Road to Hana (Maui County, Hawaii)

 

When planning this trip to Hawaii, many of my friends recommended visiting the remote town of Hana on the far eastern side of Maui and the Haleakala Volcano. The Road to Hana is famous for it's narrowness, 617 blind curves, and 59 bridges. Driving the road inspires nightmares for some and while I was perfectly open to driving it, I decided instead to take a tour bus.

The tour company picked me up promptly at 7:00 AM at my hotel and transported me to meet the other tourists for a quick breakfast at a golf-course before beginning our trek. I ended up sitting next to an friendly, but elderly lady named Dee who was also visiting Maui for the first time. She was cute, but often in need of minor assistance with her seat belt or other minor things throughout the day. I was happy to assist. We departed at approximately 8:00 AM and began the long, dangerous Road to Hana. 

Our first stop, was at a public beach overlooking Kahului. In the distance, a rainbow springs from the clouds above and marks the western volcanoes that form Maui. Below us, our guide points out two sea turtles that have crawled their way onto the beach. The massive and majestic creatures seem almost at home in the white sand of this shoreline.

Heading on a bit further, the experience does not disappoint. Many of these curves are completely blind and must be quite scary to drive. I'm sure our guide is comfortable with the road though, as he does this five days a week. He next stops at Waianapanapa Black Sand Beach. 

The guide informs us that we have thirty minutes or so to explore the glorious black shoreline, where volcanic lava flow meets blue ocean. The beach below is amazing and I can't help myself by wade a few feet from the shore. The water is cold at first, but quickly becomes more comfortable. To my right, a small lava tube serves as a curiosity to many visitors, but I'm more interested in what lies beyond. I begin hiking to the distant peninsula crowned by tall black volcanic stone. Some of the others on the bus with me, follow along. The trail is only about a half-mile at most, but covers a large range of geologic features. Finally arriving at a blowhole, we wait for its event a couple of times before heading back to the bus.

Along the way, we encounter a number of amazing waterfalls. Most of the curves in this precarious road skirt around valleys and many of those valleys contain waterfalls. I've probably seen more waterfalls than most people reading this blog, but the falls here in this lush, tropical environment are different than any I have ever seen. They aren't the tall, majestic ones of Yosemite Valley, nor are they the welcome falls of the high desert. They have character all their own. Ferns and a myriad of other unfamiliar plants create frames around most the falls forming quite a site to see.

Finally arriving at the small town of Hana, we stop for lunch. A small native craft shop and garden are nice enough to host us. After having a wonderful meal and some interesting conversation with my fellow tourists, I decide to take a walk into the garden, which includes well groomed examples of numerous native plants. Some, like the apple-banana trees are not all that foreign, while others (which I don't know the name of) are completely new to my eyes. 

From our lunch stop, we head around the south side of the volcano into the dry section of the island. Due to the weather patterns, this part of the island gets substantially less precipitation than the other areas. The landscape is reminiscent of the high desert that I call home, but the plants are foreign, as are the blue ocean waves crashing in the distance.

We stop briefly at a an area our guide refers to as the Grand Canyon of Maui. Here, rain has carved giant gulches into the side of the volcano over the centuries to transport water to the sea. It's truly breathtaking.

Our final stop is at a organic honey farm. Here the bee-keepers harvest honey and sell snow-cones to the curious tourists. As I talk with the workers, it seems most of them are part of a traveling collective that essentially travels the world, working at such places for room, board, and a small wage while visiting, before moving onto their next stop. If only I were twenty years younger, this might be a very appealing lifestyle for me.

Finally arriving back at my hotel, I bid the group, the guide, and my new friend, Dee adieu. Seeing the wonderfully cheerful elderly lady sitting in that bench seat on the bus, I can't help but wonder if that will be me in a few years. Each day is a treasure and we are each blessed to experience as many of them as we possibly can. In total, we covered 121 miles today and while the winding road was scary at times, it was a journey I won't soon forget.