Our Return to Hana

After two years, we decided to go back on the Road to Hana, this time bringing my mom along as part of your introduction to the island. Call it a right of passage for a newcomer to Maui.



We decided to go with a different tour company this time than in the past. We choose to go with Discover Hawaii Tours, and we were more than pleased. Our shuttle picked us up at the hotel just before 7am and took us back out to Kahului. It was still a little early for us, but it wasn't that bad. Once in Kahului, we stopped at the small meet-up center where the shuttles from the other parts of the islands all gathered before heading out. They had a small gift shop and a little breakfast spread with fruit, breakfast burritos and all different types of juice. Knowing that the Road to Hana was going to be a little twisty and turny, we opted to just snack.

Our driver was Jonathon "The Professor" and was absolutely amazing. Not only did he know all about the road and sights themselves, he had all sorts of facts and historical references that really added to the experience. He also seemed to know everyone along the tour, from the girl at the fruit stand to the hostess at the Hana Hotel where we had lunch. You could tell he really enjoys his work.

The last tour we did to Hana was before the earthquake in 2006. Back then, you could go all around the island, going past Hana to the Seven Sacred Pools to the Tedeschi Winery and back to Kahului in one direction. Well, with one of the bridges between the pools and the winery damaged and about 9 months left of repairs, we ended up doing the Road to Hana twice, once there and once back. It might make it seem longer, but it made for an even better tour.

Our driver was used to driving both ways to and from Hana, and he had an interesting plan for how to avoid the crowds. What we did on the way to Hana was stop at a few of the lesser known spots, yet ones that still were worth seeing. We hit the Halfway to Hana stand and scoped out a few others along the way. He gave us advice about stands that were flying the Hawaiian flag upside down and how some of the stands only open up when they feel like it.

We made a few stops along the way, and I'll have more details when I get to work on putting my photo tour together. I haven't checked my GPS logs yet from my travel recorder, so I'm hoping I gathered enough data to work with. The first major highlight of the trip was when we stopped at Wailua falls. We were there last time, too, however, this time the tour guide took us down to the rocks and the pool right at the bottom of the falls. It was incredible. I did my best to take some good photos and hopefully enough to piece together a nice panorama shot.

That was our turning around spot. After that, we stopped out at a red sand beach in the area, which was another first for us. I remember driving past it last year and the guide pointing it out on the fly, but now we can add the color red to our collection of beach photographs. After the red sand beach, it was time for lunch, which was a stop at the Hana Hotel. For a driving tour, having a sit down lunch in the Hana Hotel restaurant with a good sized menu and drinks was a welcomed change. Lunch was included with the price of the tour, but cocktails and soda was extra. I think it was a nice touch and a lot better than a cold sandwich and a cookie from our last tour.

The last major thrill on the trip was the stop back at the black sand beach at Waianapanapa State Park. Since we saved it for the way back, there was about half the people that were there last time we saw it, which was earlier in the day. Not only were there less people, we stayed there for an entire hour, which was awesome. I took a few more photos of the black sand itself, to add to the ones I took last time. This time, however I also brought down the video camera and shot footage going through the lava tube, which I didn't do before. That was really neat, and while it probably didn't do the actual lava tube justice, it's a nice reminder of what I actually saw.

After the lava tube at Waianapanapa, I hiked on over to the blow hole to take some photos and video. While it was an amazing sight to witness, it wasn't as friendly to my digital camera and my video camera. I think I got the hang of it after about 15 minutes and might have something worth sharing, so we'll see.

We stopped a few times on the way back, getting photos of Honomanu Bay and the rainbow trees before heading out to Kahului. All in all, I think we were on the bus for about 8 of the 10 hours of the tour, so it was pretty exhausting. I still recommend it for anyone interested in learning about the magic of Hawaii and the beauty of Maui by seeing the untouched and unchanged portions of it via the Road to Hana. For anyone coming to Maui for their first time and staying for a decent amount of time (5+ days), it would be worth it. Especially if you don't think you're going to be returning to Maui in the future.

As I've stated before, the Road to Hana is not really about driving all day just to see a small fishing village, it's about seeing the beauty of the island as the Hawaiians did centuries ago. It's about going back in time and about seeing the true magic of Maui that doesn't play to commercial tourism and giant resort towns. And if you're fortunate enough to find a tour guide like Jonathon from Discover Hawaii Tours, it's about learning the history of Hawaii to some degree. Probably more than a $20 guide book or a drive along CD could teach you.

If you think it's just a silly road and a boring drive, please take a pass and let everyone else enjoy it.

Let us know what you think, or if you've had better or worse experiences with other tour companies or making the drive yourself. In the end, there's no right or wrong choice for everyone (drive vs. tour), so it's good to ask around, get some input from others and do a little research before making your own choice.

Mahalo.