"Road to Hana" trip

Well, it’s 10:30 Tuesday night and it’s over a week since my last post.  My mind is going about 4 different directions.  I want to share about our fantastic “Road to Hana” experience we had last Saturday and Sunday; there’s also an air of excitement building here at H*gg*i as we look forward to welcoming 50-60 women participants from 20-30 different countries this weekend whom we will be hosting for the next 30-day leadership training conference, but there’s also a cautionary tone in the air as we await the possibility of [nearly unheard of in this part of the world] two, back-to-back hurricanes that may impact our weather and travel arrangements over the next 4 days.  We are also hopeful that a Hawaiian, Slack Guitar concert for which we have tickets to attend tomorrow night, about 1 hour north of here, will not be cancelled due to the weather.

“Road to Hana”
Here is a brief description from a tourist publication:
“The Road to Hana is a standout among things to do in Maui and breathtaking natural beauty of Hawaii. Stretching for 68 unforgettable miles. There are more than 600 curves on the drive from Kahului to Kipahulu, many of which are hairpin turns. There are 60 bridges, 46 of them one-lane.  The road is in view of miles of dazzling waterfalls, rugged cliffs set against vast ocean expanses, lush rainforests scented by white ginger blossoms, and secluded black sand beaches, as well as historic sites such as the grave of aviator Charles A. Lindbergh, which is located at the Kipahulu Point Light Station. The Hana Highway or Highway 360 forms most of what is known as the ‘Road to Hana.’ “

We picked up a rental car here in Kehei about 7:30 AM on Saturday and drove about 25 minute to the other coast where we started out on the Road to Hana.  We had scattered showers both days but a bit worse on Sunday, when we took a 4-mile round trip up 600 ft. up the mountain in Haleakala National Park to see the 400 ft Waimoku Falls.  My photos below will show some of the varied sights on that trail.

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Road-side vista on way to Hana

Variety of wild ginger

Hibiscus flower

Volcanic lava rock coastline

Bird-of-Paradise flower

Large banyon tree(see Leon standing at base)

Notice the man-sized Elephant Ears around Leon

Yummy, home-made ice cream stop found us along the way

Black sand beach

Lanai of our overnight stay accommodations in Hana

Banyon tree on our waterfalls hike

waterfalls hike went through bamboo forest

Four hundred foot falls

Karen on canyon-spanning walking bridge

Aerial view of part of the Road to Hana (Internet-sourced)