Hawaii Trip: To Hana and Back Again

Part 2 of my trip summary: Hana, Maui

From Sunday in Maui: Road to Hana

If you've ever driven to Hana, the mere mention of "Road to Hana" probably either makes your stomach churn or brings to mind more shades of green than Crayola has heard of (or maybe both). And, if you've ever stayed in Hana, the mere mention of "Hotel Hana Maui" probably makes your bones start to melt, just a little bit.

The Road to Hana one of our favorite journeys, and the Hotel Hana Maui one of our favorite hotels. So, we were very happy that during our time on Maui to take the Road to Hana (and back again) twice - once by ourselves heading to stay at the Hotel Hana Maui, and again with my parents just to see the sights.

I recognize that many people (including a few I know, I suspect) don't find the Hana Highway quite as wonderful as I do. The countless hairpin turns, steep drop-offs, one-lane bridges, ignored no-trespassing signs, makeshift parking areas, and food establishments that you doubt could pass an inspection aren't everybody's thing. But, for Matt & I, this is the stuff vacations ought to be made of.

The big thing to recognize about driving to Hana is that it isn't about getting to Hana. Unless you're spending the night, there's not really a lot to see in Hana. And, during our trip, since a bridge past Hana was being repaired, there wasn't even much of a reason to go past Hana. The Road to Hana is definitely one of those times when the journey is the destination.

Thankfully, I'm not nearly as prone to car sickness as I used to be. Yet, riding in the backseat on this road isn't something I'd want to do every day. At least it's nothing like the road around the north west side of Maui - a trip we took last October and will never do again! (Who cares that they've got the world's greatest banana bread!)

If you're going to drive the Road to Hana, I suggest you do some homework first. Get a good guidebook and read it before you leave. If you open the book just the day of or day before your drive, you'll not be able to adequately plan, and I think you'll miss out on some of the better sites. We're partial to the Maui Revealed guidebook (yes, we know some locals don't like it, but that's another story). That guidebook helps you find easy-to-get-to yet out-of-sight waterfalls, helps you figure out what's worth stopping at, and gives other background info on the road. It also outlines a few longer hikes for the more adventurous (including people who may not mind the no-trespassing signs or who may want to take time to get permission to cross private land).

Here's a bit of what you'll see driving the Road to Hana:

Surfers:

From Sunday in Maui: Road to Hana

Oddly colored trees:

From Thursday in Maui (Road to Hana)

Easy-to-get-to waterfalls:

From Sunday in Maui: Road to Hana

Interesting flowers:

From Sunday in Maui: Road to Hana

Waterfalls you can swim in, if you're willing to brave the cold water temps:

From Sunday in Maui: Road to Hana

Yummy banana bread:

From Sunday in Maui: Road to Hana

Dramatic ocean action:

From Sunday in Maui: Road to Hana

Funny signs:

From Sunday in Maui: Road to Hana

A black-sand beach:

From Maui Panoramas

If you stay in Hana and get up early, you just might have this beach to yourself:

From Monday in Maui (Hana, then the road from Hana)

I hope this gives you a little taste for why we enjoy this journey so much. I sincerely hope all of our friends can one day can take this trip!

For more pics, check out these albums:
Road to Hana (Sunday)
Back from Hana (Monday)
To Hana & Back (Thursday)