Our driver and guide, Peaches, was quite a lively lass. She kept her guests entertained with the history of the island, way of life and much more. The island looks a bit like a head, neck and shoulders of a person facing slightly down. So to describe the first part of the journey, our route took us down from Lahaina on the west coast, down to the “nose, mouth and chin” of the island then finally crossing at the narrowest point being the “neck”. Towards the back of the neck near Kahului we passed an old sugar mill that has recently been closed down. Peaches did a slight detour in order to go around it so that we could get a better view of the former mill.
From Kahului we went up the island in a north easterly direction, over the “shoulders” of the island and south easterly along the “spine”. It was soon after hitting the “spine” area of the island that we started a very narrow and windy part of the route to Hana. The legendary road between Kahului and Hana is only 52 miles however the drive can take anywhere from two to four hours to complete due to narrow one-lane bridges, and 620 curves – mainly hairpin bends. A couple of times Peaches had to stop and reverse to allow an oncoming vehicle to pass (don’t ask!). As we went around some of the curves, across the bridges, we saw beautiful waterfalls and river pools. Many of the pools were a haven for the locals who swam in the icy waters.
We stopped for about 20 minutes at Ke’anae which is also the halfway point between Kahului and Hana. We had time to explore the peninsula and visit the church as well. It was almost paradise. Even though Pu’unianiau (volcano) was hidden by clouds, every now and then you could get a whiff of sulphur.
Back on the bus and we continued the windy drive to Hana, stopping briefly near a lovely waterfall to take pictures.
Time was not on our side to stop at the black sand beach at Wai’anapanapa so we carried on to Hana where we had a buffet style lunch at the Travaasa Hana Hotel. It was simple yet delicious: salad, rice, chicken and pasta. The grounds of the property were very pretty. After lunch we backtracked to Wai’anapanapa to visit the black sand beach. There we were able to see a natural sea arch through solid lava and visit a lava tunnel.
The next part of our journey took us in a southerly and then a south westerly direction around the island to the Seven Sacred Pools in Haleakalā National Park. They weren’t really sacred. They were named as ‘sacred’ ;-) in order to bring visitors to the southern part of the island that wasn’t really frequented. The National Park is on the slopes of Halāli’i (volcano) and is a pretty area to visit. There are plenty of walking trails within the park starting at the park’s visitor centre. The river pools are popular for swimming but today they were closed off to swimmers due to a strong flow off the mountain.
Our next stop was at the Palapala Ho‘omau Congregational Church, a short drive from the Haleakalā park’s visitor centre. The church was simple and plain but at least a sheltered place of worship for the locals. The surrounding grounds were beautiful. It was in the grounds that we were able to visit Charles Lindbergh’s grave.
The next part of our journey took us along the “stomach” and “bust” side of the island. The road became very bumpy, at times there was a sheer drop into the sea from the narrow road (close your eyes or keep them open - . In areas the road has had to be rebuilt due to landslides. The lush forest gave way to grasses and deep canyons. That part of the island is a lot dryer, receiving very little rain. One could see lava formations along the way as well – that part of the island being the newest part. Although dryer, the area was beautiful in its own right. As we headed back to the “neck” of the island the scenery became lush again.
The sun set and twinkling lights of the ship came in to view as we arrived back at the harbour. It looked beautiful.
During the second half of the day a guest had become quite ill with a pounding headache which became worse as time went on. Even a painkiller didn’t touch sides. When we got to the harbour the guest’s companion and I helped the guest onto a seat on the pier whilst we waited for the tender. The ship’s medical team was notified and were waiting for us when we arrived at the ship. The tender back to the ship was uneventful and I sat admiring the sight of the ship lit up in the bay on the one side of us, and the lights on the island on the other side of us.
Although the day had been long, it had been enjoyable.
Please see my photograph album on facebook: Excurson: Adventure to Hana
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| Our next destination is to Honolulu. |
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