4-4-04 Highway to Hana

Last full day today, so to make the best of it we decided to visit Hana. Hana the town itself isn’t all that impressive. What’s interesting is the road on the way to Hana. The Hana highway is one of the most spectacular drives one can ask for in the world. Not only is the view beautiful but there are tons of waterfalls, caves, beaches and pools to visit along the way. The road to Hana is something every visitor to Maui must see.

We had planned to leave early in the morning but because we were tired or rather, lazy,  we didn’t leave till 9:30. As we drove out towards Hana, the check engine light on our rental turned on so we had to make a pit stop to the rental agency to trade our car in for another. The road to Hana can be a bit rough sometimes, so it was worth the extra effort and time to make the trade. After we got a new car, we started our trip at K-mart because we were using the CD Guide to Hana that the rental agency gave us and that’s where the car audio tour started. I had thought it would be interesting to do an audio tour but it turned out to be useless and boring. It seemed to missed all the good spots and instead introduced spots such as fruit stands and restroom stops. The guide book we bought was much more useful.

As we headed out we stopped in Paia for a sack lunch since we heard that food in Hana sucks and there are no other towns to stop for lunch along the way. We went to this shop that touted itself as the best sack lunch in Maui and got roast beef sandwiches, chips, and cookies in a styrofoam ice-chest.

Because we didn’t have a lot of time we had to pick and choose our stopping points carefully. We skipped a few scenic spots and waterfalls and about an hour into the drive we made our first stop at around the 14 mile marker. The spot offers a great view of the valley, highway ribbon going around the mountain and the ocean in the distance. After a snapping a few quick pictures we went back on our journey.

We stopped at ua’a Ka’a State Park where we ate our lunch at a gazebo right in front of a waterfall. It was very beautiful and peaceful.  

Helele’ike’oha Falls aka Blue Pool

After a long bumpy ride on the Ula’ino road, which is mostly unpaved, we finally got to the Blue Pool. Initially Jae had not wanted to take the road because it was covered with large sharp rocks.  Most of the cars passing us were SUV’s and we had a sedan.  In the end we decided to just go for it.  We parked in the small parking lot and went looking for the waterfall.  After some walking we came across this stream.  A bit further up from the stream was a teany tiny waterfall…. hmmm, was this it? There didn’t seem to be anything else on the other side.  Walking west across the stream we finally saw the Blue Pool.  Wow.

Again, one has to work hard to get the best rewards. After a long hard climb through slippery boulders in the wrong shoes we made it down to the Blue pool. And boy was it worth the effort. The waterfall was beautiful, it cascaded over the rocks and into a pool that was big enough to swim in. Directly opposite the waterfall was the great Pacific Ocean. What could be a more awesome view. The water was cool to the touch and very swimmable.

Wai’anapanapa State park

Wai’anapanapa State Park has the only volcanic black sand beach on Maui. The sand is created from lava flow. This park also had some interesting freshwater caves. We had gotten lost trying to get to the beach and instead ended up at a dark and intimidating cave. We snapped our pictures and went looking for the beach. 

When we found it, it was actually quite surprising.  It was a bit dirtier than I imagined it to be but it was enjoyable nevertheless.  I’ve never seen a black beach before.

After that we turned around and went back to the condo.  We had engagements in the evening and didn’t have time to go all the way to Hana Town.  Next time…. next time….