Attractions

by Gudrun Enger, of Kitchen Gadget Girl

After many days in a hotel, on a beautiful beach, believe it or not, we were ready to explore the island of Maui. With the help of my favorite Hawaiian guide book, Maui Revealed, we hit the Road to Hana, intending to find a nice waterfall hike. And boy, did we ever!

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Beauty Along the Road

by Tamara Rice of The Rice Paper

Now that I’ve spilled the beans on Maui’s Seven Sacred Pools, I should probably explain one of the most talked-about Maui attractions, which is the road you’ll take to get there: The Road to Hana.

Love it or hate it, it’s a memorable drive. Recently Maui reopened the more user-friendly freeway of the island (it suffered terrible damage during an earthquake and was shut down for far too long). However, the Road to Hana is a sight to behold and–provided you are not prone to car-sickness–makes for a great excursion.

When we braved the drive in a rental car–because what else would we be driving in Maui–my husband was designated the driver, our most-likely-to-lose-his-lunch friend got the other front seat, and my girlfriend and I were stuck in the back. Was it a long drive? Yes. Did it make our friend sitting shotgun want to puke? Yes. But did we have fun?

I think it depends on who you ask.

One thing we all agreed on: It was beautiful. Some of the most beautiful waterfalls and shores and jungles I’ve ever seen.

So, if you think you’d like to brave the road next time you’re on Maui, check out the five best tip lists for driving the Road to Hana before you do.

The Winding Road to Hana

1. Paradise-Found-in-Maui.com’s fabulous Road to Hana tip list.

2. What Maui’s rental car folks at AlohaRents.com want you to know about the drive, given you might be in one of their cars.

3. A tip list from the people at MauiInformationGuide.com, along with a great list of landmarks along the way.

4. A list with tons of user feedback from the award-winning site GoVisitHawaii.com.

5. Last but not least, tips and landmark notes from Hawaiilogue.com.

Photos by Tamara Rice and Wiedz (Flickr.com)

by Tamara Rice of The Rice Paper

Inside Maui’s Haleakala National Park is a beautiful treasure known as the Seven Sacred Pools. Referring to the area as seven pools may not be quite accurate, as there are more than that, but the allure of the “sacred” has been hooking tourists since Maui began promoting it as such in the 1940s. Technically, the lush area is the Ohe’o Gulch along the Kipahulu coastal area of the park.

After traveling the gorgeous and winding Road to Hana to get there (an adventure which I’ll chronicle in a later blog post), paying a small parking fee to enter the park, and gratefully enjoying their restrooms–which were remarkably clean, considering–we were happy to feel a warm ocean breeze on our faces as we headed down the marked Pipiwai Trail.

The Trail to the Pools

Hikers on the Pipiwai Trail to the pools are privy to a variety of Hawaii’s most beautiful plants and trees, including an enormous Banyan tree, until finally the path opens up to the gulch, where various levels of rock create waterfalls and pools as water weaves its way to the ocean.

Maui's Seven Sacred Pools

It’s loud (these are waterfalls, after all) and it can be quite cold (we’re talking about rocks), but we climbed down for the best view and waded in the pools all the same, enjoying the enchanting surroundings of nature.

In years past, tourists–even some friends of mine–have been allowed to jump from the various falls. However, the Haleakala National Park rangers have put a stop to it for safety reasons (i.e., sharp rocks and shallow water equal bad accidents). So, don’t get any ideas.

While it wasn’t exactly sacred–don’t let these cleverly shot pictures fool you, there were people everywhere–it’s truly one of the most beautiful sites in all of Maui.

We drove. We hiked. We saw. And it was worth the effort.

Photos by Nathan Rice