We got up again around 7am – the tropical mornings are just as wonderful every day. We had a leisurely breakfast in our room again as we gathered towels and swimsuits, cameras and sandals and eventually piled into the car for another day trip.
We drove first up through Paia again, but stopped this time just beyond town at Ho’okipa Beach where we were treated to some pro surfing. The breaks were pretty big today and there were many people out in the water, and while the waves weren’t the colossal curls that occasion the waters of nearby Jaws, the skills and enthusiasm of the surfers here was nevertheless on display. There’s plenty of room at the lookout here to watch the long rides and the wipeouts, and we hung around for a good half hour admiring everyone’s chops.
Also nearby is a stretch of black rock outcroppings near the shore, which are approachable on foot. We wandered down with several others to have a look at this natural sculpture and were also rewarded to see a large green sea turtle having a gentle swim through the improptu lagoon the rocks had formed. Seemingly oblivious to the large waves nearby, she seemed quite content to float about in the water, occasionally moving up the rocky surfaces, other times just paddling about.
And now our trip began in earnest! On the map, the distance from Paia to Hāna is only 45 miles, but it may be the longest 45 miles you ever travel! The is one of the windiest roads you may ever travel, with switchbacks and one-way bridges – which you cannot always see the other end of! – keeping the driver’s eyes on the road every moment. But it is dense, thick, beautiful rainforest with sudden vistas of coastline, regular fruit stands, and some spectacular waterfalls. It is a lush drive, and gives a wonderful sense of the untouched Hawaii that fills the brochures. Yes, if you are prone to motion sickness, you will want to go even more slowly and take advantage of the frequent pull-outs to let others pass, but in general the traffic seems to recognize that everyone is on a slow road, and our experience was that people were considerate of each other.
Sharon took the first shift and drove us all the way to Hāna. We stopped again shortly after getting underway at the Huelo Lookout Fruit Stand. We couldn’t see far, though, as a rain was just starting. We were able to get a pineapple cut up – so sweet you’d swear it was candied – and the last of the day’s pineapple banana bread. There was also a large cat here, guarding the lookout station, who remained motionless while we were there.
The rain settled in then for most of the trip to Hāna, and while this prevented us from getting the sun splotched views from National Geographic, it likely added to the volume of the waterfalls that we saw regularly on our trip. These were densest between mile markers 19 and 22, including a series of seven waterfalls together at about mile 22, for which we (and several others) pulled over to admire. The landscape rose and fell around us and gorges and steep rises provided views around every turn.
We arrived in Hāna in a bit of a drizzle and stopped first at the Hāna Fresh Market in the early afternoon. Produce here comes directly from their farm, which would have made it a good choice at most times of the day, but the offerings were a bit thin when we arrived (between lunch and dinner?) so we carried on into town. We eventually found the Barefoot Café at Hāna Beach Park and were each able to get something sustaining for lunch – another plate lunch for me, with lots of nicely prepared ribs! The café is really a window on a kitchen, but there are plenty of porch seats and sheltered areas to eat and the food was good.
The rain had tapered off to a drizzle at this point, so we wandered around the park for just a little while before getting back in the car and having a drive around town. We found ourselves next at the Hasegawa General Store, which is exactly an old style general store with every manner of basic grocery, home product, staples and souvenirs. I was able to pick up some nice hand crafted sea turtle and “lava bowls” for my teammates. Outside again, we could also see the local gas station across the road, which, with the general store, constitute the heart of the original town.
Eventually we decided to take advantage of the drier conditions and begin our return journey, stopping at a few more place on the way back that the rain had initially discouraged. But just before we left Hāna behind we made one more stop at the Hāna Foods roadside stands and picked up another pineapple for tomorrow (this morning’s had disappeared quickly!), some local coffee, and some more banana bread.
Hawaii is also famous for black sand beaches, and we were able to find one of these at Waianapanapa State Park, just west of Hāna. We didn’t stay long at the park – apparently the camping is great here, and there are fascinating spring-fed caves to explore – but we did get our toes wet at the beach and experience the soft black sand that so many years of surf pounding lava rock have produced. While at the beach, we climbed through a lava tube along the shore! We also saw a pair of mongooses near the parking lot: apparently mongooses were introduced in the 1880s in a failed experiment to control rats, and are now considered an invasive species.
I drove the trip back through the windy roads from Hāna and had a much easier time of it, both because we knew better what to expect, and because the rain had largely let up. We stopped along the coast to admire the view – easier now to appreciate than when socked in with rainclouds and fog – and also made the additional stop at Hanawei Falls to get a good look. The falls are spring fed and travel about 9 miles over Maui out to the ocean.
Our last stop of the day was back in Huelo, where we found the little side road (“Door of Faith”) back into town, and along it the Kaulanapueo Church, which is built of coral! It’s a picturesque setting with a traditional style of church and a small graveyard beside. The groundskeeper and his wife were on the premises at the time and opened up the church for us to see the interior. Very few members of the church are still attending and services are conducted in Hawaiian.
By this time we were getting close to the end of our daylight hours, and not wanting to be on the windy road in the dark, we continued straight from here back to Paia, and then returned to our room in Kihei. We’d been snacking on fruit, banana bread, and other treats we’d brought with us, so we were content to start using up the leftovers in our room, realizing we had just one day left in our stay.
We relaxed in our room for the remainder of the evening, played a round of 5 Crowns, and started some packing up before heading to bed for the night.
