Hawaii 50 - Maui Part 2 (Road to Hana)

We'd eaten so much food the night before that we ended up having a quiet night, heading back to the hotel rather than have any post feast drinks. This was probably a good thing as we needed to get up early to try to complete the Road to Hana. 

The Road to Hana starts in the town of Pala, a 40 minute drive on the other side of the island from our hotel in Lahaina. We had done quite a bit of research before the drive and the most important tip we came across was to start early. There were several reasons:

• Some of the stops get really busy and you'll end up not finding a space to be able to stop to view the sights. We missed Twin Falls as the car park was full when we drove past and on the return journey, it was closed. We weren't too bothered as we saw lots of amazing waterfalls during the trip. 
• Most people drive down the road to Hana, then turn around and come back. Some areas of the road are single track or very tight for 2 cars (especially American sized cars). If you start too late, you'll end up spending most of your time passing cars in the opposite direction which could slow you down. 
• We didn't fancy doing a windy, on the cliff face with no barriers road in the dark. It takes 3 hours to get to Hana without stops, so you're looking at an 8 to 10 hour return journey if you want to take in the sights and enjoy yourself. 

It is possible to continue on from Hana and its called 'The Road Beyond Hana'. We did a lot of research and whilst it drives through more remote areas on Haleakala National Park, with waterfalls, beaches, and amazing hikes, we decided like most people, not to do this part of the journey. Going back the way we had just come meant that we were unlikely to make too many more stops, having seen most of the sights on the way to Hana. It was going to be a 3 hour drive back, whereas The Road Beyond Hana was going to be 3 hours plus time to stop off and see the sights. Our rental insurance also didn't cover us going down this road due to its high risk. There are sections which are unpaved one-lane roads with no shoulders and a cliff that drops. 

Things we enjoyed on our journey to Hana: 

1. Ho'okipa lookout - a great stop to stop for a wee (there is a toilet here) and watch the surfing. 
2. Honomanu Bay - pretty rocky bay you can drive down to 
3. Wailua Valley State Wayside - views of both Wailua on the ocean and also the Ko'olau Gap in the mountains
4. Pua'a Kaa State Wayside Park - Our favourite stop. This is a rest stop with toilets, picnic area, and most importantly, a large car park. Its a really short walk across the road to a waterfall you can swim in. It was a great way to cool off. 

We did plan to also stop at Wai'anapanapa State Park to see the black sand/pebbles at Pa'iloa Beach. We were not able to get into the part as it was reservations only, which was a shame as we'd probably only have spent 30 minutes there, like most of the people travelling through. 

One at Hana, we stopped off a the general store to get some lunch. The general store seemed to sell everything but ready to eat food so we went to the food truck next door to pick up a grilled cheese sandwich. 

We then chilled out on the red sand of Kaihalulu Beach for an hour before starting the return journey. 

After 12 hours on the road, we decided to have a chilled out night exploring a couple of bars in Lahaina. Our favourite this night was Down the Hatch, an open air bar and canteen style restaurant with live music, sports on TV and great cocktails and beers. 

We both finished the day exhausted after so much driving, of which Lee did all of it but being a passenger can be just as tiring! We're glad we did the road to Hana, it wasn't as scary as you read, we have been on far worse roads, even in the UK! Now that we have done it, it wouldn't be something we would look to do again. Maybe a guided tour of the The Road Beyond Hana would be next on the list.