Day 3: The Road to Hana!

We decided today would be the day we drove to Hana, rain or shine. Well, it was RAIN - unbelievable amounts of it, too. But we figured if you're going to be in a car all day, why not on a rainy day? Plus, our guidebook assured us the rain would clear up 2/3 of the way through...and it did, more like 3/4 of the way, but still.

So what can I say? We drove from Kihei all the way around the island via the Hana Highway, and then on through the supposedly "rugged" lower part of the island back through Kuhului to Kihei. We left early - normally, 1500-2000 cars *per day* drive this amazingly beautiful road. Usually folks leave around 8:30 - 10 a.m., so we thought, "why not beat'em all?" and Jill set the alarm for (yawn!) 5 a.m. We were on our way with breakfast in the belly and gas in the car by 6:30 a.m. - and returned home near 5 p.m.! The odometer clicked us at about 100 miles - but with so many stops and exploration, we were glad we left as early as we did.

The road to Hana is twisty and legend has it there are over 600 turns - you can read the Wiki and learn lots more about the drive. The rain was torential at times, it was freezing cold and wet. Though I brought a bevy of extra clothes, most were intended for warm swims in ocean pools and woody streams - alas, there would be none of that. Our first waterfall stop was noted in our book and was lovely, though we had to traverse the strewn carcass of two large dead animals to get to it. Seems the ignored "No Tresspassing" sign was not doing the trick, so this was meant to deter us - it did not. Just about 30 paces and we saw the first of many glorious waterfalls!

If you saw Jurassic Park, you have a sense of what we saw. Huge, steep cliffs riddled with every shade of green you can imagine, dipping down out of eyesight to volcanic-rock-lined waterways below. Since it was rainy, the haze of low-lying clouds created a mystic scene. Jill's photos show this as well, though it was more due to the steaming up of her lens with all the weather changes!

We'll admit to wondering at times, especially during the first part of the day, if we were stupid for braving the drive despite the rain. Then, we came upon our first stunning, worth-getting-soaked-for attraction: The Pa'iloa Black Sand Beach at Wai'anapanapa State Wayside Park. O.M.G. Seriously. We parked and climbed down the beach, riddled with volcanic rock formations and of course, the black sand a direct result of this. There was a lava tube - re: a short little black cave that once carried lava up to 20 miles losing only 20 degrees in temperature - to the right. We headed down it and found an idyllic site: The opening framing a perfect shot of the ocean crashing against the huge volcanic rocks. The sound of the stones during the undertow was deafening and amazing (watch/listen to video above!). We each took photos and enjoyed viewing this amazing scene while DRY :) From there though, we ventured onto the beach and each got fairly soaked either from the rain or from being a little too optimistic with our foot placement vs. the waves.



Many short waterfall stops, a coffee stop, and driving lead us eventually to Hana proper, which, itself, is not too much to see. We ate lunch at the recommended little burger shack on the waterfront at another state park. It was mediocre and overpriced, but hit the spot nonetheless. Next up was the Red Sand Beach - and it was pretty amazing as well. Located in Hana, it was accessed first through a small green field, then down a fairly rugged cliffside that was doable using your hands for leverage and balance. Once there, the rain stopped for a bit and we even saw a ray or two of sunshine! We again played around on the beach, and again, I sorely misjudged the strength of the waves and ended up soaked. On to another set of clothes...

From here, the sun started to be a more regular occurence and the cloudy skies dissipated, opening us up to the other side of the island. Our big stop here was the pools at Haleakala National Park - a stroll through the pineapple grove led to a set of amazing pools settled in among old, gray lava formations. The ocean at it's foot, the pools invited swimming but we were both still warming up from our morning, so opted to just wade through and take photos.

The rest of the drive home was sunny and blue skies - beach after beach, stunning cliff-side views of the ocean to the left, with rolling, green (and I mean GREEN) hillsides to the right. Since not many had ventured out it seemed, we didn't struggle with too much traffic or cars in front of us blocking our view - for the majority of the drive, we 'owned the road' which was our goal and intention by getting up so early.

We arrived back in Kihei around 5 p.m., stopped at a little fish deli near the yoga studio and picked up fresh Mahi Mahi for night #2 of tacos (because really, how do you only make fixin's for one night?), came home, started the laundry (what a load!) and then settled into a bottle of Sake and dinner.

Was it worth it? Indeed! Would it have been nicer if it was sunny the whole way? Indeed. But no regrets - it'd be something I'd want to do again on my next trip, aiming for better (warm, sunny) weather and thus having (likely) a very different experience. That said, it was in many ways the Hawaii you see in pictures, and think of when you think "dream vacation to Hawaii" and for that, it was well worth the trip!

I can't help but post a lot of photos, because the whole day was a feast for the eyes!

Waterfall #1 - Jurassic Park!; Waterfall #2 - Note the CRAZY rain in the foreground; Ocean; The black 'walls' at Pa'iloa Black Sand Beach; A shot from the Lava Tube there; Black Sand Beach; and then, Red Sand Beach; Waves and blue blue blue water!; Roadside waterfall with a bunch of locals selling snacks and crafts; Us, there; Pools at Haleakala (photo does not do it justice..sorry); Blue skies & beauty the rest of the way!