.....of which we will be one?

We are staying on Wailea all week on Marriott points. It doesn't work out to check out and check in again after a night away, so a day trip it is.

If we get up early and hit the road from Wailea about 6:30 am, would we avoid lots of the morning heavy traffic heading east?

I was also thinking that perhaps by curbing our enthusiam for pull off's on the way out we could go straight to Hana (and beyond) then leisurely drive back for the rest of the day stopping at will, so we will be zigging while everyone else is zagging.

Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Aloha cheesehead... from a Hana luvin Bears fan.

My plan for "outsmarting" was to just go ahead and book a cottage for one night in Hana... we packed an overnight bag and left our condo in Kaanapali empty that night... no worries. The fam enjoyed an absolutely leisurely time exploring the area. It stormed the night that we stayed on Hana Bay, and was one of the most memorable of our Maui moments, as the windows rattled and the white caps on the bay had us mezmerized.

It was great to wake up to the glorious lushness of Hana, take the day slow, explore and meander around the "other side".

If you can swing it, there are many rentals avail... or try Hotel Hana Maui... might be worth your while.

Have fun!

stay in Hana

I did what makai did, except we flew over early in the morning and had a rental car waiting for us when we got there. We spent one night at the Hotel Hana Maui and flew back that afternoon. It's a great way to do it if you can.

Reply to HappyCheesehead, Visited Hana a couple weeks ago and there was nothing to "outsmart". We drove from Wailea around 6AM midweek and there was no problem with traffic at that time. During the day we visited, the route to Hana appeared lush and green with little traffic however most of the waterfalls were at very low levels compared to previous visits and suspect this is perhaps part of the reason that there was little traffic on the road.

Beyond the town of Hana, Oheo Gulch (7 pools) was decent in terms of having water in the lower pools near the ocean, but the overall flow was low. On our trip we gladly pulled aside to let any faster-paced locals behind us go by, and they much appreciated this act, as evidenced by a short beep-beep and >-wave as they passed by.

JohnD! Yes, I was very surprised (pleasantly) by the lack of car traffic on the stretch of road between Hana and Oheo too.I was expecting an unbroken chain of cars. Didn't happen We were on it from around 10:00am to around 1:00pm. The day we were there the pools were closed because of flash flood warnings.

We took a day trip from Kapalua to Hana which is further than from Wailea. Plenty of time. Easiest stopping is to stop at things on the right side on the way, then the other side on the way back, which avoids crossing the traffic. The road is well-paved and marked.

Thanks all! It will just be a day trip as I have an aversion to paying for a room in Hana while my room in Wailea sits empty. I am too frugal I think!

John D - so the secret is to leave at 6am? Lordy.

We will definately pull over for the faster local traffic. Been there and know how annoying it is to have a rubber necker in front of you.

Reply to HappyCheesehead, I think you will be fine with your original plan of 6:30 AM departure and add that the place we have really seen bad traffic is between Kahalui and Paia and usually in the afternoon though this area is not considered part of the "Road to Hana" of course.

Hi Happy Cheesehead-

If you are visiting Maui from the mainland, plan your trip to Hana early in your vacation before your body's time clock adjusts to the time difference. That way, the 6:00 AM departure shouldn't be aproblem because 6:00 am there will feel much later to you.