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Hawaii – The Aloha State
BIG ISLAND
MAUI
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Hawaii
Tag: Hawaii Vacations
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East Maui – Road to Hana, Hawaii
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Road to Hana is undoubtedly the top attraction in Maui. The highway is beyond an exciting drive through the beautiful landscape of eastern coastline of the island. It connects Kahului and Kaupo with 68 miles of road. The road to Hana has 620 terrifying but thrilling curves and 59 narrow bridges. The road takes you through incredible island views, beautiful waterfalls, awesome beaches, lush green gulches and flourishing rain forest with tropical flowers and fruits.
68 miles, 620 hairpin turns, 59 narrow bridges, two way traffic, one lane wide. That’s HANA HIGHWAY!!!
and WE SURVIVED!!!
These photos are from a memorable drive on Hana Highway on 9th October, 2016.
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Quick Facts and Tips
- Best time to visit
- Weather and good deals: Apr to May, Sep to Oct. Dec to Mar is better, but could be expensive
- Fly into
- Kahului Airport is the main airport and has direct flights from the U.S. mainland
- Kapalua Airport (west side) and Hana Airport (east side) are other smaller commuter airports
- Honolulu International Airport, then take a short, 35-40 minute flight to Kahului or Kapalua Maui Airports
- What to Expect
- Beautiful Beaches, Waterfalls, Lush Green Gulches, Blowholes, Sea Cliffs, Natural Pools, Tropical Flowers, and Fruits
- Clothing
- Weather is warm, so pack lightweight casual t-shirts, shorts, sundresses, tank tops, capris, skirts, swimsuits, sunscreen, sturdy shoes, rain gears and a light jacket for the cool evenings
- Be sure to check Maui County Official website for the traffic alerts and current road closure before heading out.
- Not many gas stations on Hana, so have the gas tank filled before you hit the road.
- Weak/no cell phone signals, highly recommend to have maps downloaded or printed.
- Important to follow the mile markers.
- Roads are narrow and winding, drive slowly and park only in parking lots.
- Bring food, water and changing cloths and prepare yourself if you have motion sickness.
- Top Attractions and Best Things To Do
- Ho’okipa Beach Park: It is a pretty good sandy beach with many activities like surfing, bodysurfing, windsurfing, and parasailing. There is easy access to the beach from the parking lot and is also a great place to see sea turtles. The park has showers, restrooms, lifeguards, picnic tables, and a good amount of parking.This is a good, quick, and easy stop located near mile marker 9 along the Hana Highway.
- Ho’okipa Lookout: Lookout is on the edge of the cliff overlooking a beautiful beach, big surfs, great surfers, and amazing views of the north west of Maui. This spectacular seascape is located at mile marker 9 and it is worth stopping by. There is a food truck and a large parking area.
- Twin Falls: Twin Falls is the first easily accessible string of waterfalls and pools near mile marker 2 on the Hana Highway. The entrance to Wailele Farm and Twin Falls is just to the left of the farm stand and parking is lImited. Do not park on the shoulder of Hana Highway. The 1.8 mile round trip hike through the rainforest leads to a small but attractive twin falls and dark pools. Guided tours are also available. Stay on the paths to protect and respect the land. Fresh tropical fruits, refreshing smoothies, ice creams, and snacks are available at the Twin Falls Farm. No restrooms, only port-a-potties.
- Garden of Eden Arboretum: This garden offers beautiful tropical lush botanical gardens spreading over 26 acres with gorgeous waterfalls and stunning coastal views.The garden is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m and there will be an entry fee. The garden is located on the Hana Highway, between Kailua and Ke’anae, near mile marker 10.5. The trails are well maintained and there are restrooms, giftshop, picnic spots, waterfalls & coastal views.
- Honomanu Black Sand Beach: Honomanu Bay is a special and somewhat hidden beach along the ocean side of Hana Highway located about halfway between Paia and Hana, near mile marker 14. The Hana Highway passes high above the Honomanu bay and the bay is not directly off the Hana Highway. There are no signs of it, and it can easily be missed. It requires a drive on rough roads to get to the beach once you turn out of the Hana Highway. No crowd, but no amenities.
- Wailua Valley Lookout: The lookout provides a spectacular view of Wailua village and beautiful coastal views. This is a small cut in the cliff along the Hana Highway near near mile marker 18.9. The lookout has only three parking spots and a set of steps to a lookout. Once you climb the stairs, you will have a perfect aerial view of Wailua village facing the ocean on one side and lush green deep Wailua valley and waterfalls on the other side. Worth stopping for awesome views and a nice break to stretch your legs.
- Upper Waikani Falls aka Three Bears: The Three Bears Falls is one of the more famous waterfalls just right on the road and located Mile Marker 19.6 on Hana HIghway. The separate streams of falls rushing through rocks and lush vegetation with a pool make this location more popular. There are only a few unmarked parking spots right next to falls, but there is a small parking area past the falls.
- Hanawi Falls: This is a popular roadside lookout located near mile marker 24 on Hana highway. The lookout offers a series of waterfalls that tumble over lush green valleys and forested rocks into a pool.There are limited parking spots on both sides of the bridge.
- Waianapanapa Black Sand Beach: This is a beautiful small black sand beach in a cove that features the deep blue ocean, a wonder lava tube, stunning rugged shorelines, great sea arches and valleys of green jungle. This famous park is located near mile marker 32 on Hana Highway. Besides the outstanding scenery the park has great hikes, easy walks, a blowhole, ocean caves, cliff diving, fresh water pools, camping, and cabins. and more. The park has a large parking area and there are picnic tables, barbecue grills, restrooms, showers, and water fountains. This is the must stop along the Hana Highway.
- Hamoa Beach: Beautiful beach with clear water, white coral sand, and is surrounded by sea cliffs and lush vegetation cradles. This crescent beach is located on Haneo’o Road about a 0.4 mile drive off Hana Road.
- Wailua Falls: This easily accessible picturesque 80 feet waterfall gushing through the lush green forest is just on the Hana Highway located near mile marker 45 on Hana Highway. There is a parking lot immediately after you pass the falls towards the ‘Ohe’o Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools.
- ‘Ohe’o Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools): The Seven Sacred Pools also known as Pools of Oheo are one of Hawaii’s most surreal natural formations. The seven pools are connected by cascading waterfalls and are hidden in the dense forest of Ohe’o Gulch. This is a great place with stunning ocean vistas, gorgeous waterfalls, deep valleys, dark pools, and a calm ocean breeze.
- Stop at these place
- Other Attractions
Categories
Big Island – Kona, the West Side
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Hawaii, the islands of Aloha, is the only state of the USA located in the Pacific Ocean. It is a paradise, a land where mother nature is seen at its greatest. This is the only state made up of islands. The state mesmerizes with its various wonderful landscapes. It has everything, an active volcano to a lush green rainforest, beaches to deserts, waterfalls to craters, tropical gardens to chilly mountains, and the list goes on. A must visit place!
Hawaii State Flower
Big Island, as the name suggests, is the largest island among all Hawaiian islands. Big Island is attractive for its diverse landscape and weather. The island can be smoothly divided into two halves: KONA, the West Side and HILO, the East Side. The west side is more dry, sunny, and has more attractive beaches. Hilo, the east side, is more humid and has lush rainforests, valleys, and waterfalls.
These photos are from our four nights stay at Big Island from an 8 day trip to Hawaii during the first week of October, 2016. I could not stop adding photos as the island is paradise with stunning landscapes.
KONA – the West Side
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Quick Facts and Tips
- Best time to visit
- Weather and good deals: Apr to May, Sep to Oct. Dec to Mar is better, but could be expensive
- Fly Into
- Kona International Airport
- Hilo International Airport
- Honolulu International Airport, then taking a short, 35-40 minute flight to Kona or Hilo
- Clothing
- Weather is warm, so pack lightweight casual t-shirts, shorts, sundresses, tank tops, capris, skirts, swimsuits, rain gears and a light jacket for the cool evenings
- Be sure to check Big Island Dept of Transportation website for the traffic alerts and current road closures before heading out
- Best things to do
- Papakōlea Green Sand Beach: This is a spectacular beach with green sand and cliffs, turquoise color crystal clear water and surrounded by beautiful landscape. Papakolea Beach also known as Mahana Beach is located at Puu o Mahana on the island’s southern tip. Green Sand Beach is one of the only four green sand beaches on earth. It gets its name from the green glassy crystals (Olivine) that make up most of the sand on this beach. Driving all the way to Green Sand beach is illegal. Shared rides/ATVs are available, not sure about legality. 2 and 1/2 mile one way walk, very easy to get lost, windy and hot, bring water.
- Hapuna Beach: One of the best and largest family beaches on Big Island with an amazing ocean color and beautiful white sand. The beach has many facilities like shelter, paved parking lots, picnic pavilions, restrooms, showers, and paved walkways to the beach. Hapuna also offers good conditions for swimming, bodyboarding, sunbathing and snorkeling.
- Manini’owali Beach: Amazing ocean color, crystal clear water, soft white sand, great cove with black lava rocks make this beach even more gorgeous. The beach has facilities like paved parking lots, paved walkways, picnic tables, restrooms, and showers.
- Lapakahi State Historical Park: It’s a large area of ruined ancient Hawaiian fishing villages. This 1 mile easy trail offers beautiful views of the ocean, the archaeology, and history.
- Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site: This park is known as the “Temple on the Hill of the Whale.” It shares the history of the early stages of the Hawaiian Kingdom and preserves the National Historic Landmark ruins of the last major Ancient Hawaiian temple and other historic sites. The trail winds through a ruined stone temple, built by King Kamehameha in 1719, along the shoreline and offers beautiful ocean and hill views. There is a small museum, a gift shop, and restrooms. No entry fee.
- South Point Cliff: South Point is the southernmost point of the island and is a great spot for cliff jumping. It is about 50 miles from Kona, take extra caution while driving as roads are narrow. Awesome place to get away from the crowd and enjoy the power and beauty of the ocean, even if you choose not to go for the thrill of cliff jumping.
- Mouna Kea
- Free nightly stargazing at visitor station, Tue-Fri, 6 pm – 10 pm. It gets cold here, dress accordingly
- Visiting the Summit: Not an easy drive, 4WD is a must, Check Visitor station for more information
- Popular Attraction on West Side
- Other Attractions
Categories
Flowers of the Ohelo
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Location: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Big Island, Hawaii, USA.
Date and Time: October 6, 2016, around 2pm.