A Marathon in Hawai'i, Part 2: The Road to Hana

I finally made it to Hawai'i!  Technically, it was the island of Maui that I was on but it is still Hawai'i.  I stayed on the north side of the island in the Banana Bungalow Hostel. I did not do too much on the first day I was there as I had a sleep migraine that did not want to go away.  The second day was a different matter though.  I took the day to do the Road to Hana and started early.

These are both pictures along the coastline driving out.

There were plenty of places to stop and see numerous waterfalls, short little hikes, and old bridges.

 

This is the path leading to Haipua'ena Falls.

Upper Puohokamoa Falls

Ke'anae Peninsula was really interesting.  You start to see the peninsula from above as you are driving and it strikes you as different.  It strikes as being different because of the terrain and the greenery.  The rest of the drive is very green and lush and then you come around the corner and see a peninsula that is more volcanic, rocky, not quite as lush, and a little bit more primal.

Overlooking Ke'anae Peninsula from the road

A closer look at Ke'anae Peninsula.

Overlooking Ching's Pond where a lot of cliff divers will come to jump.

You stand on this rock and prepare to dive.

You jump.

You have to jump very very carefully into Ching's Pond.  There is only one spot in the pond that is deep enough to dive/jump in.  If you are not careful and misjudge where you land, you land in the hospital.

     

A flower at Wailua Valley State Wayside on the path to overlooking Ko'olau Gap.

One of the many fabulous approximately 100 years old bridges all along the way on the road to Hana.

So many of the old bridges remain on the road to Hana because the residents of Hana do not want two-lane bridges.  They would get two-lane bridges though if federal funding ever had to pay for or to fix the bridges.  The county is perpetually low on funds so unfortunately at some point these fabulous bridges will be going the way of all things.  

About three-fourths of the way to Hana, I took a detour to explore the black sand beach and blowholes at Wai'anapanapa Park.  The detour was DEFINITELY well worth it!  The beach was so relaxing and the water was nice with a fun surf to play in.  I took some time out from the drive to relax for a bit and to read a book.

 

The black sand beach.

                                              

Blowholes

Shortly after my break at Wai'anapanapa Park, I reached the town of Hana itself.  Down by the pier is one of the red sand beaches as well.

                                       

I grew up watching a movie called "I.Q." featuring Meg Ryan and Tim Robbins.  At one point, Meg Ryan's character, Catherine, mentions wanting to go to the Seven Sacred Pools and how going in them is like being licked by a giant tongue or something like that.  Well, Maui is where the Seven Sacred Pools happen to be located.  However, the name the "Seven Sacred Pools" was a marketing ploy from back when nobody had ever heard of Hana.  The real name is 'Ohe'o Gulch.  Depending on the weather conditions, you can go swimming in the lower falls but you cannot jump off any of the falls due to liability and lawsuit risks.

          

 

Views of the Seven Sacred Pools because let us face the facts:  The Seven Sacred Pools just sounds so much cooler than 'Ohe'o Gulch...

An old FX London taxi outside someone's house.

I also ran into a very famous person's grave along the way.  Prior to coming to Maui, I had no idea that Charles Lindbergh was buried here and that he had a long history with Maui before he came to pass away.

The rest of the pictures are from the drive back from Hana on the other side of the island.