"fulfillment lies in the journey, not the destination"
(Warning: This post is epic in size!)
Before we left on vacation- everyone said that we must, MUST drive the road to a small town call Hana on the north side of the island. Today was Paul's 35th birthday, today was the day for some adventure, fun and excitement. Today we would drive and discover the road to Hana! This proved to be my very favorite day of our vacation- THIS is the Maui experience. A narrow road with more one lane bridges, built decades ago, than I could count
and crazy amount of curves, some say 600 turns. We found it not all that scary-this is why you drive a jeep here. It was like driving any canyon road back at home, but lush, green, dripping with water and laden in mist- exotic and mesmerizing.The night before we asked our waiter Rob any advice on our journey. He said to leave no later than 8:00am, get a copy of the book "Maui Reveled" and follow it! So, that is exactly what we did and it was perfection!! This post is going to be long because of all the stunning shots we were able to get on our drive- I must share the highlights with you as I give you a mini tour of the North side. All of my excerpts and directions come from that book- if you ever go to Maui you must have this book in your possession.
Per the books instruction we skipped the first few turn off because the author said if you are on a one day drive to blow past them to better ones further up. So our first stop was to see a hidden fall that you can't see from the road "At 8/10 mile past the 10 mile marker on the ocean side is a turnout with a telephone pole and barbed wire fence. Hop over the fence and take the small path for a couple of minutes and you will be treated with a view of a large waterfall- Lower Puohokamao Falls.
That was an example of what we did the entire day- it was fun to feel like we were the only ones out discovering hidden treasures, we didn't see any people, except at the well known spots. Here are some of our other highlights of the day:Upper Puohokamoa Falls: found down a short path
Honomanu Bay and the zig-zagging Hana Highway
Ching's Pond: just past the 17 mile marker is a bridge and pullout, park walk back looking for a brake in the railing for a path that leads down to a marvelous pool that most drivers never see. 
This was Paul's favorite spot of the day- it was perfect for diving!
Halfway to Hana food stand: We were told it was a must to get the famous banana bread- so we did.
- it was worth the stop.Waikani Falls: At the 18 mile marker turn down the very straight road into the settlement of Wailua. Keep your eyes to the right to see the enormous falls dropping 1,000 feet under the highway.
I don't think the locals wanted us there, but it WAS a beautiful little secret they had!Three Bears Falls as seen from the bridge:
In case you were wondering, yes you CAN get to the falls themselves- climb down the bridge on the far side- it's just the first step that is ugly!
Look what you miss from the road!
Hanawi Falls:
Makaip Falls: Pull over past the bridge at the 25 mile marker, walk out on the bride and look straight down. You are directly above the spot where the falls start and plunge unfettered into the pool below. This was much taller than it looks here, very impressive!
Between Nahiku and Hana: Lots of little honor system fruit stands start to appear- I really liked this ones presentation:
Blue Pool: We were so excited to see this "Real Gem" in the book- we drove down the little road like they said, got out and hiked down the path (with mosquito's mind you) only to find this sign and a state barricade.
Bummer! But we did see this sweet little tiered falls on the way.
Wai'anapanapa Black Sand Beach: Formed when lava flowed and fountained into the sea, shattering on contact with the ocean. Fragments smashed against each other forming the sand you see. Really beautiful! 
It had lots of Lava Caves lining the coast that we explored.
Hana: We were so excited to keep seeing all the other cool spots that we drove right on through town without taking any pictures! The town itself is very small and quaint and peaceful- but we were on a quest and the day was slipping away.Hana has three very diffent beaches:
Red Sand Beach
Koki Beach: a mixture of red and black and white sand with coconut tree topped 'Alua Island right off shore.
Hamoa Beach: gorgeous white sand beach with beautiful waves and do you see the livestock grazing right on the shoreline? 
- my favorite beach of the day, so picturesque.7 Sacred Pools: this is a state park with a $10 admittance- EVERYONE says this is worth it, so we went on in- it was fantastic!
We swam to the falls, walked behind them and scaled the rock walls to the next pool right to the top- This was such FUN!!
What? It's the water shoes that really complete this shot!!The last store before the road turns to dirt and civilization ends.
There were a surprising number of goats chained to rocks though.We decided that we were having such a blast jeeping around all day together that we would just continue the drive right on around the Volcano completing the loop- I am SO glad that we did. This untouched side of the island had sweeping vistas and magnificent views and landscapes stretching out before us as the light began to fade and the sun began to rest on the horizon.
The radio was tuned to the Sounds of Maui station and we were mesmerized by these volcanic fields occupied only by the cattle grazing on the cliffs and walking down the dirt road we were lazily traveling.
We arrived home in the dark, the sun was gone, the town lights were glowing and we were exhausted- but totally satisfied- The Road to Hana IS Maui- so divers, yet so harmonious.And now you too have traveled it's winding paths!
Tomorrow- We hit the Summit of the Haleakala Volcano!
1 comment:
I've loved all of your Hawaii posts! Great photos and it looks like tons of fun. I thought about LOST when I saw the pictures of you guys at the waterfall. :)
Glad you had a blast and also made it home safely. Can't wait to hear all about it in person.
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