We got a lot of input from folks before we went to Maui about where we should go and what we should do. And a lot of places to eat.
One of the recommendations was driving the Road to Hana. We initially decided against it… but ultimately ended up doing it, and had a great time.
Megan and I are both car people. We like to drive. We enjoy each others’ company… we have the same taste in music, car snacks and frequency of stopping. And she’s compliant with my need to pee like every hour.
We started out early with a cooler full of fruit and sandwiches, and stopped at the recommend tourist attractions – waterfalls and short hikes. It’s a full day trip, and there are a few places to stop for food and beverages along the way, but I was glad we brought some with us.
You can drive there and back, or do what we opted to do which is continue around to the other side of the island. The whole trip took us from about 9a to about 5p. A full day.
We got our hands on a copy of the Maui Island Guide & Driving Magazine (not hard to do, they’re everywhere) and this was a good help in our figuring out where we wanted to stop. My favorite though, Coconut Glen, wasn’t on the map…
Coconut Glen
About half way, we found Coconut Glen, who sold us some of the most amazing ice cream I’ve had. I had chipotle chocolate (it was actually spicy,) and Megan went with chocolate macadamia nut. All of Coconut Glen’s ice cream is vegan, made with coconut milk. It was delicious.
Like, this guy should sell his recipe to Breyer’s for a bundle – delicious.
I found a video of Coconut Glen… it pretty much sums him up.
Coconut Glen also fed us some of his coconut candy and gave me his theory on why I’m not a big fan of coconut (something about the way commercial coconut is processed,) which I’d say is a good take-home for your coconut-loving friends and family at home. Even not loving coconut, it was pretty tasty.
This is a not-to-miss stop if you drive the road to Hana. Even if you’re not an ice cream addict like I am, you’ll want to try this stuff out.
Twin Falls
We took our guidebook’s advice and stopped at Twin Falls. There’s a small stand (made out of a short bus,) a potty (thank you potty Gods,) and it’s a decent hike up to the falls.
Megan was covered in mud by the time we got there from her flip-flops flipping it up onto her, which made it clear we’d chosen the wrong footwear for the excursion. (Quickly remedied in the car with a change to sneakers.)
We made the hike up to the falls, but didn’t make it to the falls themselves – there was some wading to be done, and neither of us were prepared to get wet at this point in the trip.
We headed back down, and Megan got the banana bread she’d heard so much about (I think hers is better,) and I was grateful beyond words to find the porta potty wasn’t a complete disaster.
It started to rain just as we reached the bus/stand, and we set off for our second stop, Keanae Peninsula.
Keanae Peninsula
This is a beautiful spot to stop and take photos, but there’s no real opportunity to hike around or get into the water. It was a good stopping point for a snack, having been on the road for about 2 hours at that point.
There were some fishermen and a very cute stray dog (there are stray dogs and roosters all over the island… we almost ended up taking one home with us. A dog, not a rooster.)
Oheo Gulch and Seven Sacred Pools
We made a few more stops along the way, but the big finale was Oheo Gulch and the Seven Sacred Pools.
It’s in Haleakala National Park, and you have to pay a park fee to enter. But it’s well worth it.
There are signs all over about folks who’ve lost their lives in the rough waters that can swell up in and around the waterfalls… they do a good job of making you feel a tiny bit nervous about what you’re about to do.
We hiked up and past the awesome banyan and pandamus trees, which have a pretty cool root system, and arrived at the top of an overlook down into the pools and waterfalls.
It’s a really beautiful overlook, even with the hoards of tourists all around. We hiked down into the pools (it was a bit like bouldering at some points) and I was eager to get into the water (Megan, not so much – it was COLD.) Even though cognitively I understood where the water came from that was flowing down the rocks, I was still a little shocked to find it was not salt water. I can be a genius like that sometimes.
I was a little nervous to find the fellow next to us had WHITE PRIDE tattoos on his arms, but other than that, it was a nice spot to stop and cool off in the water.
We got out and dried off a bit and headed back to the car.
The Other Half
Most people opt to turn around and head back the way they came. We opted to keep going, and I’m glad we did, even if I did have a tiny bit of nausea due to the sheer drop to our left for most of that part of the ride.
The drive back was significantly more harrowing than the road to Hana itself.
Having been closed due to an earthquake for some time, it was a mostly dirt. And mostly on the edge of a cliff. And I spent a good portion of the time with my eyes closed.
We had a near-miss with a barreling box truck, clearly someone who knew the roads and was driving a tad too fast.
It was a good trip, and I’m glad we decided to do it… it’s something we might do again if we ever travel back to Maui, and stop at different spots. If you’re headed there sometime soon, I’d certainly say put it on your list.
[...] 4 stars. Megan and I are driving people. We’ve driven RI -> CO twice together, and would probably do it again. We’re trip people, not destination people. If you like long rides, awesome scenery, and an opportunity to swim under a waterfall, do this. More about driving the road to Hana. [...]