It\u2019s not the destination that matters, the saying goes, it\u2019s the journey, and this is certainly true on the road to \u201cHeavenly Hana\u201d.<\/p>\n
And the destination is also superb! Hana is located on the eastern tip of Maui and is an unspoiled region of rugged beauty.<\/p>\n
If you are going to make the journey to Hana, you might want to start the day early and fuel up your energy at the Pauwela Cafe , a popular breakfast spot in Haiku.<\/p>\n
I have been staying in a very comfortable Lahaina Vacation Rental<\/a> that has been very relaxing and I am ready for an all day journey to explore Maui. With breakfast energizing me I am ready to hit the road.<\/p>\n Make sure and check out the Road to Hana map so you can plan on visiting the best scenic spots to see the coastal panoramas and the many waterfalls along the way.<\/p>\n The 50-mile long Hana Highway (Hwy. 360) includes 54 bridges and 600 turns, and along the way are many great places to stop to see waterfalls and tropical jungle areas and scenic coastal views.<\/p>\n Just before Hana make sure and stop at Waianapanapa State Park. This is a very nice camping area with a grass lawn above the rocky coast that includes sea caves and arches. Also check out the black sand beach at Waianapanapa.<\/p>\n In Hana make sure and visit one of the beaches such as Hana Bay or the red sand beach called Kaihalulu<\/strong>. The red sand was produced by the erosion of a nearby cinder cone.<\/p>\n Hamoa Beach in Hana was named as the sixth best beach in America in 2007. The beach is accessed by taking the 1\u00bd-mile Haneoo Road Loop<\/strong> that also passes two ancient loko ia (fishponds).<\/p>\n Hamoa Beach is used by patrons of the Hotel Hana-Maui, and public access is provided by steps leading to the beach.<\/p>\n Hotel Hana-Maui<\/p>\n Hana is the site of Maui\u2019s first resort, the Hotel Hana-Maui, which opened in 1961 and has since hosted many famous guests including Clark Gable. The low-key hotel includes a restaurant, bar, and gift shops.<\/p>\n In Hana you can visit the Hana Cultural Center to learn about the region\u2019s history. Everyone stops at Hasegawa\u2019s General Store, a Hana institution where you can get your “I Survived the Road to Hana”<\/em> T-shirt.<\/p>\n Hana is known for its many rivers and streams, scenic waterfalls, and refreshing swimming holes. The town of Haana is centered on Hana Bay.<\/p>\n After passing through Hana I headed toward Oheo Gulch and on the way visted the wonderful Wailua Falls<\/strong> at Mile Marker 45.<\/p>\n About ten miles beyond Hana is the area commonly called Seven Sacred Pools<\/strong> but more properly called Oheo Gulch<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Oheo Gulch includes a series of beautiful waterfalls with nice pools fed by the Pipiwai Stream<\/strong>. This whole region on the south side of the Haleakala Volcano and is part of crater part of Haleakala National Park.<\/p>\n The trail from the parking lot down toward the sea is relatively short and is an easy walk. Going upriver, however, is a bit more adventurous.<\/p>\n The Pipiwai Trail Hike above the pools is 4 miles round trip and climbs about 650 feet. The first half-mile leads to the Makahiku Falls Overlook.<\/strong><\/p>\n At the end of the trail is the impressive Waimoku Falls <\/strong>plunging some 400 feet down the lava cliffs. Give yourself about three hours to enjoy the hike and the numerous waterfalls along the way.<\/p>\n Along your hike you will see large pools, a huge banyan tree, bridges over the Oheo Stream<\/strong> and the Pipiwai Stream<\/strong>, waterfalls, a bamboo forest, and wandering cows.<\/p>\n After leaving Oheo Gulch you have your choice of going back the way you came or continuing on the road along the back side of Haleakala Volcano and completing a full circle around the volcano.<\/p>\n I have had a wonderful adventure today in these remote areas of beautiful Hana. I am now back in my luxurious Lahaina Vacation Rental<\/a> pondering all of the amazing sights I have seen today, and still seeing more as I gaze out over the see and enjoy another amazing Lahaina sunset.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s not the destination that matters, the saying goes, it\u2019s the journey, and this is certainly true on the road to \u201cHeavenly Hana\u201d. And the destination is also superb! Hana is located on the eastern tip of Maui and is an unspoiled region of rugged beauty. If you are going to make the journey to… Continue reading True Hawaii Experience – The Road to Hana and Seven Sacred Pools<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-maui-vacation-information","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaiianbeachrentals.com\/hawaiitravelblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaiianbeachrentals.com\/hawaiitravelblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaiianbeachrentals.com\/hawaiitravelblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaiianbeachrentals.com\/hawaiitravelblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaiianbeachrentals.com\/hawaiitravelblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=381"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaiianbeachrentals.com\/hawaiitravelblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1429,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaiianbeachrentals.com\/hawaiitravelblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381\/revisions\/1429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaiianbeachrentals.com\/hawaiitravelblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaiianbeachrentals.com\/hawaiitravelblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaiianbeachrentals.com\/hawaiitravelblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}