sweet…

Have you done the Maui Pineapple Tour yet? What?! Why not?!?! We’ve got all the info for planning your visit to the Maui Gold Pineapple store and farm, doing the tour and even how you can bring home your own delicious pineapple from Maui. If you have any questions about the Maui Pineapple Tour or other Hawaii agritourism opportunities, please leave a comment or send us a note. We believe deeply that it’s important to know where your food comes from and we’re always happy to share more to help YOU plan a great Aloha trip.

Why do the Maui Pineapple Tour?

There’s something special about getting to be in the middle of thousands of pineapples. Taking a deep breath and smelling the sweetness while you’re surrounded by quite possibly the most delicious fruit on the whole planet is magical. If I had to convince you to do the Maui Pineapple Tour I would either try to appeal to the foodie side of you, the educational side of you or the iconic travel element that you might find interesting. Pineapples growing on the slopes of Haleakala is magical however you look at it.

Starting with the foodie side, I’m a sucker for fresh samples and you cannot get most fresh that a just-picked pineapple being sliced up for you in the middle of a field. The theatrics of it paired with actual flavors is chef’s kiss. The other foodie element that surprised me was learning about picking a good pineapple once you leave the Maui Gold Pineapple Farm. Our guide led us through all the elements of what to look for and how to tell if a pineapple is just right or overripe. He was great (and I’d love to go grocery shopping with him).

When it comes to the educational side, learning about where your food comes from and understanding the heart that goes into produce farming is so very important. I had no idea about the time it took and the care that goes into producing pineapples. It’s so cool to me to see each part of the pineapple farming process in action, from the planting to growing to testing to harvesting. There’s so much involved and the end product is a part of our daily lives. Lastly, if there’s one product that is an icon of the Hawaiian Islands, I think the Maui Pineapple Tour showcases that thing the best. Being such a huge part of the history of Maui, Lanai and Oahu, pineapples and Hawaii go hand in hand, especially in vintage iconography and recipes. Learning the history of pineapple farming and how it’s engrained in the diversity and culture of Hawaii is a special aspect of doing this tour that I didn’t expect. It’s all much more than a farm tour.

Book the Maui Pineapple Tour here!

Tips for a Great Maui Pineapple Tour

Being involved with your travel experiences is what makes them fun and memorable, and agritourism is very much something you can’t sit idlily by to enjoy. As you’re doing the Maui Pineapple Tour and exploring the Maui Gold farm, be a participant in it! Ask questions, try pineapple samples, volunteer your thoughts, pose for silly pictures! Farm tours like this are so much fun, for adults and for kids, so embrace the fun farm life and don’t be shy when you’re on your tour. The tour guides are great at what they do and have TONS of information to share, so soak it all in as best as you can.

Like with doing the Maui Chocolate Tour or visiting one of the coffee farms on the Kona Coast, participating in the Maui Pineapple Tour means visiting an active farm. Farms aren’t dirt-free and they can be rough to explore. The Maui Pineapple Tour is very comfortable in that you are safely transported in a nice tour van, but you do get to make stops out in the pineapple fields and you can choose to exit the van into the red dirt roadways. For this I recommend close toed shoes that you don’t mind getting a little dirty (not a lot) and a broad brimmed hat. There is no shade out in the pineapple farm and depending on how long your stops are, you may be in direct sun on a hot day for a while.

Tip: if you’re driving the Road to Hana starting from the north side, you can easily add a visit to the Maui Gold Pineapple Farm, even if you’re not doing the full tour. Get a pineapple for your road trip!

Being Prepared for the Maui Pineapple Tour

To prepare for you Maui Pineapple Tour, you first need to be sure you’ve planned your day properly. The Maui Gold Farm is located in Makawao, up the hill from Paia, so it’s about 20 minutes from the airport or 30 minutes from Kihei. You’ll want to give yourself enough time to be ON TIME because others will be waiting on you for the tour to start. There’s a great shop to peruse before and after you Maui Pineapple Tour, so feel free to do some pre-shopping before you head up into the farm.

Because a lot of this tour can be in the sunny pineapple fields, you’ll want to apply sunblock in advance. This will both help your skin be ready for the sunshine and doing it in advance will allow the scent of your sunscreen to dissipate so you can fully enjoy the amazing smell of the ripe pineapples. It’s not everyday that you get to be out and about in a pineapple farm, so you’ll want to get some photos while you’re here. Since there is no shade, it can be tricky to get the light just right for fun, artsy pineapple photos.

I recommend bringing an umbrella for shade while you’re taking pictures, and even using a longer lens if you have one. A 250mm lens is great for being able to shoot photos down the rows of fruit. The Maui Pineapple Tour gives you the chance to see all stages of the process, so you can really create a beautiful photoset if you take the time to set up interesting shots while out on the farm.

Can I take a Maui Gold Pineapple home?

Yes!! When you do the Maui Pineapple Tour one of the perks is getting to leave with an airplane-ready pineapple. It’s packaged up and easy to transport as long as you figure out your carryon situation before you get to the airport. You can also purchase additional pineapples if you like. Maui Gold Pineapples are really special because they’re picked at the perfect moment and a ripe and ready at picking, so they aren’t available in stores on the mainland USA. I brought one home to my family and we cut into it four days after I received the pineapple on my tour and it was perfect!

If you need another pineapple or haven’t been on the tour yet but want to feel like you’re standing in a pineapple field on Maui, you can actually order from Maui Gold. This is interesting because they don’t supply their pineapples to grocery stores and they’re not available to buy outside of Hawaii, but they’ll send them to you!

Visit Maui Pineapple Store

Parking at the Maui Gold Pineapple Farm

For parking, there is ample space all around the Maui Gold Pineapple store where you begin your farm tour. It’s just off Haliimaile Road, so when you turn in, you’ll be able to see what’s available before you end up exiting the lot. There is an accessible entrance to the shop from t he upper area of the parking lot; the main entrance has stairs up to the door.