Sometimes, there are touristy things on websites or in guidebooks and you wonder if they are really worth it. The road to Hana is one of those things. It's become kind of a destination thing and there are a million possible places to stop along the way, so you really have to figure you out what your priorities are when you make this trek. For me, the priority was not sitting in traffic all day. If I've learned one thing living in Washington D.C. it's that you want to be going against the flow of traffic during your morning commute. The same is true in regards to the Road to Hana.
With that as our guide, we got up early and headed out before the other sleepy heads on Maui were awake and ready to go. By daybreak, we were well on our way to making our first of six hundred and twenty twisty turns on our way to the other side of the island. We didn't stop at the first set of waterfalls, or the second. We made a beeline for the end of the road with the idea of hitting things on the way back. It was definitely the way to go.
One stop we did make on the way was at the Hana Farms store. The banana bread there was legendary and with good reason, it was delicious and clearly made with bananas that had been crossed with cocaine. I could have eaten five loaves myself. It was so good. They also had cookies that were bigger than Madeline's head. In fact, a lot of things on this trip were bigger than Madeline's head....cookies, flowers, whales.
After filling ourselves with banana bread, we continued our twisty journey. We did have to stop by one of the dozens of roadside waterfalls because everyone got a little car sick, but we didn't stop for long! The drive itself was ridiculously beautiful with glimpses of the ocean, waterfalls, tropical forests and stunning vistas. Even if you are stuck in traffic, it's probably amazing. It's also very narrow in places which ads to the time it takes to make it all the way to the National Park.
When we arrived, it was raining gently, which is ok on a hike in Maui because its 80 degrees outside. The Pipiwai trail is well worth the drive. It's an easy trail and it is stunning. The giant banyan tree is incredible, but we really enjoyed the walk on the boardwalk through the bamboo forest. The bamboo would knock together in the wind and it sounded so cool. On the way to the main waterfall, there was another amazing waterfall. Truthfully, the whole hike was fabulous and we barely noticed the 1.8 miles to Waimoku falls. Once done with the hike, we hiked down along the seven sacred pools and had lunch by the ocean. That was just as stunning as the hike in many ways. As we sat by the ocean, the sheer power of the waves against the lava rocks was fabulous. The vistas were stunning and the wind refreshing.
After lunch, we began our journey back to the other end of the island. As we made our way back up the road, it was clear to see that we had made the right decision. There was a line of cars trying to get to the National Park. As we cruised back through the six hundred and twenty curves, we made a few stops. The first was for some coconut ice cream that was supposed to be super amazing. It was not. It was the most overrated ice cream I have ever had. Not worth the stop. The second was to see the wonky bark on some of the Eucalyptus trees. They were cool. The final was at a garden aptly named the Garden of Eden. A little pricey, but certainly worth the stop. The views were amazing, and all the flowers and trees were beautiful. It was a nice place to stretch the legs after being in the car for so long on the way back. After that, we headed back to the resort. We laughed at all the signs that had been changed to be somewhat inappropriate and marveled at all the broken-down cars. In fact, I thought it would be clever to just make those junked out cars mile markers, there were plenty of them to see.
All in all, the road to Hana was an amazing and fun filled day. It was well worth the drive and the one thousand and forty turns.
With that as our guide, we got up early and headed out before the other sleepy heads on Maui were awake and ready to go. By daybreak, we were well on our way to making our first of six hundred and twenty twisty turns on our way to the other side of the island. We didn't stop at the first set of waterfalls, or the second. We made a beeline for the end of the road with the idea of hitting things on the way back. It was definitely the way to go.
One stop we did make on the way was at the Hana Farms store. The banana bread there was legendary and with good reason, it was delicious and clearly made with bananas that had been crossed with cocaine. I could have eaten five loaves myself. It was so good. They also had cookies that were bigger than Madeline's head. In fact, a lot of things on this trip were bigger than Madeline's head....cookies, flowers, whales.
After filling ourselves with banana bread, we continued our twisty journey. We did have to stop by one of the dozens of roadside waterfalls because everyone got a little car sick, but we didn't stop for long! The drive itself was ridiculously beautiful with glimpses of the ocean, waterfalls, tropical forests and stunning vistas. Even if you are stuck in traffic, it's probably amazing. It's also very narrow in places which ads to the time it takes to make it all the way to the National Park.
When we arrived, it was raining gently, which is ok on a hike in Maui because its 80 degrees outside. The Pipiwai trail is well worth the drive. It's an easy trail and it is stunning. The giant banyan tree is incredible, but we really enjoyed the walk on the boardwalk through the bamboo forest. The bamboo would knock together in the wind and it sounded so cool. On the way to the main waterfall, there was another amazing waterfall. Truthfully, the whole hike was fabulous and we barely noticed the 1.8 miles to Waimoku falls. Once done with the hike, we hiked down along the seven sacred pools and had lunch by the ocean. That was just as stunning as the hike in many ways. As we sat by the ocean, the sheer power of the waves against the lava rocks was fabulous. The vistas were stunning and the wind refreshing.
After lunch, we began our journey back to the other end of the island. As we made our way back up the road, it was clear to see that we had made the right decision. There was a line of cars trying to get to the National Park. As we cruised back through the six hundred and twenty curves, we made a few stops. The first was for some coconut ice cream that was supposed to be super amazing. It was not. It was the most overrated ice cream I have ever had. Not worth the stop. The second was to see the wonky bark on some of the Eucalyptus trees. They were cool. The final was at a garden aptly named the Garden of Eden. A little pricey, but certainly worth the stop. The views were amazing, and all the flowers and trees were beautiful. It was a nice place to stretch the legs after being in the car for so long on the way back. After that, we headed back to the resort. We laughed at all the signs that had been changed to be somewhat inappropriate and marveled at all the broken-down cars. In fact, I thought it would be clever to just make those junked out cars mile markers, there were plenty of them to see.
All in all, the road to Hana was an amazing and fun filled day. It was well worth the drive and the one thousand and forty turns.
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