Hana Highway

Today we set out to drive the Hana Highway to the east side of Maui. It is one of the most famous drives in all of Hawaii, and is known for its narrow winding two-lane road and numerous one-lane bridges (like on every inland bend there is a bridge spanning over some stream or waterfall).



It amazes me how some of the locals don't appreciate the paradise that they live in. Mom's coworker discouragingly warned us that it was raining in Hana (OMG), and to be careful - then she said, "Oh, but you're not going to get out of your car until you get there, right?" !!! Can you believe that?

From where we started the Hwy, it is only 35 miles to Hana, but you can spend hours driving it because there are so many diversions. Everything is green and lush with mango trees reaching their vine-draped arms across the road to tickle the armpits of their older sisters, lianas dangling their roots above the passing cars like patient fisherman. Broad-leafed banana trees, guava, kukui nut, pomelo, ferns, ti leaf, koa.... Every time we drove past a patch of white- or yellow ginger, we'd slow down to inhale deeply of the flowers' intoxicating scent. We stopped at a grove of rainbow eucalpytus where I hopped the fence to take closer pictures. Wow. Smooth tan bark with strips of it peeled off to reveal a bright green, or red, or orange, or yellow! I wonder what determines what color it will be. Then the owner happened to be driving by, so i quickly returned to the fence, dodging cow pies, while mom sweet talked with him. I approached them and offered up my trespassing excuse of, "Oh your trees are soooo beautiful, I couldn't resist, I had to take pictures of them!" But not to worry.... this old man proceeded to tell us his life story (as do most local old-timers) and said he planted those trees 50 years ago, and that he was 87 and still played softball!

We walked the Waikamoi Nature Trail where we could gaze out over the bushy tops of a vast bamboo forest.

Stopped at fruit stands, and another selling coconut candy and steamed ulu (breadfruit).

Just about every turn in the road offered us an incredible view of shimmering waterfalls, or entire slopes of giant mango trees, or a breathtaking glimpse of the ocean and cliffs below.

Oh yeah, I wanted to take mom to this awesome viewpoint of Lower Puohokamoa Falls which Liane and I had gone to in 2004. I followed the guidebook's directions but was confused when we came upon a fence. Mom noticed that the barbed wire looked new, so we figured they must have blocked it off to the public. What a bummer. I started to turn back around to the road but lost my footing a little and was about to steady myself against the fence post when I noticed it had eyes and a face and hair!!!!!! EEEEEKKK! I screamed and backed away - someone had stretched and dried a boar skin over the the post!

Back on the road we went to Waianapanapa State Park and walked past freshwater caves and then onto the black sand beach. The "sand" is made up of eroded lava rock, smooth black pebbles that make a wonderful swishing sound as the waves recede back down the shore. The coast is rugged here and the ocean relentless, pounding and undercutting the lava rocks to form sea arches and blow holes.

We finally made it to Hana at 4:00pm. We started it at 10:00am. Took us 6 hours to drive 35 miles! And not a drop of rain until later in the evening. We stayed at Aloha Cottages right on Hana Bay, run by a sweet old Japanese lady. A great deal - spacious with kitchenette for only $60/night. Mom thinks this might be the same place that she and my dad stayed at 30 years ago! Not much has changed since then. In the evening we walked around Hana Town which consists of two churches, the ancient Hasegawa General Store, and Hotel Hana Maui where the smell of cooking steak wafts across the street to the pasture full of grazing cattle.