July 7, 2006 - Road to Hana

This was our Road to Hana day. We were still waking up early so we got a good start on the day. I think we left around 6:30. No traffic and the weather was beautiful. Our first stop was at the Waikamoi Ridge Trail, it was a nice little hike. This hike makes a loop and the scenery is great, so green. Our next stop was the Lower Puohokamoa Falls. We walked down a short trail to a nice viewing spot. This is a very long waterfall. We made lots of little stops to look and take pictures. We found Ching’s Pond, but didn’t get in. After a little looking we found Three Bears Fall. We ran into another couple looking for the same falls. After finding our way down to the falls and pond, we were the only four people there. It was great. We went swimming and enjoyed the beauty. It was our best stop. We found quite a few other falls along the way, but our next favorite stop was down Nahiku Road. It is a 2.5 mile road that leads to the water, more lush than the Road to Hana. At the end there are great views of the coast, a black sand beach and a trail to some small falls. This stop was also off the beaten path. I bought flowers down this road that were wonderful; they lasted the whole time we were in Maui. I hated to leave them behind.

Three Bears Falls Hanawi Falls
Nahiku Road Wai'anapanapa State Park
Our next big stop was at Wai’anapanapa State Park. We were starving by now so we had lunch first. By now the weather had gotten a little cloudy and it started to rain before we left. We did get to enjoy the black beach and a cave a little, but would have liked to stay longer, oh well on to Hana. We only stayed in Hana a short time, and took a few pictures. Because of the rain, we didn’t look for the red sand beach. I really wanted to see it. The Wailua Falls were none existing, not enough water. There were some vendors selling crafts and baked goods at this spot. It was nice to have a break. Then we headed on to Ohe’o Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools). It was pretty, but very crowded. We went swimming for a while until the rain caught up with us! We did the complete circle around Haleakala. The road was a little rough here and there, but worth the drive. It was nice to see the changes in the landscape.

Road beyond Hana The traffic going into Lahaina was even worse than Wednesday…it took us over an hour to go the last 11 miles! We were tired by the time we got back to our condo. After a little rest we went to dinner at Cool Cat Café. Their hamburgers are huge and very good. It really hit the spot.

We didn’t do much after dinner, it felt nice to sit in the hot tub and relax.