The Hochmuths' Adventures 2014 . . . the journey continues!: Hawaiian Adventure - Day 5

The Road to Hana

We were out of the condo at 7:30 to begin our adventure on the road to Hana. We are still here to tell this tale but the Pacific Coast Highway, which we drove last year from San Francisco to almost San Diego, seemed like nothing compared to this. This road is 64 miles long, has 46 one lane bridges and approximately 620 curves. The speed limit is 10 mph and at times that is unsafe. Our first stop along the way was to look at the colorful rainbow eucalyptus trees. They didn't disappoint. Next we had a short stop at the Wakamoi Trail. It had just rained and the trail was very muddy and slippery so we didn't venture too far. From there we took an unpaved road that led us to Homomanu Bay, a beautiful secluded spot. Next we went to the Ke'anae Peninsula, which was nearly wiped out by the tsunami of 1946. Only the immovable stone church remained. Here we stopped and had macadamia brittle, ice cream and bought fresh baked banana bread. Waianapanapa Beach with its black volcanic sand and the caves were next on our adventure. Needing sustenance to continue our journey we enjoyed Thai food at an outdoor restaurant in Hana. Along the way we encountered many waterfalls before reaching Haleakala National Park. There we took a 2 mile hike to see Makakiku Falls, the Banyan Tree and the Bamboo Forest. We were driving the last part of our trip after dusk, on narrow, narrow roads with hairpin turns and beautiful but deadly cliffs that ran along the water. It was a bit of a white knuckle ride for a while but Ron made sure we completed the full loop on the Road to Hana safely. Back home an alcoholic beverage - two for the driver- was in order. Our trip had taken us just over 12 hours but it was a trip we won't soon forget. While a lot of Hawaii is built up and touristy the road to Hana is stark and primitive.