The Road to Hana

I still have so much more to share about my trip to Hawaii, so here's another little piece.

Once on Maui we decided to get up early and take the day trek out to Hana. Google Maps seems to think this will take about 2 hours. What Google Maps does not include is that the whole reason anyone wanders out to Hana is for all the stops along the way.

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Lucky for us Erica had her trusty guide book with directions for several cool things to see. Even where to stop and find the best homemade banana bread on the island (which we enjoyed at a little place called Half Way to Hana).

I considered buying a t-shirt that said, "I survived the Road to Hana" after our trek and here is why.



The majority of the road looks just like this. It does nothing but wind in and around the hill side. It's 15 mph (unless the curve is really tight where they lower it to 10 mph) with signs saying, "Honk around this curve" so others know you are coming. The road is narrow and has about 25 to 30 small narrow one-way bridges to cross.


Our first stop had us pulling off to a small trail, we hiked a short ways to find a beautiful waterfall.



We made several stops, but I'll keep it to the major ones or this post will be way too long.

The Seven Sacred Pools

This place was just a little ways after Hana (which we drove through and almost missed because we blinked). The Seven Sacred Pools is a beautiful place. There was a short-ish hike down to find a pool perfect for swimming so we dropped our bags and jumped in. The pool was nice and the waterfall fun to play in.

Homoa Beach

This beach was supposed to have the best body surfing, but I hear it's best if you go in the morning. We missed the morning and by early afternoon the waves were just a bit big for body surfing. I did enjoy the bigger waves until one managed to pick me up, bend me backwards and then slam me into the ground where I received several scrapes on my leg. As usual, I find a way to injure myself everywhere I go. :)

Red, Black, and White Sand Beach

I'm pretty sure this beach had a name, but I don't recall what it was. The sand on the beach is a mixture of red, black, and white sand which looks really cool.

Black Sand Beach

This beach is exactly what it sounds like.

The Road to Hana was a lot of fun, there was so much to see and not enough time to see it all. If you find yourself on Maui, it's a great day trip to make. But bring some dramamine if you get car sick easily on windy roads...