THE ROAD TO HANA

The “Road to Hana” is the number one activity for tourists on Maui. EVERYONE who has ever visited the Valley Isle will state that you MUST take this 68 mile road trip along a winding, narrow road, over seemingly countless bridges and with so many twists and curves you can go DIZZY, but with so many gorgeous stops and spectacular vistas you’ll take a FULL DAY to see it all. Maybe you should take TWO days some say. The drive skirts the rainy side of Mt. Haleakala and passes through lush growth and along dramatic cliffs. There are short hikes to waterfalls and secluded beaches at nearly every turn and at every turn you will want to stop and enjoy the natural beauty before you. Yes, you HAVE TO take the ROAD TO HANA!!!

The thing is there will be a lot of other people doing the same thing at the exact same time

the Road to Hana

and it takes just one guy slower than the rest for you to get into a slow conga line of cars, and you will spend the day WORRIED about the bumper in front of you. Along with all the natural beauty you WILL definitely encounter very impatient locals hurtling down this lovely road; they have seen all of this spectacular BEAUTY before and now YOU ARE IN THEIR WAY. They don’t care you’re reveling in your great fortune to be ON THE ROAD TO HANA because EVERYONE told you to take this road trip. You are IN THEIR WAY! Yes, Aloha Spirit DOES NOT travel well on the Road to Hana.

Perhaps, inspired by the brazen locals, you also try to barrel white knuckled along the turns on two wheels? Perhaps such insanity will be out of necessity, because you’ve taken far too much time and you certainly don’t want to be stuck on the road to Hana at NIGHT! Perhaps when you get back to your resort or during a stop in the little hippie town of Paia you will purchase a “Survivor” t-shirt proclaiming your bravery at traveling the ROAD TO HANA without going airborne? Perhaps after reading this blog entry you may say why bother taking this trip?

You should, all kidding aside, take the Road to Hana, but prepare. Leave early enough, even

pre-dawn just so you can beat the RUSH hours and all the other tourists, even consider staying overnight that way you can be far more relaxed and willing to explore. Guide books devote a lot of pages on preparing for the trip as there are no gas stations, etc. and can offer some good advice and places to stay. I also recommend purchasing a cd guide for the trip that will point out places to stop to explore. Fumbling with an outdated and mismarked ledger leads to frustration. Also, DON’T STOP everywhere. There is so much beauty that you can linger along this incredible stretch for too long and then give the rest short shrift. Even when you reach your destination of Hana, a sleepy little town stuck in time, there can still be so much more traveling. You can snorkel at the black sand beach at Waianapanaga State Park, find the red sand beach which is difficult to reach but is clothing optional, or drive further to the seven sacred pools of Oh’eo that are actually in Haleakala National Park or drive even further along to visit the gravesite of the American aviator, Charles Lindbergh in Kipahulu.

If you decide to linger in Hana visit the Hasegawa General Store for return supplies.
HASEGAWA GENERAL STORE

Sadly, we did none of this. Rain dampened our ardor and with an eye on the time we just did a quick swing through Hana after having a good, if pricey, lunch at the Hana Ranch Restaurant.

I had my first Loco Moco there; a hamburger patty with a fried egg, brown gravy and sitting on rice. At $17 it was pricey, but the quality of the meat was very good.

Waianapanaga State Park

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ROAD TO HANA

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