Dick

Funny story about the trip to Hana. We were 2 couples. We are getting ready to take this trip. The other guy and I buy a styrofoam cooler and some beer and ice for the trip. My wife is going to drive and Ron and I will sit in the back with the cooler between us.

We started the road. After about the second waterfall, the ice was melting in the cooler that proved to leak. Each bend to the right, Ron was getting the leaking water. To the left, my turn. After about the 20th waterfall and 300th turn, we were both soaked!

Hana was horrible as stated by others. The Seven Sacred Pools I thought were a joke. A really wasted day.

I think a lot of Hawaii depends on where you are from. If you are from the midwest, it is probably beautiful. If you are from Northern California, or places like North Carolina, no big deal.

Dick

hal

Thanks for story, Dick. Needed a laugh. I get car sick, so have avoided the road to Hana twice!!

steve

I loved the road tohana. First took in in 1964 - apparently just after they first paved it. I remember it being very curvy with cliffs all the way.

Drove it in 1996 and still really enjoyed it, although as an adult driver, I didn't think is way very scary at all - for scary, ride in a taxi jon the Amalfi coast of Italy!

holyamos

I can't belive people would describe the road to hana with the word "sucks". The only people who I would say would not enjoy the trip would be those people who ride the tour buses or rent a town car for the trip. I and can tell you that the true enjoyment on the road is to actually stop at almost every "trail" and see where it leads. My wife and I did the road to Hana (August 2001) and it took 14 hours. Loved every minute of it. We actually only spent about 5 minutes in Hana proper to get some gas. Definate drive around the other side of the mountain. I don't care where else in the counry you are from if you find the road to Hana unenjoyable you picked the wrong vacation destination

Maui Mike

It cracks me up how you tourists handle this Hana thing. (It's quite a joke among those of us who live here. Sorry to sound arrogant but its true.) All of the tourists are always in such a hurry to "get to Hana". The whole point of the trip is the drive itself. There are literally dozens and dozens of outrageously beautiful places, views, waterfalls, hidden lagoons, secret spots, bamboo forests and other natural attractions to stop at along the way. Some are pointed out in guide books. Many others are kept secret by us locals. If you rush to Hana, you're going to be quite disappointed to discover that Hana basically consists of one hotel, a general store and one gas station. The road itself consists of over 600 curves and 52 one-lane bridges. Best advice: get a picnic lunch from "Picnics" in Paia, then take your time and enjoy the clean air and breathtaking views. And I will reveal one secret to you: despite what the car rental companies and tourist maps will tell you, you CAN drive all the way around without turning back -- and the second part of the drive (after Oheo Gulch where most tourists turn back) is absolutely breathtaking. Aloha.

Marie

What a controversial question this is, I too agonized over to go or not to go, we did and we went ALL the way around, and I don't regret it at all, would I do it again? I'm not sure, but I can say I did it, I enjoyed it, and I will never say "I wish I had" My feeling was it took me 40 years to get to Maui and I wanted to see as much as it was possible to see, if I wanted to sit on a beach all day I could do that in Florida.

The back side is really very interesting, and at the end of the bad part of the road is the winery.

Follow eveyones advice regarding food and drink, go into it knowing it is an all day excursion, go all the way around so you can truly experience the diversity of the island. This way you can never look back with regrets.

Another must do is the drive to the summit of Haleakela, whether you do the sunrise (we did and loved it, froze, but loved it) or not, it is terrain like nothing you have ever seen.

Last but not least ask the locals how to get to the "blowhole" north of Kapalua on Hwy 30, spectacular cliffs up there.

I can't think of a way to get back there fast enough it is truly addictive.
Have a wonderful trip

Ken R Young

I agree with Maui Mike - all the way. If you get car sick on this drive, you are not doing it right. If you don't stop A LOT and experience the beautiful nature, then you have missed the point of this, one of God's most beuatiful creations - the Hana Coast. Notice I didn't call it the "Road to Hana". It's not the road nor Hana that you enjoy the most - it's the beautiful, natural, lush, tropical landscape and oceanscape of the Hana Coast. If all you want to do is drive - do that somewhere else. Get out of the car and you'll enjoy it so much more.

Sandi

Margo,

I loved the Road to Hana experience. It's definitely something you should do at least once. Try to do the whole route, not turning around at Hana and coming back the same way. I really liked the different landscape on the backside of Haleakala.

I'm big into picture taking and like to enlarge and frame my favorite shots from each trip I take. Some of my best pictures are from the Road to Hana adventure.

Just plan the entire day for the trip and take your time. Stop often and get out and walk around. Watch yourself around the hairpin turns, you have to stop and honk your horn to see if anyone is coming from the opposite way because it's so narrow in some places. Just part of the experience.

I hope you go, it was a highlight of my Hawaiian vacation.

Sandi

Al

Yes do it all the way around & if you really want to drive it the way we did do it in a jeep not a car. A jeep is the very best way to drive the hana road because you can get some places that you just can't with a car & it handles the curves well,plus you get the benefit of a convertible too. we took about 12 hrs to drive from ka'annapali & back