Hana Highway??

[muskokacruizerz]

We are scheduled to be in Maiu (Lahaina) on Tuesday, Sept. 30 from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m.

I was thinking of renting a car and driving the Hana Highway, but the AAA Tourbook suggests allowing 3.5 hours each way. Mapquest says a little over 2 and a half hours.

Can anyone tell me how much time we should allow to do that trip, without rushing! I am concerned that we might not get back to the ship, or to Hertz until after dark. Sunset will be 5:49 p.m. that day.

 

Anybody that can offer any advice??? TIA

[mikaula]

When we drove the road to Hana it took us all day. There are lots of places to stop and see the sights. I think you could do some of it in 3 hours but you would feel rushed. I suggest you get a Reveled book at barnes and noble or some other book store. We found out lots of "inside" information from those books. You can always drive part way and not go all the way to Hana. We rented a convertible and had a great time, but were tired at the end of the day.

[mrazfan]

This was the most tedious day we had. Let me tell you if anyone in your party is prone to car sickness I would not go. Everyone on the ship said that morning "Oh, you are going to have fun, its a great thing to do". Later that night they all said, "It's great to drive, but bad to ride". Why the hell they could not tell us that earlier is beyond me. My two daughters and I were so sick and exhausted by the end of the day. The road is so narrow most of the time and it was packed. There were some lovely sites, but no where to pull over. JMTCW!

[beachchick]

You cannot drive from Lahaina to Hana in 2-1/2 hours. Period. It's a minimum of 2+ hours just from Kahului (which is 45 minutes to 1 hour from Lahaina). That's without stops to see or do anything, and assuming that traffic isn't heavy or that there are any other delays.

 

If you get off the ship, get the rental car, and get on the road immediately, you still won't get to the beginning of the road to Hana (out of Kahului) until at least 10:30 am and likely a bit later than that. In order to "do" the RTH (and beyond to Oheo Gulch, aka Seven Sacred Pools), you need at least 6 hours from Kahului.

 

Yes, you could do the RTH and get back to Kahului by dark. Keep in mind that most people try to leave very early, so you'll be dealing with some reverse traffic as the day goes on. There are many one-lane bridges, so make sure you know the proper driving etiquette. I do not recommend this drive for the timid or novice driver or for anyone who is prone to motion sickness, but other than that, there's no reason not to do it. Driving from Kahului to Lahaina at night is really no biggie. It's the RTH that you shouldn't be on after dark. But you won't be back to Lahaina until early evening.

 

Let me put in my own opinions (oh, what surprise that beachchick is opinionated).;) With one long day on Maui and tendered at Lahaina, which is pretty much as far from Hana as you can be (except if you're further north in Ka'anapali/Kapalua/Napili), I do not believe that the RTH is at all a "must do" for the itinerary. Unless you truly love very long scenic drives and that is a top priority, there are many other wonderful things to do and see on Maui that won't require you to spend at least 2 hours just getting across the island and back. That's one heck of a lot of driving for one day, so whoever drives will likely be exhausted at the end of the day. My DH was super tired, and we were staying just outside of Paia the day before and after!

 

If you want a taste of what the RTH offers, you might consider driving over to Iao Valley for a couple of hours and then doing other things for the rest of the day and evening. (As always, I'm also happy to recommend possible options...no kidding, huh?):D

 

beachchick

[eileen11]

Please do recommend different options! We do not plan on doing the RTH, but will do Iao Valley and are looking for other things to do. Not looking for snorkeling, though. We'll be three couples in their early 60's looking for different, interesting and fun things to do in Maui.

[Sea Hag]

My quick and only semi-informed two cents - we didn't do RTH, but we did rent a car and spent quite a bit of time in Iao Valley. Iao Valley is truly gorgeous! I can't say to go there instead of RTH, but I can say that I wouldn't recommend anybody missing it!

[sceptic]

eileen11, what are your likes/dislikes? To me, "Lahaina" as a port invokes thoughts of great beaches, good restaurants, and shopping. (Just a "word association" sort of thing). I can imagine someone just driving a car rental up to Napili Bay for the day, eating lunch at the Gazebo or some such, and returning to Lahaina for shopping (or maybe Kaanapali). They'd think it was the best day of the trip. But that might not be your cup o' tea.

 

So what are your likes/dislikes?

 

btw, re the road to Hana: What Beachchick said.

[Captain Canuck]

its winding, narrow and can be full of trucks....first time I did this was on a day trip from Oahu...flew over, rented a car and went for a drive...based the time on looking at the map...it took forever...

 

last time was off a cruise...we did a bit of the start just to show the folks we were with what it is like....

 

like somebody suggested I would grab a tour book figure out what else you want to see...Hana is nice but its not worth your whole day

[beachchick]

eileen11: There are many wonderful beaches along the west and south-west coasts. It's not necessary to snorkel to enjoy the beaches. There are some that are good for swimming; others are good for bodysurfing and such; still others are good for simply lounging.

 

A trip up to the summit of Haleakala can be great. It depends on the weather that day, of course. The crater and summit are often clouded in mid-day; sometimes it's perfectly clear; other times the cloud layer is lower than the summit.

 

You can watch the windsurfers and kitesurfers on the east coast. Those beaches are not great for just hanging out because of the wind, but watching the folks out on the water can be fun.

 

The Maui Tropical Plantation is a tourist trap for the most part (IMO), but some people like the tram tour and what not. (We do like that the shop area has some locally made items that I've not found elsewhere.)

 

If you like aquariums or are interested in sea life, the Maui Ocean Center is a good idea. We're totally spoiled from various west coast aquariums (including the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park), but if you aren't into snorkeling and other underwater activities, the MOC gives a good "look" into the Pacific/Hawaiian waters (and all the life it holds).

 

If you like sailing, the America's II (it was built for the America's Cup and used in the movie Wind) has different sailings throughout the day. (This is sailing, not a sedate cocktail cruise; very fun.) There are many other small boats out of Lahaina and Ma'alaea that offer various ocean adventures.

 

Lahaina is a fun little town for a few hours of strolling (shopping, eating, drinking) with the famous banyon tree and several often overlooked historical sites. (I've heard that there are several historical sites in Wailuku too, but we really haven't spent much time there.) The Jodo Mission buddist temple in Lahaina has one of the largest buddhas outside of Japan. (Sorry, don't know the correct term for the type of statue.)

 

Although many people only consider Kauai or the BI for a helicopter trip, I can tell you from personal experience that Maui has as much to offer from the air. You hear a lot about how "parts of Kauai can only be experienced from the air." Well, the same is true of Maui, especially the beautiful valleys and many waterfalls.

 

I don't golf, but there are championship courses that DH wishes he could play (unfortunately, his health no longer allows him to golf).

 

That's what comes to mind now. I'm sure that I'll think of more later--There is so very much that Maui and all the islands offer.

 

beachchick

[muskokacruizerz]

eileen11: There are many wonderful beaches along the west and south-west coasts. It's not necessary to snorkel to enjoy the beaches. There are some that are good for swimming; others are good for bodysurfing and such; still others are good for simply lounging.

 

A trip up to the summit of Haleakala can be great. It depends on the weather that day, of course. The crater and summit are often clouded in mid-day; sometimes it's perfectly clear; other times the cloud layer is lower than the summit.

 

You can watch the windsurfers and kitesurfers on the east coast. Those beaches are not great for just hanging out because of the wind, but watching the folks out on the water can be fun.

 

The Maui Tropical Plantation is a tourist trap for the most part (IMO), but some people like the tram tour and what not. (We do like that the shop area has some locally made items that I've not found elsewhere.)

 

If you like aquariums or are interested in sea life, the Maui Ocean Center is a good idea. We're totally spoiled from various west coast aquariums (including the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park), but if you aren't into snorkeling and other underwater activities, the MOC gives a good "look" into the Pacific/Hawaiian waters (and all the life it holds).

 

If you like sailing, the America's II (it was built for the America's Cup and used in the movie Wind) has different sailings throughout the day. (This is sailing, not a sedate cocktail cruise; very fun.) There are many other small boats out of Lahaina and Ma'alaea that offer various ocean adventures.

 

Lahaina is a fun little town for a few hours of strolling (shopping, eating, drinking) with the famous banyon tree and several often overlooked historical sites. (I've heard that there are several historical sites in Wailuku too, but we really haven't spent much time there.) The Jodo Mission buddist temple in Lahaina has one of the largest buddhas outside of Japan. (Sorry, don't know the correct term for the type of statue.)

 

Although many people only consider Kauai or the BI for a helicopter trip, I can tell you from personal experience that Maui has as much to offer from the air. You hear a lot about how "parts of Kauai can only be experienced from the air." Well, the same is true of Maui, especially the beautiful valleys and many waterfalls.

 

I don't golf, but there are championship courses that DH wishes he could play (unfortunately, his health no longer allows him to golf).

 

That's what comes to mind now. I'm sure that I'll think of more later--There is so very much that Maui and all the islands offer.

 

beachchick

 

Thanks, beachchick and all the others who provided their comments. Having read them all, I think we'll pass on the car rental. We'll just have to hope we find ourselves in Maui for a few days sometime in the future so we can do some exploring by car.

Cheers.