Life has gradually settled back to its usual rhythm since our return from Hawaii.
Can we truly recall driving to that mountain peak, being near a wave, swimming with turtles, strolling Waikiki Beach, and sensing the lovely tropical scent?
Indeed, we did! Today, I aim to refresh my memory of our final complete day there, which involved traversing a renowned, windy route.
The Road to Hana appears to be the most discussed route; consider taking it for an adventure when visiting Hawaii.
The feedback we received regarding the Road to Hana was quite varied; here are some actual comments:
{UGGH} “Expect to feel nauseous.”
“It requires 18 hours!”
“I don't see the issue people mention; it's not that difficult.”
“Folks refer to it as ‘Divorce Road’.” {Yikes!}
“You ought to experience it; it is stunning!”
These conflicting opinions sparked intense curiosity in both of us; we were eager to understand the commotion!
I initially had no idea what “The Road to Hana” entailed.
What exactly is the Road to Hana?
Simply put, it is a narrow, curving road hugging a mountain beside the coastline.
Describing it as “winding” is an understatement; I have never encountered anything close to it…
The core idea of this experience is “It’s not the destination, but the journey.”
Doesn't that sound appealing??
Most travelers suggest taking their time and pausing often to admire the lovely scenery and magnificent waterfalls.
That sounds quite pleasant.
However, we were determined to conquer that famous road!
***
Our final full day in Maui began like others, with coffee by the beach; it felt bittersweet as we weren't ready to leave!
After getting ready and setting off, we began our journey, stopping at a Tropical Plantation along the way.
The Road to Hana features many gorgeous waterfalls throughout its path.
We oohed and ahhed over the beauty of it, grabbed a cup of Maui coffee, and headed to our first stop ~ Twin Falls.
I had heard about this area and it was one of my Hawaiian dreams. I wanted to swim in a pool with a real waterfall.
It didn’t disappoint.
The trails led to one pool and then, further up the hill was another one. It was both refreshingly cool and delightfully warm.
The trail itself was beautiful, and not such difficult hiking that you couldn’t still wear flip flops. (Thank heavens, since that’s all I had with me!)
There are many roadside stands that sell delicious food and drinks.
I also heard that you MUST get a pineapple banana smoothie on the way out.
We agree…
Our day was going fabulously. It was now about 2:00. We decided to push on and drive “The Road”…
I was totally thinking people oh, so overreacted…Until we met our first oncoming car around a completely blind corner of the mountain.
The Road to Hana is the most extreme twisty road I’ve ever travelled!
Each side of the narrow road has a sign “Yield to oncoming traffic”. It’s a bit difficult to do when neither of you can see each other until you’re nose to nose!{Yes, I’m exaggerating slightly…}
But, I do admit I developed a new squeal, just for the Road to Hana.
I used it a lot.
The idea is that you stop often at lookout spots to admire views like this:
We really only did that once.
Otherwise, I took pictures like this:
I knew if we stopped enough times, I just might not have the endurance to finish the ride… We were on a mission!
The Road to Hana ends with a black sand beach.
We finally made it to Hana, where we heard there was an amazing black sand beach.
What we discovered wasn’t exactly amazing. In fact, we laughed when we saw it…
We thought a picture by the recycling bins was a nice touch…
and the sand WAS black…
We found out later the real beach we should have been at was a few miles down the road…
Oh, well, maybe next time??
We got back into the car to head back on the winding road. The good part of travelling it at 4:30 in the afternoon is that there isn’t much traffic. We wanted to get back to our place in time to get ready for a special evening out.
We heard there was a resort (Kannapali Beach Hotel) that did a free nightly hula show. Many people choose to go to a Hawaiian Luau when there, but we both ran out of time and also weren’t that wild about sharing the experience with 700 other people! (Are we anti-social??)
It was great fun. It was a short show, with probably less “flash” that the other luau shows, but it was done by locals and was really neat.
As the sun was setting that night, we realized it was our last Hawaiian sunset. Although on a driving mission, we stopped to take pictures and soak it in…
Amazing…(and the next morning when we woke up, the vog was gone!)
