Seeing the road to Hana has been on my bucket list for a while. We made it happen today with a tour called Hana and Beyond by Blue Hawaiian Concierge.
We didn't get to do the "beyond" part due to road closure and repair work south of Hana. That meant we got to see the road twice- coming and going! We missed the drive south of Hale'akala and through the upcountry.
Ricky got up his usual time, but I had to get up a lot earlier, 5ish. The coffee pot greeted me with smoke signals.
This Tiki head in the Luau area channeled my early morning sentiments.
I'm excited for this tour! Raincoat ready. We were at the designated pick up spot in the back parking lot by the Luau pavilion at 6:00 am for our 6:20 scheduled pick up.
The bus showed up right on time. We were the first on. Six others made the tour with us.
I noticed the barf bags right away.
Our first coffee-bathroom pitstop was the Starbucks in Kahului.
Map of the temporary revised route due to the road closure. We didn't follow it precisely but close enough.
We stopped to admire some rainbow eucalyptus trees. They were introduced here from Australia.
Our tour guide introduced himself as "the local boy." His name is Damien. He said he was born and raised on Maui and has many family members here and a rich family history of Hawaiian traditional culture. He shared a wealth of information. He gave strong emphasis to the Hawaiian tradition of the aloha spirit, sharing, caring, and respect.
Feral chickens are everywhere on Hawaii.
Our drive took us along the coastline and through a rain forest. The scenery was so beautiful. My pictures don't come close to capturing the full beauty.
We drove by numerous waterfalls.
We stopped at this park to take some pictures.
This rock building has been here since the 1800s.
We got some of Aunt Sandy's famous warm banana bread. So good!
We crossed a lot of one lane bridges. Damien called the hairpin turns "SOBs", meaning "Slide Over Baby."
There were a lot of tourists crowded into this freshwater pool and stumbling over the rocks. Some jumped from the waterfall in defiance of the sign that said no jumping.
The ti plant protects Hawaiian homes (hale) from evil spirits.
We stopped at Waianapanapa State Park to eat lunch and enjoy the scenery. Some of our group chose to swim. We were there an hour.
The paved pathway wound around two private cemeteries.
Other end of the Lava tube
The water was an amazing color.
Dragon fruit
Damien said people have started mailing black sand and rocks back to the post office in Hana to be returned to the beach because of the bad luck they are having. He said taking the black sand and rocks angers Pele and she takes out her vengeance until what is hers is returned. He said all the sand and rocks received at the post office has become a nuisance.
Oprah's rock wall. She purchased a huge tract of land on Maui and marked the boundary with this rock wall.
Red sugar cane. It used to be the main cash crop on the island.
The old pier in Hana Harbor where ships used to load the milled sugar.
Steps up to a lookout viewing area.
Looking towards the ocean. The clouds obscured the view.
These blooms last for only one day and fall to the ground.
Looking back towards the island
I could see three waterfalls in the distance
We drove out of the rain forest and stopped at Ho'okipa Beach lookout to check on the turtles. I'm hoping to see a monk seal on some future trip.
We were so tired when we got back to the hotel. We had a small dinner at The Regency Club and called it a night.
