Hearts in Hawai'i
Our Trip to Maui (2008)--Day 13
3/29/2008
Trip to Hana
We knew that if we wanted to take this drive, we'd need to be on the road before 7 a.m. in order to avoid the rush of vehicles which would clog the highway later in the day. We were out the door just after 6:30 on a day which was initially sunny but clouded up quickly by the time we'd passed Kahului. It then deteriorated to a steady rain by the time we had arrived at the Kaumahina Wayside. After discussing turning around and returning to Lahaina, we decided to press onward. This was a good decision as the rain had mostly stopped by the time we'd reached the turnoff to the Keanae peninsula.
If you rush to Hana without stopping, you're missing the entire point of this trip. There are numerous stops to be made along the way along with some side trips. A few we took advantage of, others (such as Nahiku road, which apparently leads to the ocean and some incredible views back up the coastline) we didn't. We had wanted to proceed all the way to Kipahulu and Charles Lindbergh's gravesite, but decided that this would be too much for a one-day trip. A future trip to Hana including an overnight stay would make more sense in order to see points past Hana such as Oheo Gulch, Kipahulu and possibly driving all the way to Kaupo.
No trip to Hana would be complete, of course, without a stop at Tutu's Snack Shop at Hana Bay. I didn't include this eatery in the restaurants reviews page because it'd hard to call this a restaurant. It's a quick stop for fast food which you understand won't be especially tasty. But the prices are right and it's located on Hana Bay, providing nice views while you munch, so we grabbed a quick lunch here before exploring the pier prior to returning to Lahaina. This trip is something which everybody should do at least once. If you don't want to deal with the driving (and the constant turns and narrow bridges will be unnerving to some people), there are a number of tour companies which will pick you up in an air conditioned mini-bus. The only downside of doing the trip this way is that you're locked into stopping where the tour company decides you'll stop. We prefer the independence of driving ourselves.
Coastline from Keanae Peninsula
Keanae Peninsula from Hana Highway
Waianapanapa black sand beach
Another look at Waianapanapa
Beach at Hana Bay
Looking up Haleakala from Hana Bay
Another gorgeous coastline view
Ho`okipa Beach
Da Kitchen
If you want to try a "plate lunch", there are a number of decent places which serve that type of food. L&L Drive-In, Rainbow Drive-in and Aloha Mixed Plate are three of the better known places along with Da Kitchen. Da Kitchen is the best. They have two locations; one in Kahului and one in Kihei. We stopped at their Kahului location during our drive back from Hana because I'd read many reviews of one particular plate called a Loco Moco.
Those wanted to know more about plate lunches can check out the entry at Wikipedia. It's a fairly accurate description of what one will find. A Loco Moco is an artery-busting concoction consisting of two scoops of rice, one scoop of mac salad, some type of protein (mine came in the form of a ten ounce hamburger patty) with an egg on top of the patty and sauteed onions (delicious!). Finally, they pour brown gravy over the whole thing. I don't know how many calories one of these contains (and really don't want to know, either). I only know they're not good for you but are extremely filling, cheap (under ten dollars) and will leave you with a great desire to return to this place. Value-wise, it was the best restaurant we found on Maui. Cafe 565 was an even better value, but they're on Lanai.
Back in Lahaina, the sun was out and it was another warm afternoon. We walked the beach for awhile after which I set up the tripod and shot some sunset pics on the beach. This time of year, the view of the sunset from the resort isn't as nice as later in the spring because the sun sets over Lanai. The pics I took weren't bad but certainly not awe-inspiring. At the hot tub tonight, I met Heather and John, a very nice couple form Tulsa, Oklahoma who had just got married today! They started their honeymoon by taking in the Feast at Lele next door. We chatted until hotel security closed up the pool area just after 10:00. Yet another nice day--and night.
Previous: 3/28/2008--Our Trip to Maui (2008)--Day 12
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