The Road to Paradise

Flowers at Haipu'ena Falls

I have been to the islands about 7 times, and this was my fourth and BEST trip ever down the famous Hana Highway.  The road is significantly improved, with fresh paving and wider lanes than I remember from before.  Using the Hana Road bible (Maui Revealed guidebook) we selected a few choice spots that we just had to see.  Our criteria: must have a good swimming hole and a nice scenic hike.  Most people do the drive and barely get out of their cars, simply pulling over at the bridges to observe the waterfalls from the side of the road.  In the past, we did this too.  However, today, we tried it differently and what a fabulous experience!  We started out from Makawao at 7 AM in the morning.  For the first 10 miles, we followed the route Bob had ridden the previous Friday, ending a little past mile 10 marker, for a short walk to view Lower Puohokamoa Falls.  There was a no trespassing sign, which we ignored, and a well-worn path leading to a lookout spot.  The ribbon falls dropped over 200 feet from our position to a pool below.  Along the path was a tree with red fruits resembling crab apples.  To eat them, you burst open the skins and then sucked out the sweet white flesh from inside. They resembled the flavor of mangosteens but were much smaller -- Bob's bicycle guide had shared this bit of knowledge with us.

We got back into the car and drove another mile before we had to stop again, at Haipu'ena Falls just past mile 11.  After a short walk past some incredibly beautiful flowers, we came to a lovely pool and small waterfall.  Although I wanted to swim, Bob assured me we'd find a better spot later, and he was right!

Haipua'ena Falls are small but the pool is large and inviting

We stopped next to take pictures of Honomanu Bay at around mile 14, and then took some additional pictures of the taro fields near the village of Wailua on the ocean side of the road, and the Ko'olau Gap on the mountain side of the road from the Wailua Valley State Wayside (wayside is a quaint name for rest stop) near mile 19.  See pictures of these below.









After leaving these sights, we came across one of the most awesome places yet.  Part of its inspiration was, I think, that it was technically illegal to go there.  We took a 10 minute walk down a restricted road (Wailuaiki Road) just past mile 21.  It led through tropical vegetation and opened out to reveal two beautiful pools, the upper of which had a fabulous waterfall.  The initial part of the hike looked steep; this and the large NO TRESPASSING signs apparently dissuaded a lot of visitors, so we had the place to ourselves for some sunbathing. 
 

It was hard to leave this treasured place, but time was ticking away and we had to move on.  Our next stop was Nahiku Road,  a 2.5 mile diversion from the Hana Highway, down to the coast.  Lush, gorgeous, the quintessential island experience -- full of greenery, flowers, a little Hawaiian village, and exceptional seaside views at the end of the road. 

We thought we had found the mecca of cool places to hang out, until we came to Wai'anapanapa Park at mile 32.  Wow!  This is a beautiful, well maintained little park with campsites, cabins, a black sand beach and the best of all - spring fed fresh water caves!  The water was clear and inviting, although it was a little on the chilly side. 

We swam to dark corners and hideouts in the cave and enjoyed a nice break from the sun.   I tried to take a picture but due to the lack of light, they did not come out too well.  You will just have to go there and experience it for yourself.  To the right is picture of a lava tube which stretches between one part of the black sand beach, out to the ocean. Since it was noon and we'd been on the road almost 5 hours, we decided to enjoy the views and have lunch at this park.    After lunch, we were anxious to get a real hike in, so we decided to pass by any additional sights and head straight for 'Ohe'o Gulch, home of the bamboo forest and the seven sacred pools. Easier said than done.  There were more beautiful falls just off the road, so we had to take just one more picture... I know, I know! When we arrived, the pools were closed to swimming due to intermittent flash floods and strong water flow coming down the mountain.  Taking a look at them, you would not have wanted to try it, unless you favored being washed over a series of falls onto sharp lava rocks, and then dropped into the rough ocean at the end of your unfortunate ride.   The picture below doesn't capture the force of the current - but you can see how brown the water was, from all the flash flood sediment.  Opting to hike instead, we set out for a 4 mile round trip journey on the Pipiwai Trail, which was very scenic, with multiple waterfalls, each better than the last.   

Waimoku Falls, at the end of the trail

We finished the hike at about 4:30PM but still had some energy left for more exploring. Our next stop as we drove back towards Hana was a once in a lifetime experience - we walked out to Venus Pool, a huge, warm water, spring-fed pond sitting right at the ocean's edge.  Huge waves were breaking at the shoreline, and crashing into a rock burm built up about 10 feet high from the tidal and river actions over time.  The pond was about 50 or 60 feet across and was lined with lush tropical overgrowth. It had a dry waterfall on one end and the sea on the other.  As we swam across the pond we could watch huge waves break at the edge of the pond, but not reach the pond due to the rock burm.  This is definitely a place will return to every time we are in Maui. 

Finally, we finished our day with a quick visit to Koki beach and then back to the picnic grounds at Wai'anapanapa Park, where we had our dinner and then departed for home.   What a great day!