Purchasing the "Driving to Hana and the Seven Pools" audio cassette/CD by Guide/Narrator Craig Henderson is a good choice. This is a very well done two-sided cassette/CD which plays right in your car radio cassette/CD player and which literally guides you on the way to Hana, instructing you on the best places to stop and educating you on many points of interest along the way. For $25.00 you will get the the audio cassette/CD, a one hour video, an excellent map, as well as four bottles of water and the use of a cooler for the day. That was a real bargain and we get to keep the cassette, video and map!
As I previously indicated, the road to Hana is filled with over 500 sharp curves many of which follow right upon each other. The road is in excellent condition, but by the time you are done you will feel that you are trained to race in the Monte Carlo Gran Prix, if you could only figure how to make these turns at about triple the speed!
Along the way there are many wonderful sights. One of our favorites is the Ke'anae Peninsula. Be sure to travel down into the peninsula, and when you leave, catch the view of the taro fields from the lookout about the town.
You'll also want to stop at Pua'aka'a State Wayside Park which has a wonderful waterfall, and the black sand beach at Wai'anapanapa State Park.
If you visit Wai'anapanapa State Park be sure to duck down and walk into the lava tube to the right of the beach. You can really catch a wonderful view and nice photo from inside the lava tube looking out towards the ocean.
You'll probably reach Hana by noon and you'll be ready for lunch. A excellent choice for a restful lunch in a lovely setting is the Hotel Hana-Maui. If you're in a hurry, however, just stop by the Hana Ranch Restaurant.
While in Hana, be sure to stop by the Hana Coast Gallery, considered one of the top art galleries in Hawaii. If you're re-energized from lunch you might wish to consider the three mile round-trip hike to Fagan's Cross perched high on a hill above Hana. You'll get spectacular views of Hana Harbor and the nearby coast.
Proceeding south from Hana, be sure to take the side road to Hamoa Beach, one of Maui's loveliest beaches. Your next stop is likely to be Haleakala National Park at Kipahulu and the Ohe'o Gulch Pools, ten miles past Hana. The pools can only be accessed by walking from the park's visitor center parking lot. The pools cascade over waterfalls from pool to pool. If the waters are flowing, you're likely to have quite a sight.
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.
Before you reach the unpaved portion of the road and just a little past Kipahulu, be sure to stop at the Palapala Ho'omau Congregational Church and the burial spot of Charles Lindbergh. This is a really hard to find left turn from the highway. Look for the sugar mill ruin to your right and then the turnoff straight ahead on the left.
The total trip from West Maui to Hana and around the southern part of East Maui is about 180 miles. The trip is not easy, but it is an experience that you should not miss and one you'll never regret making.
There is so much to see and do on Maui. We've tried to show you our favorites. You certainly can't see all of these attractions in one day or even on one trip. That's one of the reasons that so many tourists come back to Hawaii again and again.
