Guide to Hana, Hawaii
Hana Town, Hawaii is as authentic Hawaii as it gets. Although it is only 52 miles away from the Kahului Airport, it will take you about 4 hours to drive the Hana Highway along the coastal rainforest to Hana. Most people opt to stay in Lahaina or Wailea but no trip to Maui is complete without a stop in Hana. This is where you will see 'real Hawaii'. Somehow, Hana has avoided the major developments that have taken place on the other side of the island and is virtually untouched as far as tourism goes with hotels and shopping.
There is so much to see and do. Our days in Hana were my favorite. We had just the right amount of relaxing and playing at the beach with more active adventures.
The first place I was dying to see was the Seven Sacred Pools. The Ohe'o Gulch or Seven Sacred Pools, are about 15 minutes past Hana town. There are actually dozens of pools and waterfalls which flow through the ‘Ohe‘o Gulch into the ocean nearby but these ones are the biggest.
We hiked down the Kuloa Point trail which leads down to the ocean with a great view of the pools themselves. We wanted to swim in one of the pools but the weather kicked up and started pounding us with rain so we were worried about flash flooding. I'm not normally one to be paranoid about stuff like that but there were warning signs everywhere and the weather was so unpredictable.
We got soaked. Luckily we had packed the rain cover for our camera. (Thanks Jon)
After hiding out under a tree for the storm to pass we decided to hike back up to the crossing with the Pipiwai trail. This is supposed to be one of the best hikes on Maui and I would have to say it was otherworldly.
Right off the bat we found this crazy looking tree that looks like the Eywa tree from Avatar. The limbs get so heavy that they start to grow supports down to the ground to hold it up!
Jon decided to help.
Pipiwai is 4 miles round trip with a gain in elevation of 650 feet and several great waterfalls along the route.
After hiking past the waterfalls, we came to a bamboo forest.
It was so amazing! You could not see more than a foot to either side the bamboo forest was so thick and reached over 40 feet, blocking out the sky. Just thinking of how much bamboo it would take to do that was overwhelming considering that each branch was about 3 inches in diameter.
It continued raining on us off and on and most of the trail was through mud. One place we came to had this beautiful wooded boardwalk stretching off in the distance. It was so magical especially because when the wind would blow we could hear the bamboo stalks hitting against each other making the coolest sounds.
This was my favorite thing that I saw in all of Hawaii.
We finally made it out of the bamboo forest and started our ascent again. We could see Waimoku Falls in the back, but first we had to cross a stream. I had been so glad I bought waterproof hiking shoes before our trip to Hawaii and had been grateful for them the last few hours as we were hiking through the mud and rain. But now we crossed the river which was higher than my ankles and water got inside my shoes and couldn't dry off.
This picture doesn't do Waimoku Falls justice. The water falls down a 400-foot sheer lava rock wall. It was absolutely incredible.
We had a little snack then headed back to the car. I am so glad we did this hike and didn't get scared off by the weather. It was definitely a must-see.
HAMOA BEACH _________________________________________________________________
Hamoa Beach is stunning in its beauty. According to National Geographic, Hamoa Beach is one of the top 5 beaches in the world. It is about 1,000 feet long and about 100 feet wide, with lush palm trees and lava cliffs surrounding its crescent-shaped cove. It is so secluded and there were hardly any other people there. It felt like our own private beach.
Hamoa is unprotected by fringing reefs, so big surfs hit the beach unobstructed especially during the winter months so we are lucky we came in November. Jon has been wanting to body surf and with the big wave it was perfect. There was no reef or anything to hit your toes (or your head during a wipe-out). The tide was definitely too strong for me. I felt pretty nervous out there so I came back in and had a great time watching Jon and a couple other surfers out there.
After we decided we'd had enough for the day, dark storm clouds moved in and dumped rain on us for at least 15 min straight. Luckily, we had just finished packing up when it started, so we ran as fast as we could to a pavilion 25 feet away. By the time we got there we were soaked and then the wind really started to howl. It was crazy! I got a video of it and every time I watch it I can't believe how fast the weather changed. I wonder if it is like that in every coastal town?
HONOKALANI BEACH __________________________________________________________
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| 7 Sacred Pools |
We got soaked. Luckily we had packed the rain cover for our camera. (Thanks Jon)
After hiding out under a tree for the storm to pass we decided to hike back up to the crossing with the Pipiwai trail. This is supposed to be one of the best hikes on Maui and I would have to say it was otherworldly.
Right off the bat we found this crazy looking tree that looks like the Eywa tree from Avatar. The limbs get so heavy that they start to grow supports down to the ground to hold it up!
Jon decided to help.
Pipiwai is 4 miles round trip with a gain in elevation of 650 feet and several great waterfalls along the route.
After hiking past the waterfalls, we came to a bamboo forest.
It was so amazing! You could not see more than a foot to either side the bamboo forest was so thick and reached over 40 feet, blocking out the sky. Just thinking of how much bamboo it would take to do that was overwhelming considering that each branch was about 3 inches in diameter.
It continued raining on us off and on and most of the trail was through mud. One place we came to had this beautiful wooded boardwalk stretching off in the distance. It was so magical especially because when the wind would blow we could hear the bamboo stalks hitting against each other making the coolest sounds.
This was my favorite thing that I saw in all of Hawaii.
We finally made it out of the bamboo forest and started our ascent again. We could see Waimoku Falls in the back, but first we had to cross a stream. I had been so glad I bought waterproof hiking shoes before our trip to Hawaii and had been grateful for them the last few hours as we were hiking through the mud and rain. But now we crossed the river which was higher than my ankles and water got inside my shoes and couldn't dry off.
This picture doesn't do Waimoku Falls justice. The water falls down a 400-foot sheer lava rock wall. It was absolutely incredible.
We had a little snack then headed back to the car. I am so glad we did this hike and didn't get scared off by the weather. It was definitely a must-see.
HAMOA BEACH _________________________________________________________________
Hamoa Beach is stunning in its beauty. According to National Geographic, Hamoa Beach is one of the top 5 beaches in the world. It is about 1,000 feet long and about 100 feet wide, with lush palm trees and lava cliffs surrounding its crescent-shaped cove. It is so secluded and there were hardly any other people there. It felt like our own private beach.
I picked a flower off a tree on our way down the trail to Hamoa. I love all these beautiful tropical flowers. It was so peaceful and romantic sitting out in the sun. I could do that every day during this vacation. It's the perfect beach paradise.
After we decided we'd had enough for the day, dark storm clouds moved in and dumped rain on us for at least 15 min straight. Luckily, we had just finished packing up when it started, so we ran as fast as we could to a pavilion 25 feet away. By the time we got there we were soaked and then the wind really started to howl. It was crazy! I got a video of it and every time I watch it I can't believe how fast the weather changed. I wonder if it is like that in every coastal town?
HONOKALANI BEACH __________________________________________________________
Honokalani Beach is a black sand beach. It is spectacular! The obsidian sand made from the same black volcanic rock that makes the rugged coastline with the lush green plants against the crystal blue water is breathtaking.
There are a lot of things to do here. You can explore lava tubes, caves, natural stone arches, sea stacks and blowholes.
There are a lot of things to do here. You can explore lava tubes, caves, natural stone arches, sea stacks and blowholes.
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