It was the morning on the third day of our trip and I was still a little jet-lagged….I was WIDE AWAKE at about 3:30. Graham’s parents and one sister had already been in Maui for about a week, while Graham’s other sister had just arrived the night before with her husband, so we were all on different time schedules for our trip.
The whole gang spent the morning at Graham’s parent’s condo. We sipped some coffee {and other adult beverages out of coconuts}, ate some eggs, and enjoyed the ocean a bit.
{Graham’s sister and her blue coconut drink}
Basically we were all trying to get as relaxed and calm as possible knowing we were about to head out on the Road to Hana.
{it was fun to see these being utilized in Hawaii}
The bride and groom found a spot they wanted to get married at, and it was down on the south part of the island of Maui. That meant there was no way around a drive through the twisty, cliffy, and four-hour-long road….called the “Road to Hana” {since the only thing at the end of this road was the town of Hana}.
The road itself is included on plenty of “must do” lists when traveling to Maui. If I had the choice, I would have probably not chosen to “enjoy” this aspect of the island. But alas, I had to get to the wedding which meant buckling myself into the backseat of the rental car and taking a few deep breaths.
The entire route to Hana is about 52 miles in length, but like I mentioned above, it takes about four hours {once you factor in sight-seeing stops}. You better believe at the end of my trip I bought myself the “Road to Hana Survivor” t-shirt. As the t-shirt boasts, I survived 52 miles, 56 one-lane bridges, and 617 hairpin curves.
Another thing that helped me survive were the Sweet Maui Onion chips and Diet Coke I bought at the gas station before we left. FYI, if you like the taste of Funyons, you will LOVE these chips. They taste exactly the same and you get the benefit of not having your mouth tore up by the Funyons!
One thing that I am really glad we had in our car {besides the chips and Diet Coke} was the “Hawaii for Dummies” book that I randomly found at Goodwill for $0.89! It was the best dollar I spent prior to the trip.
In the “Exploring Maui” chapter, it had an entire section on the Road to Hana and included a description of things you could stop and see at each one of the mile markers.
One of the first stops we made was at Mile Marker 2 which featured the Twin Falls {and yes, even after only 2 miles, I needed a break}. The waterfall is tucked away in a fern-filled surrounding.
Just be careful, it was really muddy when we were there. We did our best to wipe the globs of mud off our shoes with large leaves, but my shoes required a trip through the washing machine before I could wear them again.
One of the things you will definitely hear about when learning the Road to Hana route is how awesome the fruit and banana bread stands along the way are. We made a stop for banana bread when we were halfway to Hana.
The smell coming from the back of this little stand was A.MAZE.ING…..the freshly baked, still warm banana bread was very tasty!
At Mile Marker 22, we stopped at the Puaa Kaa (poo-ah-ah ka-ah) State Wayside Park. There are picnic tables and a restroom here, if you brought a lunch. And, of course, another waterfall to gaze at.
The best stop, however, came at mile marker 25. We would not have found this stop without the “Hawaii for Dummies” book. Right after you pass the mile marker, you have to turn left {as you head towards Hana} onto a well paved, but one-lane-only, winding road. We took this “road” about 2 1/2 miles until we got to the Old Nahiku Lookout.
The ocean here was the bluest water we saw during our entire trip. The water crashed up onto the large black rocks. It was all very serene and a “is this real life” kind of moment. It would make a very romantic picnic lunch spot!
Our car arrived to Hana first, so we enjoyed the black “sand” beach at our condo until the others arrived.
Also, once our phones were finally getting service again {we didn’t get a signal the entire trip down the road….so keep that in mind while traveling}, we got a text from the groom-to-be inviting us to a local picnic at a park shelter just a bit further down the road.
When we got to dinner, we were greeted by plenty of local surfers coming in from the waves to enjoy a bite to eat. This was also the first time I had met the bride’s family, so it was nice to enjoy a few minutes that evening getting to know everyone. As far as the meal goes, it was about as authentic as you could get – both Graham and I had the “Huli Huli Chicken” and listened to a local play the ukulele and sing.
{one of the local little girls….she was definitely very interested in what we were all up to!}
{the bride and groom with Graham’s parents}
More to come with Day 4….Wedding Day!
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