Road to Hana - halfway or All the Way?

Thanks for the extra info & links....you are very nice & helpful !

I had seen the posts on TA & MR before...I will check with the rental HDs.

We have a friend with a place in Hana so maybe stay a night there off ship.

Great weather link! TY & HAGD :D

That sounds like a good plan.

 

If you don't do the RTH, I would visit Iao Valley (close to Kahului) - best to go in the morning before the clouds move in. That day you could also visit some beaches in S. Maui - and drive down to La Perouse Bay to see the lava fields.

 

On your west Maui day - don't do the full loop around as the Kahekili Hwy is undergoing some repair work, and the weather recently has been bad (heavy rains) - it's not a good road at the best of times, and with possible closures due to the repairs currently going on, you'll want to avoid it e.g. If you drive as far as the blowhole, turn around and return the same way, per this route. There are some great beaches in W. Maui if you want to do some swimming that day too. Then if you head to the summit - this route.

 

The route that I mentioned for day two would look like this.

 

Just some suggestions - there's lots to choose from, and I think it's wise of you to keep some flexibility in your plans so that you can base the decision on how you feel and how the weather is. :)

Thanks Susan-M; great advice. BTW, your first map link worked like a charm, but the other two didn't - could have been my browser, though.

We're steadily revising our plans for Maui and it's great to hear from someone who's so familiar with it all.

That sounds like a good plan.

 

If you don't do the RTH, I would visit Iao Valley (close to Kahului) - best to go in the morning before the clouds move in. That day you could also visit some beaches in S. Maui - and drive down to La Perouse Bay to see the lava fields.

..........

At the risk of hijacking the thread off-topic, do you have advice for two days on Kaui? Waimea canyon, obviously, but what else would you put on your top 10 list for that island, if you have one?

Thanks Susan-M; great advice. BTW, your first map link worked like a charm, but the other two didn't - could have been my browser, though.

 

We're steadily revising our plans for Maui and it's great to hear from someone who's so familiar with it all.

Thanks so much VideoTech! I'm not sure what happened to the last two links - I can still open them, but I'll try again - this is the one for heading from W. Maui up to the summit

- and to Iao Valley and then to La Perouse Bay on another day

At the risk of hijacking the thread off-topic, do you have advice for two days on Kaui? Waimea canyon, obviously, but what else would you put on your top 10 list for that island, if you have one?

On the Waimea Canyon day, I would stop in Poipu - for swimming, Kiahuna Beach is really nice (it's in front of the Sheraton, and there is a free public parking lot just west of the Sheraton.) Even if you aren't swimming, it's a nice beach to see. Spouting Horn Blowhole is nearby and worth seeing. Here's a map (hope the link works) of the route coming back from Waimea Canyon to the Blowhole - to the Sheraton.

On day two, I would head to the north shore - not sure how much time you'll have, but if you can get all the way to Kee Beach, it's a very scenic drive and you can see a bit of the Napali Coast from Kee Beach. If time is too short, then I would go as far as Hanalei. The Kilauea Lighthouse is a highlight - spectacular views & a natural bird sanctuary as well (it's between the port and Hanalei.) Here's the route from the port to Kee Beach.

Two very different parts of the island - both with a lot of 'wow factor' in the scenery ... enjoy !:)

On the Waimea Canyon day, I would stop in Poipu - for swimming, Kiahuna Beach is really nice (it's in front of the Sheraton, and there is a free public parking lot just west of the Sheraton.) Even if you aren't swimming, it's a nice beach to see. Spouting Horn Blowhole is nearby and worth seeing. Here's a map (hope the link works) of the route coming back from Waimea Canyon to the Blowhole - to the Sheraton.

 

On day two, I would head to the north shore - not sure how much time you'll have, but if you can get all the way to Kee Beach, it's a very scenic drive and you can see a bit of the Napali Coast from Kee Beach. If time is too short, then I would go as far as Hanalei. The Kilauea Lighthouse is a highlight - spectacular views & a natural bird sanctuary as well (it's between the port and Hanalei.) Here's the route from the port to Kee Beach.

 

Two very different parts of the island - both with a lot of 'wow factor' in the scenery ... enjoy !:)

Thanks again! Great info!

Thanks so much VideoTech! I'm not sure what happened to the last two links - I can still open them, but I'll try again - this is the one for heading from W. Maui up to the summit

 

- and to Iao Valley and then to La Perouse Bay on another day

Could be my version of the chrome browser (I run Linux, so my version is a little different then what runs on windows machines). I see the driving instructions start to load, but then when it switches to satellite view, there's nothing there. Probably my browser.

Not to worry, though - done plenty of google mapping of these places myself and will have phone and tablet GPS with me.

Thanks again for your help!

OP, have you cruised yet? Videotech--Did you end up doing the RTH? I didn't see it mentioned in your review. I am debating between doing a ship excursion for Hana on our 2nd day, or keeping our rental car and doing it on our own. Thanks in advance, sounds like you had a good time!

OP, have you cruised yet? Videotech--Did you end up doing the RTH? I didn't see it mentioned in your review. I am debating between doing a ship excursion for Hana on our 2nd day, or keeping our rental car and doing it on our own. Thanks in advance, sounds like you had a good time!

We did about half the RTH on our last day in Maui (you're right, I didn't mention anything about it in my review..oops). Went as far as the Keanae Peninsula, which is a spectacular stop, and a must-see if you get that far. It's off the main road...look for a turn off for Keanae Road and follow it down into the little town.

We were very happy with the way we allocated our two days. We drove all the way around West Maui (with many stops) on our first day and I actually think the road around the north end of West Maui is far more demanding than the RTH. There's also much less traffic on this road (for good reason), and the scenery is amazing.

On the second day, we figured our "turn around" time on the RTH in order to get the car back and be back on board without feeling rushed. Turns out we were a little conservative, but that was ok, as we beat all the traffic back to the car rentals, and we were back on board in plenty of time to relax and enjoy the sail-away.

I'm sure there's plenty we missed on the RTH, beyond Keanae, but that just gives us a reason to go back.

We did about half the RTH on our last day in Maui (you're right, I didn't mention anything about it in my review..oops). Went as far as the Keanae Peninsula, which is a spectacular stop, and a must-see if you get that far. It's off the main road...look for a turn off for Keanae Road and follow it down into the little town.

 

We were very happy with the way we allocated our two days. We drove all the way around West Maui (with many stops) on our first day and I actually think the road around the north end of West Maui is far more demanding than the RTH. There's also much less traffic on this road (for good reason), and the scenery is amazing.

 

On the second day, we figured our "turn around" time on the RTH in order to get the car back and be back on board without feeling rushed. Turns out we were a little conservative, but that was ok, as we beat all the traffic back to the car rentals, and we were back on board in plenty of time to relax and enjoy the sail-away.

 

I'm sure there's plenty we missed on the RTH, beyond Keanae, but that just gives us a reason to go back.

I had originally mapped out a route all the way around West Maui, but then I saw some video of the drive and scared myself out of it. LOL We'll still see a good chunk of it though.

Glad to hear you enjoyed your partial tour on the RTH. I'm with you, I know we'll be missing good parts of it, but it will give us a reason to go back. I think I will stick with my rental car and do it on my own. Thanks for the insight!

We drove all the way around West Maui (with many stops) on our first day and I actually think the road around the north end of West Maui is far more demanding than the RTH.

Did you encounter any road construction on the section beyond the Nakalele blowhole and before you reach Wailuku? On the Tripadvisor forum for Maui, this thread talks about the closure of two sections of the road due to construction between January & April of this year.

Did you encounter any road construction on the section beyond the Nakalele blowhole and before you reach Wailuku? On the Tripadvisor forum for Maui, this thread talks about the closure of two sections of the road due to construction between January & April of this year.

There were some areas with construction equipment and signs out, but since we did the drive on a Sunday, there wasn't anyone at work, and the road was passable all the way through.

However, the woman at a small fruit stand on the road told us that the next day (Monday) the road would be all one way from Wailuku to the west (i.e. you'd have to drive counter-clockwise). Not sure how long that was scheduled to last.

The only thing you'll be missing if you don't do the entire trip road to Hana is missing the Waianapanapa State Park Black Sand Beach. Taking pics and the lovely views are absolutely gorgeous and worth the windy road to Hana.

https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrTcYC7unhTnR4A6AqJzbkF;_ylc=X1MDOTYwNjI4NTcEX3IDMgRiY2sDYjRnamQ2ZDluYnJzdiUyNmIlM0QzJTI2cyUzRGw0BGZyA3lmcC10LTIyMS1zBGdwcmlkA2tEYXNsUlhHU2Zxbk54dC5RMTBoLkEEbXRlc3RpZANudWxsBG5fc3VnZwMwBG9yaWdpbgNpbWFnZXMuc2VhcmNoLnlhaG9vLmNvbQRwb3MDMARwcXN0cgMEcHFzdHJsAwRxc3RybAM0MwRxdWVyeQNCbGFjayBTYW5kIEJlYWNoIEF0IFdhaWFuYXBhbmFwYSBTdGF0ZSBQYXJrBHRfc3RtcAMxNDAwNDIxNTQzNzE0BHZ0ZXN0aWQDbnVsbA--?gprid=kDaslRXGSfqnNxt.Q10h.A&pvid=VZ7yyzIwNi6yQm0zU3XvnwLnNzUuMQAAAADvVNtB&p=Black+Sand+Beach+At+Waianapanapa+State+Park&fr=yfp-t-221-s&fr2=sb-top&ei=utf-8&n=60&x=wrt&y=Search

The Hana Sky Trek tour through Temptation Tours? The last time we were on the POA, we did the Road to Hana tour that went all the way around. We enjoyed it, but it took a LONG time and my DH slept for a lot of the tour. This trip, we are taking the sky trek tour.

The Sky Trek Takes you to Hana in the same limo van as the deluxe tour, but when you get to Hana, they take you on a helicopter tour of Haleakala and Hana and then land you back at the helicopter pad 10 minutes from the cruise ship. It is pricey, but you save half of a day by flying back.

Hope this helps,

Tamara