The First Half Of The Road To Hana
Hana is a sleepy little town located in Maui on the backside of Haleakala. Hana is a fairly quiet town with only one or two hotels. It has a small public beach that when compared to some of the other beaches on Maui seem less than impressive. And what sleepy town would be complete without a horse ranch. Hana is definitely not lacking in charm. While millions of people travel through Hana each year, few people actually stay here. The road to Hana as the Hana highway has been dubbed is more about the journey, than the actual destination. If you were to drive straight from Kahului to Hana the trip would take you about two hours. But, as I said before, this trip is about the scenery.
If you were in a huge rush to get to Hana, you would be disappointed. In order to do this trip properly, you should be in no hurry and allow for an eleven or twelve hour trip.
The first place to stop on the road to Hana is the twin falls. They are impressive if you have never seen a waterfall, but you will see some much more spectacular views along this journey. The Ko'olau Forest Reserve is one stop along the way that you should not skip. You will first see Norfolk pines located on the hillside, then some vibrantly colored Eucalyptus trees (very impressive to the east coast native). Next you will see a vast expanse of bamboo trees. It's worth the time to visit this tropical forest.
If waterfalls are your thing, you are in luck. There is the famous Waikamoi falls located at the bridge just before the 10 mile marker. This waterfall is impressive to say the least. It stretches some hundreds of feet above the bridge, and it has several different colors of moss growing alongside the falls.
The next place to stop is the Kaumahina State Wayside Park. It has picnic tables and provides a wide ocean view. This is the perfect place to stop for a quick romantic lunch. For the next several miles there is a spectacular ocean view, offering ample opportunity to pull over and take pictures. If it has recently rained, then you are in for a special treat, you will see a plethora of water falls exhibiting a rainbow of colors due to the wild vegetation. You don't get much closer to perfection than this. At this point you are roughly halfway to Hana.
The Ke'anea Valley marks the halfway point to Hana. This valley is home to the Haleakala Crater, which was formed from an eruption of the Haleakala volcano. Lava erupted from the volcano and flowed into the valley creating this giant crater. It is a sight to see. As you drive on from here you will see a sign that says "halfway to hana". There is also a camp site here, so you can either make camp or explore around the first half some more, or you can drive onto Hana.
More Articles
Hawaiian Souvenirs From Your Vacation
The Least Modernized Hawaiian Island Of Ni'ihau
Consider Surf Lessons On Oahu In Hawaii
Golfers Love Their Hawaiian Vacation On The Greens
Scuba Diving In The Paradise Of Hawaii
The Second Half Of The Road To Hana
Molokai - The Least Developed Island In Hawaii
Products And Downloads
Free Videos
More Articles And News
Golfers Love Their Hawaiian Vacation On The Greens
... designed by either Jack Nickluas or Robert Trent Jones. The Princeville courses have made a name for themselves as some of the most challenging golf courses in the world. Princeville is a resort community located on the North Shore of the island. While taking a break here, golfers can enjoy world class ...
The Maui Ocean Center Tropical Aquarium
... Another amazing display inside the aquarium is the giant cylinder columns of jelly fish. They are several feet wide, and you can watch the jellyfish float above you. The sight of these creatures is both terrifying and mesmerizing at the same time. Next you move along through the aquarium to the sea turtles ...
Hawaiian Souvenirs From Your Vacation
... This refers to the way the player would strum around the strings. There are many different souvenir shops on all of the islands from which to choose your gifts. In addition to Hilo Hattie's, there is the old stand by the ABC store. This isn't the type of ABC store that you think of on the mainland. It's ...
... by the concierge at the hotel, and I was not disappointed. The surf school required that all students wear a rash guard, which is just a long sleeve neoprene shirt. The rash guard is to protect your chest from the sand and wax on the board, not to mention the fact that it will also protect you if you ...
Enjoy The Water Sports In Hawaii
... cultural activities nestled amongst the North Shore surfing villages. The island also is home to the memorial at Pearl Harbor, which is on the top of the list of must see for Oahu There are ample opportunities for playing golf as well. All of the islands have golf courses. They range from world championship ...
Army: Chemical weapons off Hawaii should stay put The Associated Press JC King, assistant for munitions and chemical matters at the Army, said in a statement that the Army is reviewing a University of Hawaii study released ... |
 Reuters India | CBS Hawaii Five-0 theme music: Behind the scenes look at how it sounds for the ... Examiner.com July 30, 2010 -- You have heard the theme music of Hawaii Five-0 from the past, but the remake of the show premiering this fall on CBS has some of the fans ... CBS revives 'Hawaii Five-O,' reshoots pilot for new Shatner show Barney: New 'Hawaii Five-0' is in tune with the original Press Tour 411: Highlights from the 'Hawaii Five-0' panel |
Hawaii venture capital group endorses Abercrombie BusinessWeek The Hawaii Venture Capital Association is endorsing Democrat Neil Abercrombie in his run for governor. The business group representing the interests of the ... Hawaii venture capital group endorses Abercrombie |
Hawaii APEC summit will show islands to world BusinessWeek Besides a meeting of world leaders, next year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in Hawaii will be turned into a tourism ... Conference coming to Hawaii sparks worldwide coverage Business leaders form APEC support firm The Price of Global Exposure: Up to $20 Million for Security |
 msnbc.com | Jury weighs B-2 engineer's alleged secret-selling The Associated Press HONOLULU — A federal jury in Hawaii has started deliberating in the trial of a former B-2 stealth bomber engineer accused of selling military secrets to ... Jury to deliberate fate of accused spy |
Hawaiian Electric Files 2011 Rate Request to Help Increase Use of Clean Energy ... MarketWatch (press release) The filing also proposes several major new programs to help reduce Hawaii's dependence on imported fossil fuels, and further increase reliability and fuel ... Hawaiian Electric proposes rate hikes HECO Wants Rate Increases Of 5.4% Hawaiian Electric Smart Grid Plans Hit Regulatory Speedbump |
Hawaii utility proposes electric car charging deal BusinessWeek Hawaiian Electric Executive Vice President Robbie Alm says the utility wants to send a message to electric vehicle manufacturers that Hawaii is ready for ... HECO proposes reduced rate for charging cars overnight Hawaiian Electric to offer lower electric vehicle charging rates Smart grid rollout stalls in Hawaii |
 Town Hall | Trash shipping blocked, city calls for back-up plan KHON2 ... of Agriculture to task for not getting an environmental impact statement before greenlighting Hawaii trash shipping to a Washington State landfill. ... Judge delays Hawaii garbage shipments to Washington Tribe blocks Hawaii trash from being dumped in Basin Judge blocks shipments to Roosevelt Landfill |
 Gay Socialites (blog) | Hawaii lawsuit seeks equal rights for gay couples The Associated Press HONOLULU — Six gay couples in Hawaii are filing a lawsuit Thursday asking for the same rights as married couples, three weeks after Gov. ... Lambda Legal, ACLU to sue Hawaii over veto of civil unions bill Lambda Legal Files Hawaii Challenge For Gay Couples Hawaii couples file lawsuit for equal rights |
 Ninemsn | Lava flow consumes home in Hawaii photo gallery Examiner.com Hawaiian homeowner Gary Sleik has been living in a home threatened by Hawaii's gentle volcano for more than three years. In the early hours of the morning ... Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii: homes destroyed by lava from volcano that has been ... Hawaii homeowner watches molten lava destroy house after volcano erupts VIDEO: Volcano weekly report - less leeward vog? |