Everyone says that the Road to Hana is a Maui must do. Everyone is right. We loved the journey as much as the destination. Since we had stayed overnight in Paia and were nearly at the start of the road (versus coming from Wailea or Ka'anapaali in West Maui), and because we couldn't check into our Vrbo in Hana until 4 p.m., we weren't in a huge hurry to start or to rush through the drive. We also weren't making a round trip like most do, so that helped us set a leisurely pace. We enjoyed an early lunch, restocked our gas, snack and water supply, and headed off. I had downloaded the GyPSy Guide app, which told us where we must stop versus just nice to stops, as well as some great background info along the way. Multiple friends recommended it, and I loved it from our Yellowstone/Grand Teton trip, so it was no question. It was either overcast, windy or drizzling most of the day. But it just added to the rain forest effect! And we had expected it so had rain coats and water shoes.
The pictures above are at an arboretum. It was a short trail with some cool trees like the rainbow eucalyptus. My favorite stop - and our longest - was the Keanae Peninsula. The coastal scenery was just amazing. The water was breaking against the rocks. William was the first to verbalize that you could "taste the salt in the air." We were all on a bit of a high. We were helped along by there being restrooms and the famous Auntie Sandy's banana bread snack bar. (We bought two loaves. And then two more when we came back through on the return trip a few days later....)
John, ever the explorer, was out on the rocks. William is getting more confident and following/leading his dad into some of these "too close to the edge for mom" situations. I was safely watching from above when a huge wave rolled in and splashed John from behind. We all got the laugh though! And he posed for some photos after the fact! I mean, if you're going to explore a hole with water in it, you need to be aware of where that water is coming from!
This next set of photos was the next outcropping over near the restrooms. The foamy surf was left behind when the waves washed in and out. The guys walked out onto the bigger rocks and then had to wait for the right timing to get back, since that area was intermittently covered in water.
As I was using the restroom, the guys wandered off and didn't return to the car for a considerable amount of time. I was eating the warm banana bread and considering whether I needed to save any for sharing (John doesn't love fruit desserts....would that apply to bread??) when they finally resurfaced with a coconut! They had already de-husked it and were now ready to crack it open to drink. With some effort, William did break it open on a rock and got the first drink! We got it completely open and all enjoyed some. It was good! And I don't like the bottled kind. William was very, very proud of this effort!
After the unplanned shower, the coconut hunting and the banana bread, we weren't sure the day could get any better! We continued our drive of windy roads full of one lane bridges and waterfall and lush, amazing scenery. Mid-afternoon we made it to Hana and got settled in our Vrbo there for two nights.
