Hawaii Diary 2000
Part 15: Drive to Hana Maui and beyond from Oheo Gulch to Ulupalakua
I'm not going to give you a detailed report on the drive to Hana. We've done several articles previously on this site, and we'll give you some links to those at the end of this report.
Eileen and I decided that we would drive back to Hana and beyond, but this time see and do things that we missed on our previous drive two years ago.
Based on discussions with Heidi Scoggins of Klahani Travel in Lahaina, Maui and with our tour guide at the Tedeschi Winery, we also concluded that we probably could drive around the southern coast of East Maui from Oheo Gulch to Ulupalakua without much difficulty.
The travel books, drive guides, and rental car maps will tell you not to drive south of Kipahulu. Don't accept that as the last word. These standard publications tell you that many miles of roadway beyond this point are unpaved and dangerous. In reality, you will find about five total miles of road that, while unpaved, is well graded, and a lot of the rest of the road is paved if a bit bumpy.
The key is, if the posting on the board at the Ranger Station at `Ohe`o Gulch tells you that the road is open to ALL vehicles, then go for it! You will be back at your resort near Lahaina, Kihei or Wailea in about 2-3 hours, well short of what it would take you to retrace your steps back along the Hana Highway. Furthermore, while a bit rough, the road has far fewer turns, bridges and curves than the road to Hana from Paia, and is a much easier drive.
We left our base at Honokowai at about 7:45 a.m. and did not get back until about 6:30 p.m. this evening. Our total trip was about 180 miles. The trip around Eastern Maui and Haleakala is not easy, but it is an experience that you should not miss.
Here are a few of our photos of today's trip:
Photo by John Fischer
Next Page > More Photos > Page 1, 2
