Road to Hana

I was not able to stay awake until 10 pm last night. We hit the pillows around 8:30. I slept pretty well. I kept waking up around our usual 6am EDT time but I was able to fall back to sleep.

Today we plan to drive to road to Hana. This is a 100km road that is famous for its twisting turns (620), one lane bridges (59) and it’s gorgeous sceneries along the way. We have downloaded a guide (GyPSy) who I call James. He provides great info and insights as we drive telling us where he suggests we stop and what to do along the road.

In the beginning there isn’t that much as we are not yet along the coast. After about 30 minutes of practicing the twisty turns, James makes us stop at the Garden of Eden which has a large variety of botanicals and a couple of nice views. This is where they filmed the scene in Jurassic park when the helicopter arrives at the Island https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn-LE8iwZJk&amp…

The tree I enjoyed the most was the rainbow eucalyptus. Colours of green and orange almost look painted on the bark. After the garden we continue the driving up and down the windy roads. The road is extremely narrow in many parts, there is only room for one car. First come, first to cross is the rule. Also, if locals are following, you move to the side when you can and let them pass.

I will not enumerate all stops James took us but I will share a couple other top stops he suggested. One of them was Keawaiki Bay. This is a black sand beach formed from some of the lava rocks. There is a trail to follow to see a blow hole. We decide to go see. It does not seem to blow much water. We get closer for a look and wait. 30 seconds later a huge wave pushes a gigantic amount of water and soaks both of us... We should have observed a bit longer. No worries it's a really nice hot day. We also stop at the Wailua falls which are about 173 feet tall. They say that people used to jump from them to prove their manhood. Today it is illegal, no worries I was not tempted.

At the end of Hana road we arrive at a National park called Haleakala. There we go to the visitor centre to ask for our camping permit that will be needed for tomorrow. Before we get the permit we must watch a mandatory movie explaining the rules and what to expect on the trail. It should be quite the adventure.

As part of the adventure, to return back to our AirBnB we must come back the same way we came in. The windy roads on the way back are tough; I am tired and can't wait to take a shower. We pick up a delicious smoothie on the way and pick up some quick diner for tonight. Tomorrow awaits a impressive hike.Read more