Hana - 3 days
 

We are driving from Wailea to Hana. We will be spending 3 nights in Hana (Ekena). Does anyone have an suggestions for an itinerary? Which route should we take to get from Wailea to Hana? Should we stop anywhere on the way or go diretly to the hotel and then make excursions from there? Thanks so much for your help!!

There are only two ways to get to Hana and bpth of them will require that you head towards Kahului and the north shore to get there. Take the Hana Hwy, as opposed to coming through Kula to Pi`ilani. The guides are written from that perspective, you will be on the mountain side of the ride, as opposed to the cliff side, and the turn-offs will be on your side of the road. It will take you about three hours to reach Hana town, by all means stop along the way. There are plenty of sites to visit from Hana town, but I doubt you'll feel like driving an hour back to see what you missed along the way.

Take your time and enjoy the drive.

We bought the audio guide to listen to along the way - that, coupled with our guidebook, gave us great information for stops. You'll probably want to stop for a meal at Mama's Fish House on the way back.

There are plenty of worthy stops along the way to Hana. I suggest getting the Maui Revealed tour book which as an excellent description of the road to Hana (and beyond).

Last summer we stopped at Waikamoi Ridge for a walk; Keanae Peninsula views; Pua’a Ka’a Park is an easy place for a swim under a falls; Nahiku Road end is a great place for views and lunch; Waianapanapa Park is beautiful (black sand beach). There are tons more scenic stopovers for views and falls.

We continued past Hana and drove back on the south road. It's definintely do-able despite what you may have heard. At the start there are a few white-knuckle hair pin turns but after that it's a reasonable road with a very different aspect of the island.

You're smart to take a few days in Hana. There were a number of things we missed because we did it in one day.

Kim

We were in Maui a couple of weeks ago and we drove to Hana. We stayed at the Fairmont Kea Lani and they gave us a few page document which described in pretty good detail where to stop. They lent (with a deposit) us a CD which described everything. We really liked the CD. I know you can purchase it along the way - probably in Pai (sp?) which is the start of the Hana Highway. We also drove the south side on our way back and we were glad we did. I second the recommendation to stop at Mama's Fish House. We also had lunch at the Hana Hotel which was very nice.

Hana was the best part of our trip for me. It is so beautiful there and so many waterfalls. It's everything you have ever imagined Hawaii would be like. Take your time to drive the road to Hana. We stayed at the Hotel Hana and now I'm spoiled for life. We drove south of Hana our second day and made a full day of it. We drove all the way to the sea arch and turned around. If we hadn't done that we would have never seen the waterfall plunging into the ocean. We had a jeep with the top down and my husband loved the unpaved roads. Stop and get a smoothie along the way! Drive back from Hana the same way you came in and you will see different views.

Among other things in and around town you may wish to visit Hasagawa's General Store, Red Sand Beach-limited access and clothing optional, Hamoa Beach, Fagan's Cross overlooking the harbor and the Queen's Birthplace in the harbor. We enjoyed our pilgrimage to Lindebergh's gravesite past town and the surroundings. Before town, visit Black Sand Beach, and, if you're feeling lucky, the Blue Pool. Many short and longer hikes around town and the national forest.
We stayed several days in '92-magical.