First tender out – thanks to our priority tender passes – and luckily we’re some of the last people on so we don’t have to sit and bob too much. The currents here are really playing havoc with the tendering. It’s hard for us to get on the thing, and watching some of these older folks, and people with walking issues, is a little frightening actually. But, we all manage to make it aboard without injury (fortunately) and we are shore side in no time.
Unfortunately, our rental car shuttle isn’t waiting for us as they said it would be when we called from the tender. Sigh. After impatiently watching all the other rental car shuttles arrive and depart, our Enterprise guy finally arrives. He then proceeds to tell us he is waiting for someone else too. Ugh. We want to be on the road – even though we have all day – we don’t want to be too late out on the road to Hana. Fortunately, the driver decides not to wait long for the other passenger and we are shuttled out to Kaanapali to get the car.
Finally on the road, we head through Lahaina, past the great scenic viewpoint where we have watched for whales in season, and on into Kahului, to shop for our picnic lunch. Foodland is a bust – no good poke and expensive beer, but Safeway turns out to be great – both Poke and beer-wise. So we are stocked and ready to go, with on more stop at Long’s Drugs for cheap Jelly Belly’s, because it is National Jelly Bean day. Don’t ask!
It takes us another half an hour to finally get through Paia and onto the Road to Hana. It’s another gorgeous day, and the traffic is not too bad. We’ve printed out a short little guide from Frommer, so we know where we are and what to look for at certain mile markers.
We pass Twin Falls and the turn off for hidden Huelo, which means “tail-end”, because it is hemmed in by Waipo and Hoalua bays, and make our first stop at the Waikamoi Ridge trail, which the guide says is a great “family hike”, good for “toddlers” and “grandparents”. We figure it will be a nice little leg stretch and we can eat our lunch there at the picnic area.
The hike goes through the rain forest and has signs along the way for most of the trees and foliage.
The trail is easy going up, lots of steps that have been carved out of the hillside, and little walkways with gravel. It’s a loop trail,so we figure we’ll be good on the way down too. Not so. I’m seriously contesting the “toddlers” and “grandparents” part of this hike! After we get to the top of the loop and head down, the trail degenerates into massive roots, huge steps, rocks and then total mud. It is a mess – and not and “easy family hike” at all. At least not in our minds. It’s so bad, we turn around and go back down the “good” trail. We stop at the summit of the loop for some scenic pictures…
…then it is back down to the picnic area for lunch, warning all the hikers along the way about the mud fest on the other side.
Lunch is fabulous again – although both Ed and I are getting Poke-ed out at this point, but it is still really, really good – and again, who could ask for a better setting? (And no chickens to fight off today!)
Back on the road, we twist and turn our way up the coast, passing all the people on the side of the road at the water falls, and trying to avoid all the people who aren’t the best at navigating this road, unlike Ed who thoroughly enjoys it. We speed through turns and twists, finally reaching the turn off for Keanae Peninsula, which is described in the guide as “a place time forgot”. And I guess it is – there are a couple of houses down here – one selling banana bread and snacks – and not much else but farmland. The road ends at a great bay where the water is really churning and the waves are crashing into the lava strewn coastline. Powerful.
On the Mauka (mountain) side, all around us is bucolic farmland of green fields and little barns or sheds.
Quite the contrast between Makai (ocean) side and Mauka side.
We press onto Hana, this is where the road gets really twisty, turny and narrow. The views are spectacular, but no way to take pictures. I can’t look anywhere but straight ahead for too long, or I’ll get car sick, and there’s no where to really stop – so you’ll just have to take our word for it. It’s sort of like the Amalfi Coast drive, only a little easier because there aren’t those rock walls closing in on both sides you like on Amalfi. But there are sheer cliffs of rock on the Mauka side, and drop offs on the Makai side, so it’s not exactly easy. Just to prove the point , there is a dump truck on its side in a ditch (you can just barely see it’s wheels peeking up over the side of the ditch) going to show that even if you are a local, the road can be treacherous!
We soldier on, passing all the fruit stands (most are closed) and the few restaurants and stores along the way, and finally get to Hana and through it, down to Hana Bay where we do our flip and head back to Lahaina.
The drive back never seems to take as long, plus, there isn’t much traffic going this way at all. But there is still a lot of traffic coming out to Hana. This late in the day, for certain they will be driving back at night. Not something we’d ever want to do – no way. That road in the daytime is hard enough, at night? Nah, thanks, we’ll pass.
We stop at a couple of outlooks on the way back with lovely ocean and ravine views….
…and make it back to Lahaina around 4:00. We search out a parking lot to leave the car overnight. Ed had found one mentioned online for $10, but when we get there it’s $25. Hmmm…there must be other options. We have a map listing all the lots, so we drive around a bit and find another lot that is only $12. That’s more like it. We stash the car, and head back to the tender for our bumpy ride back to the ship. We’re staying aboard tonight, no need to go off since we’ve spent so much time in Maui already, we’re happy to be on the ship and hang out.
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