We land at 7am at Kahului airport and are headed to Hana. We are supposed to meet friends around 6pm in Lahaina. After reaching Hana, should we go back toward the airport and cut across the island or keep driving all the way around until we reach Lahaina? This may be a no brainer question, but it's my first trip and your thoughts are appreciated.

Drive back the way you came. We've done both. Driving all the way around does not lead to Lahaina, You will save time going back. You do not see much after Hana, or at least I wasn't impressed with the second half. Have a wonderful trip. We love Maui. Don't miss the Maui Swap Meet, held only on Saturdays, it's a must!!!!

"After reaching Hana" is kind of misleading, because if you turn around at Hana town, you'll miss some of the better sights along the way--Hamoa Beach,`Oheo Gulch, Lindbergh's Grave, archeological sites, Huialoha Church, Driving time will be about the same either way from Hana town. Coming back the way you came you will be heavier traffic because most people turn around at some point; continuing on will be slow because portions of the road are unpaved or poorly paved. But either way, you end up back near Kahului. If you come around the southern route you will drive around Haleakala and find yourself upcountry before heading back down towards Kahului. This route takes you from rainforest to desert to sub-alpine in the course of about an hour and a half.

A better question would be do want to do a 6 hour drive after flying in at 7 am? Are you arriving on a red eye or interisland?

heretodaygone2Maui,
No red eye flights that day thankfully. We are just flying in from Oahu, so a long drive day won't be too bad. We just need to get to Lahaina by 6pm or so. Once we see everything past Hana and turnaround, how long will it be before we get to Lahaina?

Three hours to reach Lahaina if the traffic gods are w/ you that day.
I am terribly impressed w/ the back side after Hana. Incredibly beautiful, especially after `Oheo. Often peaceful. A glimpse back in time.

Why would anybody go back the same way they came and miss a whole new experience by driving all the way around?

Once you see everything past Hana you'll be almost back to Kahului. Just contune on.

Here_today, could you help with my question in this same vein, please?

We will be at the Grand Wailea until Saturday morning. My husband does a show Friday night and I'm guessing they will be on stage rather late, so we probably won't get away until madatory check-out time, Saturday morning.

Saturday we drive to our rental in Haiku. We want to do the road to Hana on our way to our rental, I think. If we do that, which way would we be going, with or against the normal traffic flow?

If we decide to do Hana from our rental on Sunday, from the way we would be going, since we are right off of Hana Road, would that be with or against the normal traffic flow? I'm terrified of heights (but willing to close my eyes when necessary), so I want the passenger side to be on the inside, instead of the outside, if that makes sense.

Thanks, you are a great help, as always.

DD

I would check in at Ha`iku on my way to Hana, drive around and end up back at Ha`iku. I am sure that you canb make arrangements to leave your luggage if your cottage will not be ready when you decide to head out.

You really need to take the northern route to fully appreciate it. All of the guidebooks and audio cds go this way, and you will find that the turnoffs are on the mauka side of the road. Also, this will put the passenger on the inside, especially on the south side, where it gets squirrely. If you went the southern route the passenger will be on the cliff side and there are some gnarly points along there. Plus, you will encounter locals trying to get to work, ranch vehicles, etc. in the morning on the road from Kaupo/Kipahulu heading to Kula and points beyond. When we need to get to Kaupo, as we often do, we take the southern route to avoid the tourist traffic in the morning. And even though I drive this a few times a month, I still get blown away by some of the local traffic that I encounter. Nothing like meeting a big pickup truck who is hauling tail on a blind curve on a single lane cliff hugging dirt road! You'll want to be able to enjoy the drive and take in the sights.

I'm thinking now, after reading about the traffic, that we will do this on Sunday after we get up, instead. I'm not sure Saturday afternoon would give us enough time.

Thanks, again.

DD

The traffic is not bad--it is not like rush hour. You will be driving with others, who like yourself, will be slowing to see waterfalls, looking for places to pull off, reading the mile markers.

You can drive the full circle in about 5 hours, but you need to allow time to stop and see the sights. My husband does a "friends and family Hana tour" that takes him 8-9 hours. He hits most of the usual places and usually finds time to stop at the Hotel and the Kaupo store for refreshments. This usually does not inlcude any hikes or extended swimming stops at any one location.