A Slightly Biased Guide

Scads of tourists make the twisting, stomach-churning drive on the spectacularly green cliff-side road to Hana, on the easternmost point of the island. Go on a weekday and leave by 8am. If you pull over and let cars by, you can enjoy a leisurely drive filled with beauty at every turn. Be sure to explore the Keanae Penisula, a flat lava flow that juts into the sea. The turn-off is just past mile marker 16.  It was here that eight people lost their lives a few winters ago when they turned their backs on the ocean and a rogue wave washed them out to sea. There is no protective reef here, and the waves crash with a vengeance.  If you love watching the ocean,  this is the place for you.

Respectful visits can be made to the remains of Pi‘ila-nihale Heiau, thought to be one of the largest in the state with 50-foot-tall walls, found at the Kahanu Garden (National Tropical Botanical Garden) near Hana ($10 entrance, open Monday-Friday). Allow 1 ½ hours to make the ½ mile walk over flat terrain. On the way, enjoy the signs marking the many plants and trees that were essential for the Polynesians who migrated to Hawaii some 1700 years ago. Access the helau via Ulaino Road near mile marker #31.

Wai'anapanapa State Park is well worth a visit. Turn left off Highway 360E (Hana Highway) onto a paved road, just beyond mile maker #32. You'll find the state park at the end of this road. This 122-acre state park encompasses a lovely black sand beach, dramatic sea caves, natural stone arch, campground, hiking trails, and remnants of the first road built around the island, the old King's Highway. The black-sand beach is too dangerous for swimming due to strong currents and a rocky reef. The black sand is the result of lava flowing into the ocean and shattering when it came in contact with the cool water.  You'll also find a stone bridge, and huge smooth volcanic tubes or caves.

Tutu’s at the Hana Harbor is a safe place to grab lunch.  We always pack a picnic lunch. Go to the Hasegawa General Store in downtown Hana (Hwy. 360, 808-248-7079), the town’s social center since 1910 and managed by four generations of Hasegawas. Load up on local treats like Spam musubi, Hana-blend coffee, local organic dried fruits and macadamia nuts, and fresh mangoes and pineapples (in season), all for decent prices. Then carefully carry it all down the steep trail to Hana’s Kaihalulu (Red Sand Beach), which is a small crescent of sand in a collapsed volcanic dome. The snorkeling is fun when the water is calm, and you’ll often have the entire place to yourself.

A drive on the Hana Highway would not be complete without a visit to the grave of Charles Lindbergh.  The challenge is trying to find it. Look for the Maui Stables sign, and turn down a road that leads to Palapala Hoomau Church, located on a beautiful promontory with a view of the Pacific Ocean beyond.

The Seven Pools (Oheo Gulch), during high season, have turned into a tourist-infested collection of crowded pools that are best seen from a distance. Save your time and hike upstream. Just ask the rangers for directions to Kipahulu Falls (and Makahiku Falls) or look for the exhibits at the ranger station at the parking lot. The first waterfall is an easy uphill walk through guava trees and assorted flora. At the iron rail adjacent to the trail, look down—way down—to the valley floor. To your left will be a spectacular falls. Then follow the lava cleft (actually a remnant of an irrigation ditch) down to the top of the falls where you can swim in a wonderful pool during periods of calm water flow). This is the waterfall where a man and his daughter were swept over the falls during a flash flood a few years ago. You may alternately walk and swim upstream to a stunning lava cave with a large swimming pool, complete with waterfall. (During low-water periods, the pool may be inaccessible unless you bring a rope ladder.) You have to return the way you went in. The second and even higher major falls is a long mile upstream. The trail takes you over two bridges into wonderful bamboo forests where the sound of the forest is amazing. Recent upgrading of the trail makes the boggy sections through the bamboo forests a delightful walk. This hike is often the only reason we drive the road to Hana!  Warning: heavy rains upcountry can change the idyllic stream into a raging torrent. Exercise due diligence.

Many tourists take the back road along Maui’s arid, unpopulated southern coast to complete the island loop from Hana. Your rental car company will probably be very upset with you, and they will not come and fetch you should your car break down. Along this dramatic, windswept stretch of highway, stop by the Kaupo General Store (808-248-8054; irregular hours) in the tiny village of Kaupo. Built in 1925, the wooden store is full of antiques (including a huge camera collection), and the old refrigerators are help-yourself. Sit on the porch and while away an hour or two in the perfect silence of this quiet coastline. Exercise due diligence along the often muddy, usually rough and pot-hole infested stretch at Kaupo, and do not even think about taking the road during heavy rain as the mud can be deep and slippery. SUVs have lost their axles here!

Resources
Hana Highway
Maui Information Guide