The Road to Hana
 

People seem divided on whether or not Hana is a"must-see"
or not. Assuming one wants to see for oneself, a
deciding piece of information for this writer is the
road itself! Have heard that a new, wider road has
been built (unfortunately for the locale, but good
for nervous nellies!) lately...is this true? White-
knuckling it for some length takes away from the
drivers' enjoyment as well...my husband!Thanks, Kathy

Kathy,

If they have widened to road, it must have been done since February when we drove it...I don"t think this was done and certainly not in that amount of time !

I would advise driving it. Although it is thin, often 1 lane around cruves, it is wonderful. Stop in the town right before the road starts and purchase a taype of the trip. As you begin the drive, the tape points out every sight.

Only do this drive in daylight, but there are many, many places where you pull off the road and can swim in a pond with a huge waterfall flowing into it, walk sever feet up a path to where you have an incredable view, etc.,etc.therefore it is not just a long hard drive, but many places to stop and get out...take a picnic and have it on one of the black sand beaches!

Kathy, we LOVED the Road to Heavenly Hana (they call it that because it is so hard to get to!)l, but we did overnight there at Hana Maui. What a wonderful spot that is! We bought a picnic lunch to take with us on the way over; it's a wonderfully leisure drive; don't rush! Stop often; take roads down to the beach. Once in Hana, go to the 7 Pools and just enjoy a much quieter side of Hawaii, like it "used to be". Again on the return, the hotel packed us a wonderful picnic to enjoy on our leisurely return. I think it would be too much to do it in one day! Aloha!

The above two messages are pretty much on the money. Hana is roughly 50 miles from Kahului, and the first ten miles or so of the highway are two lanes of fairly tame road. The scenery is great as the road hugs the coastline. It's the next 30 miles that people talk about: one and a half lanes of macadam that follow the natural contours of the mountains and streams. If you drive from Kahului, get a very early start; even under the best of circumstances, it's a three hour drive, and the "hola hola" (daytripper) buses clog the road after 10 a.m. Allow plenty of time for stops ... there really are dozens of waterfalls and places to swim. The hotel Hana-Maui is delightful and friendly; overnighting there would be a treat, and allow you to walk the beaches and hills. The road beyond Seven Pools deteriorates rapidly, and the last time I looked, was a "contract violation" zone for rental cars. By all means take the drive and enjoy. Tell your husband to behave himself or you'll make him sit in the back seat.

DO IT! My mother and I took this drive two years ago and it was HEAVENLY! Two rules though, be patient with the road and others on it...and make sure to not be in a hurry. Relax, take all day, stop as many times as you wish. It's truly worth the effort, time and traffic. It was wonderful stopping at one waterfall on the way, jumping in the pool, and swimming around by myself. It felt like paradise. And there are so many places like this it is possible to be alone. The end of the road is a treat beyond reality. Seven Pools is wonderful for stay as long as you can, but remember...you've got the drive home ahead of you. Good luck!

The scenery on the road to Hana is well worth it. We (husband and I) did it in May '97 w/o a four wheel drive. There are some bumpy parts. Although, places to stay in Hana are very limited, it is really best to stay overnight rather than doing it as a day trip. We drove from Kahulilu to Hana (one day) then on the next day from Hana to the crater (to see the sunrise--e-mail if you are interested in my impressions of that) I would say do it despite the roads !