The Road to Hana, Maui Part 2 of 3
As you approach highway marker 7, you will encounter a forest of waving bamboo. Drivers go a little nuts here and so you need to keep track of the road. The informed driver will go just past highway marker 7 and pull over at the Kaaiea (Breathtaking) Bridge for a safe photo opportunity of the bamboo forest.
Two miles down the road, at highway marker 9, you will come to the Koolau Forest Reserve. The reason people stop here is for the Waikamoi Ridge Trail. This is an easy, ¾ mile trail suitable for the family to walk. The trail starts at the oft photographed sign, “Quiet Trees At Work”.
Another couple of miles down the road you will find Kaumahina (Moonrise) State Wayside Park at highway marker 12. A lot of shutterbugs like to take photos of the coastline here. Not a bad spot for a picnic either. The facilities can be questionable here though.
Past highway marker 13, you will arrive in the Honomanu Valley which means “Valley of the Bird”. There is a turn off past mile marker 14 on your left which can take you down to Honomanu Bay County Beach Park. I'm not a huge fan of this area, the swimming is dangerous with strong currents and there are few facilities here either.
A half mile beyond mile marker 16, is a turn off that takes you to the Keanae Arboretum where the region's botany is shown in full glory. Just past the turn off to the Keanae Arboretum, you'll find the turn off to the Keanae Peninsula. This is a bit of old Hawaii where some of the locals grow their own taro and throw nets into the ocean to catch supper. Well worth spending some time down here for photos and just meeting some lovely people.
One third of a mile past mile marker 17 is a food stand called “Halfway to Hana”. While you are further along than half way, this is a nice place to stop for snacks and drinks. The banana bread here consistently gets rave reviews.
Now that you are refreshed, press on the Road to Hana and half a mile past mile marker 19 you will come to the Wailua Valley State Wayside Park. The park is on the right side or mauka (mountain) side of the road. You will find stair to the right side of the parking area. If you climb these to the top, you can see all of the Keanae Valley (with fields of taro), some waterfalls and the Wailua Peninsula. They say that if the weather is clear, you can see the Ko'olau Gap at the top of the mountain, I have yet to see this though (supposed to be beautiful).
Just a little further up the road, between mile markers 19 and 20, you can find a pull off for the Upper Waikani Falls (also known as Three Bears Falls ). Pull off again to the mauka side of the road, you'll find a bridge on the far side. There is a fairly short path leading to the falls from here. The amount of water moving through these falls can vary a lot depending on recent rain fall and season. These falls are another great spot for shutter bugs when the water is flowing.
OK, so back on the road now to Puaa Kaa State Wayside Park which can be found halfway between mile markers 22 and 23. This is a nice stopping point with restrooms, park area, telephones, and a nice picnic area with the sound of falls in the back ground. There is a well-marked path to the falls and a swimming hole. I have been a little disappointed in the past as sometimes these falls flow a little lighter than I would like for the dramatic photo.
Now, a little past mile marker 25, next to Makapipi Falls , you will find the turn off to Nahiku Road . This is a narrow road which winds for 2-1/2 miles from the highway all the way down to sea level and ends at the old Hawaiian community of Nahiku. The road itself is wonderful as it is spectacularly lined with lush greenery of every shape and description. When you get to the bottom of the road, it is not unusual to find honor-system fruit stands which are probably worth supporting. Nahiku was started in 1905 as a rubber tree plantation complete with the Nahiku Rubber Company. Turns out that it rains too much here to support a commercial rubber plant effort and the facility was closed in 1912. Today, it is home to a few hundred folks. A few locals and due to it's striking beauty, it has become home to the rich and famous who fly in from time to time. When you reach the end of Nahiku Road , you will find an eye-popping view of the shoreline all the way up to Ke'anae. Hop out of the car and walk down the path which will take you to the top of a darling little artesian waterfall complete with pool. This little spot may be worth the entire drive!
It seems a little sad to leave Nahiku but once you are back on the highway, you'll pass an area with a few food stands and galleries. Nice and a little pricey.
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