The Road to Hana was EPIC
If you're looking for a beautiful and romantic adventure, this should be at the top of your travel list.
On our recent Maui vacation of a lifetime, James and I went on an AMAZING excursion. We signed up for a 12-hour tour that took us “the Road to Hana” and circled almost the entire island. It was so incredible!!
But before I give the details about our experience, I must give a huge shout-out to our tour guide, Lenny.
He was phenomenal from the time he picked us up at our condo to the time he dropped us off that night. Lenny was born and raised in Hawaii, and he was so much fun. Not only was he highly knowledgeable about the island, but he also had many great adventure stories to share with us. So that alone made this trip worth it.
The beginning of our adventure.
We started our day by heading to Ho’okipa Beach, which is on the north side of the eastern half of the island. It’s a beautiful area with a great view of the mountains and also lots of big waves, surfers, and sometimes even turtles.
On the way there, Lenny offered us fresh pineapple, grapes, and homemade bread. He had a few flavors to choose from, and I chose banana bread; James chose coconut macadamia nut. It was all delicious, even though it wasn’t keto-friendly! 😉
An interesting thing we saw on the way was the original king’s highway circling the island. I believe he said it was built in the 1600s, so it’s an ancient road. You can see the rocks that built up the road in some regions of western Maui.
We saw a huge part of the island that had once been sugar cane fields, but because the sugar cane's burning processing was making people sick, they stopped growing it. Now that 48,000 acres are used to produce other crops like limes.
The bamboo forests.
Our second stop on the Road to Hana was a visit to a Bamboo forest. There’s a trail that goes through there that apparently goes for miles. We just went a little way in to see what it was like inside there. It was interesting: outside the forest, it was a beautiful, sunny day, but beneath the bamboo, we felt raindrops from all the condensation! There are also wild pigs in the area, so Lenny carried a machete just to be safe.
One of the things that’s famous on this drive is the Chinese-built bridges.
We learned there are precisely 59 bridges, all built in the early 1900s. They were built so well that they’ve withstood the test of time, including tsunamis and adverse weather. Another thing it’s famous for is the 620 curves that you have to traverse on this journey. It’s just a constant weaving back and forth, going into the inlets and then back out around the mountain. It makes for fabulous views, though - especially when someone else is driving, and you don’t have to worry about that part.
Another cool thing was visiting the location where the opening scene of Jurassic Park was filmed.
The drive around Ke’anae Peninsula
Our next stop on the Road to Hana was in Ke’anae and it was such a beautiful place!
Sadly, this town was hit by a large tsunami in 1946. Twenty children and four adults perished when the 35-foot waves overtook the area. The only building that survived was the church and a few people who managed to get inside. The survivors placed a sign in front of the property that says “Victory because of Jesus our Savior” in Hawaiian; a simple reminder of the miracle for those who were saved.
This area offered sweeping coastal views, with black rock and blue water. We enjoyed watching the waves crash into the rocks and spray white mist up into the air, which Lenny told us is what Moana means - the mist that comes from the wave hitting the rock. This spot also had great views of Haleakalā Volcano, which is the large mountain on the east side of Maui and also home to Haleakalā National Park.
Pua’a Ka’a Falls
On our next leg, we saw a couple of waterfalls and more beautiful views. We stopped at Pua’a Ka’a Falls, and anyone who wanted to swim a bit could.
After the falls, we stopped at a spot where a beautiful rainbow eucalyptus tree stood. These are some of the prettiest trees I’ve ever seen - the bark on the trunk peels off and exposes different colors, and it’s just gorgeous. All the plants and trees in the area were terrific—so much color and beauty in it all.
James and I didn’t want to mess with getting changed or getting wet, so we opted to stay dry and comfy for the journey. LOL! Lenny, however, seized the moment to climb to the top of the falls and leap off the cliff!
Honokalani
The next stop was probably my favorite on the Road to Hana. We stopped in Honokalani and spent about an hour at Black Sand Beach, and it was truly incredible.
The rocks and the sand were so stinkin’ cool! I really wanted some to keep, but there were signs asking people not to take any, so I didn’t. Yes, I’m a good girl like that. Plus, they were REALLY pushing the “don’t take anything” request by posting that it brings bad luck, and people mail the stuff back because of all the bad luck they have when they take it. I figured I wouldn’t push my luck. Haha!
We enjoyed walking around the cove and down to the beach, then sat, basking in the cool breeze and listening to the ocean for a bit. Then we explored a cave right next to the beach, followed the trail on the other side of the cove, and climbed to the top of the hill. Talk about amazing views!!
After all the exploring, we went back over to the picnic area where our Lenny had a lunch of BBQ ribs waiting for us. Our group sat at a picnic table, enjoying the fantastic food and taking in the incredible view. It was so fun!
Wailua Falls
The waterfalls were soooo tall, dropping way down into a little pool at the bottom. It was both scary and incredible. And there’s a funny story here, too.
There was a walking path leading down to the base of the falls, but Lenny said it could be slippery. So I opted to stay on the road since I wasn’t wearing shoes for that. Well, apparently, I didn’t need to walk down that path to be in danger ... I fell in the middle of the street, in front of a car, because I stepped into a hole, weirdly. While my pride was hurt more than my body, there were no lasting injuries, thankfully. But good grief, talk about making a memory. 🤦♀️
It was still a nice stop, with beautiful views.
A nerve-wracking road, but we survived.
This part of the Road to Hana was also where it became clear that it was best to be on an excursion with an experienced driver. Holy cow! So glad we had one.
The road was very narrow as we wound up the mountain. At one point, we got behind a guy who was obviously very intimidated by the drive and terrified to move very quickly. It was torturous and slow going for a bit.
Lenny explained how he navigates through the narrow, winding roads, and after he told us what to look for and how to drive it, it made a lot of sense. However, most tourists don’t know these tricks, so they end up in the way and cause problems, like the guy in front of us. LOL!
The final ride home
After we reached the final stop on the Road to Hana, our tour became even more awesome when Lenny refused to take us back the same way we came. He believed we should see everything, so he drove us to the south side of Maui and completed the island loop.
The views were spectacular, and the landscape was so diverse. Once you get to a certain point, it’s much drier and more desert-like, plus there are hundreds of wild goats all over the place, which is also scary because they run across the road while you’re driving. This area was part of Haleakala National Park, and it’s wide-open federal land. Lenny said this is not always the safest place due to a lack of law enforcement, so visit cautiously.
All in all, this was one of the best days I’ve experienced since traveling full-time, and I’m so thankful we got to do this. It was such a priceless experience, and if you ever get the opportunity to see it for yourself, I highly recommend the company we used.
Maybe you’ll even get lucky enough to meet Lenny.