Day 2 - Road to Hana!
Day 2- Road to Hana. I was a bit apprehensive about this adventure but we decided to go for it! We only live once! And I am SO thankful we went for it - the day ended up being one of my favorites of the trip. We saw so many different, unique, natural, truly beautiful sights. Doug downloaded the "Road to Hana Maui Driving Tour" app and we listened to it the whole way. It was a GPS guided tour by "Shaka" who gave directions, told us where to stop, gave the history and facts about each stop (and places we passed by), shared the history of Maui and played Hawaiian music. It was awesome! Made the journey that much more fun. The girls loved Shaka by the end of the day!
Here we are - bright and early. Ready to go! First stop along the way - breakfast at McDonalds! Haha! The girls were so excited because in Hawaii they serve Portuguese sausage and rice along with their eggs. Ava was in heaven (she loves rice). They all passed on the spam.
Our first stop after driving through Pa'ia Town was Ho'okipa Beach. We saw a few brave souls enjoying the surf - we loved taking in the views. This beach is known for having some of the best waves on the island.
Next stop...Ke'anae Peninsula. Beautiful jagged black lava rocks led us to a traditional Hawaiian village. Known for its taro fields. We passed an old stone church built in 1856 (which was the only remaining building after a devastating tsunami in 1946). We soaked in more views and stopped at Aunt Sandy's for some warm banana bread.
Kaneae Valley overlook was our next stop - breathtaking views (do you see a pattern of this adjective on my descriptions of road to Hana!) of taro fields underneath the backdrop of the lush and green side of Mt. Haleakala. The Sun seemed to be hitting the valley just right. Look at those greens!
This little strip of stores caught our attention so we stopped to check them out! We didn't stay long - but long enough to see a crazy Hawaiian spider.
I have to find a picture of our next stop (it seems to be missing) but there was a secret lava tube that Shaka had us stop for. There was a hole right along the side of the road. I looked at Doug and asked him if he was kidding. Doug, Ava and Kate crawled through the 3 ft hole into a massive lava tube. Olivia and I watched and then got the courage up to join them. It was pretty amazing - an underground cave made from lava. We felt so adventurous!
Our next stop may have been my favorite - Waianapanapa State Park with glistening black sand beaches, lava caves and water that reflected colors I've never seen like this before. Blue, aqua, glistening beauty. The black sand beach was made up of millions of perfectly formed lava pebbles. The sand was HOT but the girls had fun burying themselves on the beach and diving into the waves. I didn't want to leave this stop - I'm pretty sure this may be what Heaven looks like. Just beautiful. Words can't even describe.
We made it to Hana town! Just in time for lunch!!! We stopped at the Hana Ranch restaurant. Great food, such fun views, the best company. Windows wide open with the Hawaiian breeze flowing through. The girls had fun climbing in and out of them:-) A mango margarita for me and a Maui brew for Doug.
Olivia had been asking constantly for a coconut. So we came to a stop on the way back - and we got Lou her very own homegrown coconut and all 3 shaved Hawaiian ice. The girls learned a new word...."ono" which means delicious! The girls thought their ice and coconut was ono!
We enjoyed the beautiful, twisty drive home (I enjoyed it even more because Doug was driving). We took in more sights from the car as our driving tour educated us on the history of Maui. It was such an amazing day - I can honestly say one of my most favorite Saturdays of my life! We capped it off with pizza and night swimming at the pool. It was a glorious, beautiful day with these 4 that I love so much.
Here we are - bright and early. Ready to go! First stop along the way - breakfast at McDonalds! Haha! The girls were so excited because in Hawaii they serve Portuguese sausage and rice along with their eggs. Ava was in heaven (she loves rice). They all passed on the spam.
We drove to our next stop on the road to Hana, passing by twin falls (we viewed from our car!). We decided to stop at Waikamoi Ridge Trail on the slopes of Haleakala, to stretch our legs and hike a bit. It was a short 1 mile loop through a high elevation rain forest - we saw so many beautiful and unique things along the way. Views of the ocean, eucalyptus trees (my favorite!), bamboo forests, ferns, beams of sunlight shining through the treetops. Just breathtaking. The smells were awesome too. And we loved the sign that said "quiet - trees at work!"
Next stop...Ke'anae Peninsula. Beautiful jagged black lava rocks led us to a traditional Hawaiian village. Known for its taro fields. We passed an old stone church built in 1856 (which was the only remaining building after a devastating tsunami in 1946). We soaked in more views and stopped at Aunt Sandy's for some warm banana bread.
View of the village from above (at Keanae overlook)...
Kaneae Valley overlook was our next stop - breathtaking views (do you see a pattern of this adjective on my descriptions of road to Hana!) of taro fields underneath the backdrop of the lush and green side of Mt. Haleakala. The Sun seemed to be hitting the valley just right. Look at those greens!
I have to find a picture of our next stop (it seems to be missing) but there was a secret lava tube that Shaka had us stop for. There was a hole right along the side of the road. I looked at Doug and asked him if he was kidding. Doug, Ava and Kate crawled through the 3 ft hole into a massive lava tube. Olivia and I watched and then got the courage up to join them. It was pretty amazing - an underground cave made from lava. We felt so adventurous!
Our next stop may have been my favorite - Waianapanapa State Park with glistening black sand beaches, lava caves and water that reflected colors I've never seen like this before. Blue, aqua, glistening beauty. The black sand beach was made up of millions of perfectly formed lava pebbles. The sand was HOT but the girls had fun burying themselves on the beach and diving into the waves. I didn't want to leave this stop - I'm pretty sure this may be what Heaven looks like. Just beautiful. Words can't even describe.
Saw this cross on the mountain along the way. One of my favorite pics from the Road to Hana. Captures my feelings perfectly - so thankful for God's creation - so much true, natural beauty that we've been given to enjoy on earth. Glimpses of Him and His goodness. I know He's there for many reasons - but I see Him in all of his creation. Just beautiful. God is the ultimate artist.
We made it to Hana town! Just in time for lunch!!! We stopped at the Hana Ranch restaurant. Great food, such fun views, the best company. Windows wide open with the Hawaiian breeze flowing through. The girls had fun climbing in and out of them:-) A mango margarita for me and a Maui brew for Doug.
After lunch we were energized and forged on towards Haleakala National Park and Makahiku Falls. Unfortunately when we got to the point of the falls - they were all dried up - so no water falls! But we saw more unique trees, twisted roots and different vegetation. We didn't quite make it up to the bamboo forest (it was pretty hot by this time and the girls were pooping out!). So we left it as a goal for next time!! :-)
Olivia had been asking constantly for a coconut. So we came to a stop on the way back - and we got Lou her very own homegrown coconut and all 3 shaved Hawaiian ice. The girls learned a new word...."ono" which means delicious! The girls thought their ice and coconut was ono!
We enjoyed the beautiful, twisty drive home (I enjoyed it even more because Doug was driving). We took in more sights from the car as our driving tour educated us on the history of Maui. It was such an amazing day - I can honestly say one of my most favorite Saturdays of my life! We capped it off with pizza and night swimming at the pool. It was a glorious, beautiful day with these 4 that I love so much.
Comments