The Hana Highway stretches along 52 miles of Maui’s coastline with 56 bridges and 617 turns.

For two weeks in May–June, 2005, The Columbia Star managing editor, Natasha Whitling, and her fiancé, John Derrick, explored the Hawaiian islands of Maui and Kauai in order to create comprehensive road guides. Here are some highlights.

By Natasha Whitling

Tropical breezes, swaying palm trees, and picture perfect sunsets are major attractions of the Hawaiian islands. However, what many people do not know is that Hawai’i is more than its beaches. Nearly every possible climate exists on many of the islands from desert to rainforest to snowy mountain tops. It’s easy to enjoy the beauty of Hawai’i’s beaches without even leaving the resort, but to experience the raw beauty and essence of the islands you have to leave the lounge chair.

The Garden of Eden delivers picture–perfect ocean views and many native plants and flowers for only a small fee. Maui is the second largest island in the chain and is also referred to as “the best” because of its variety of climates and beautiful sights. Maui is home to one of the most beautiful scenic drives in the world, the Road to Hana (Highway 360). Also called the Hana Highway, it is 52 miles long stretching from Pa’ia Town in central Maui to Hana on the east coast. The highway was built as a dirt and gravel road in 1926. Since then it has been paved and now includes 56 bridges and 617 turns. Those easily prone to motion sickness might not enjoy the coastal drive.

Hamoa Beach lies just a few miles past Hana. The Hana Highway highlights some of the best tropical and coastal scenery on the island. The drive is sprinkled with waterfalls, gardens, historical sites, and beaches.

Tourists enjoy a cool dip in the Oheo Gulch pools. One of the first stops on the highway is a tropical sanctuary that offers a taste of native vegetation and birds. Several trails wind through Waikamoi Forest, making a slow ascent to a picnic area and views of the mountains and ocean below.

One mile past Waikamoi is the Garden of Eden, a scrupulously manicured garden full of native Hawaiian plants and coastal views. Some highlights are the Ti plants, in both the green and red varieties. The Ti plant is sacred for native Hawaiians. The large leaves are still used to make women’s hula skirts.

Hibiscus is one of many tropical flowers in the Gadren of Eden The garden also houses tropical flowers such as the hibiscus (the state flower of Hawai’i) and the helliconia, a red pod–like flower. A true treat is to experience the plumeria plant, one of the best smelling flowers in the world. The plumeria blooms in the spring and early summer and is often so widespread on hotel grounds and gardens that its fallen blooms are raked up like autumn leaves.

The 200–foot Wailua Falls is one of many sights beyond Hana. The rest of the highway is lined with state parks, scenic pullouts, and beach accesses. A side road off the highway leads to a magical plant–enclosed country road that ends at Nahiku landing. Nahiku is a small town with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. The coast is mostly jagged lava stone and millions of tiny stones that have been rubbed smooth by the relentless waves. The stones knock against each other as the tide goes out creating an unforgettable noise.

At the end of the 52–mile highway is the town of Hana. What many visitors do not discover, however, is that there are many more places to explore on the road beyond Hana town, Highway 31. Several miles beyond Hana is one of the most beautiful beaches on Maui, Hamoa Beach. Owned by the Hotel Hana–Maui, it is open for the public to enjoy white sand, blue ocean, and good snorkeling.

Later on down the road is a popular 200–foot fall called, Wailua Falls. The flow of the waterfalls in Maui varies greatly depending on the rainfall in the area. Wailua Falls can be bursting at one time and barely a trickle at others.

Past Wailua is the Kipahulu area, which is actually a part of Haleakala National Park (Haleakala is the 10,000–foot volcano on Maui). The main attraction is the Ohe’o Gulch and its many pools, sometimes erroneously called “The Seven Sacred Pools” (they are not sacred and there are significantly more than seven). Park visitors can make a day out of playing in the waterfall–fed pools that empty into the ocean.

The park also includes several hikes, one of which is the Pipiwai Trail. This trail is 2.5 miles one way and offers the unique experience of taking a boardwalk through a bamboo forest. When the wind blows the bamboo stalks strike each other creating a low chime song. At the end the hiker is rewarded with an up close view of the 400–foot Waimoku Falls.

Some visitors choose to continue on Highway 31, which winds around the backside of Haleakala on a narrow, partially paved, and mostly one lane road (There is a reason the car rental companies forbid driving on this road!) Highway 31 terminates in Upcountry Maui, an area that is reminicant of Scottish farmland.

Next week: Haleakala Volcano, House of the Sun

Quick Facts

• The Hawaiian Islands were first discovered by Captain James Cook in 1778.

• In the late 1700s, King Kamehameha I set out to conquer all the islands and unite them into one kingdom. He was successful in defeating all the chiefs except the one from Kauai with whom he struck a treaty.

• After Kamehameha’s death, his wife, Queen Kaahumanu, was instrumental in dismantling the ancient Hawaiian system of beliefs known as the kapu system. She violated one of the most serious rules by inviting Kamehameha II to eat dinner with the women. This was the end of the kapu system.

• In 1820, the first Christian missionaries arrived in the islands.

• The Hawaiian Monarchy came to an end when in 1895, Queen Lili’uokalani was arrested and locked in her mansion by a group of wealthy businessmen who wanted the blessing of the USA to displace the monarchy. After being forced to relinquish power, Lili’oukalani relented to the pressure to make Hawaii an annex and eventually a state in 1959.

Photos by John Derrick and Natasha Whitling

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