Hawaii

A Road More Travelled …

Imagine a place where lush green hills are confronted with fire breathing volcanoes, where a long winding road swirls through the diverse landscape only to be interrupted by quaint stone bridges, where cliff top views over sparkling deep blue seas seem to go on forever. Imagine wandering aimlessly under vines, through the earthy colours of a rainforest to discover secret waterfalls plunging metres into the most inviting turquoise pools, bronzed bodies recklessly tackling the thunderous roar of a rip curl under the watchful gaze of the brightest orange sun, which later melts into a firestorm of colours only to be extinguished later by the night sky. Where are we? Maui ‐ a land of rainbows, juxtaposed micro climates and an abundance of tourists, all searching for that perfect Hawaiian picture.

It’s hard to believe as I step out onto a quiet suburban road, surrounded by tropical trees bordering the Iao valley, that I am in fact in the almighty U.S of A.  This quiet little village which will be my home for the next two weeks is a town of little noise, two hostels, a couple of restaurants and just as a reality check, a Subway sandwich shop. It’s hard to believe that Wailuku in the south west of Maui, was once the main tourist town.

Voted the best Island In The World by Conde Nast Traveller, there certainly is a huge array of not to be missed sites, so as soon as we arrived we were already on our way out to explore.

After renting a car for a ridiculously cheap rate, attempting to master driving on the other side of the road and stacking up on snacks, we were finally ready to attempt the notorious Hana Highway.

The highway winds through the northern part of the island ‐ combing the shores and skating on the very edge of steep cliff faces, ducking through overgrown rainforests and passing many street side coconut stalls and finally culminating in the pretty village of Hana. The road itself is only 68 miles long however it takes at least three hours to reach the end. You pass over 52 stone and concrete ‐ one lane bridges, most dating back to 1910 and all bar one are still in use.

Now ‐ not that it’s possible, but never drive too fast as here as hidden deep in the jungle are the most breathtakingly beautiful streams and waterfalls, and they’re not to be missed. We discovered most of these are only found only by explorers and those who brave the signs stating private property, who hack their way through sometimes dense jungle to reap the rewards at the end!

The highway begins at the airport and as you move east the road narrows before passing into the wilderness. On one side of your car look up to the mountains towering over you, and on the other see the land carving its way back down to sea level, covered in a vast array of trees ‐ a splurge of green leaves set against the blue sky only interrupted periodically by tropical red flowers. Then spanning the horizon and as far as the eye can see is the magnificent Pacific Ocean.

Carry on along the road over the stone bridges (which could almost be mistaken for Robin Hood country in England) and choose a spot for lunch. We found a great place for a picnic break at shore level where we parked the car and wondered through the tall grass, along a pebble stone path, dodging the dancing dragonflies which dart precariously in and out the vegetation, before ending up on a rugged, black sand bay. The contrast between the colours and the scenery was truly spectacular. The green transparent sea rolls up onto a pebbly black sand beach that is bordered by gigantic, granite sheer cliff faces. On a road that is muddled with tourists we found this haven ‐ private, quiet and away from all others.

Every so many miles along the highway there will be three or four parked cars, with excited passengers jumping out ‐ over a fence and into canapés. Follow them. This will ensure you don’t miss anything. However it does take the ‘intrepid traveller‐ness’ out of the day.

There are many maps that you can follow, but we didn’t find one that showed us where any of the waterfalls were. It would be a shame not to find these hidden beauties but the panoramas that surround the road are worth the trip anyway.

‐ Nicci Perides

Hawaii

• Home
• Make a Booking
• Youth Hostels
• Cheap Hotels
• Youth Hostels Maps
• Live Your Life E-zine
  • Subscribe to the E-zine
• Backpacker Resources
• Bars & Coffee Shops
• About Us
• Press Inquiries
• Contact & Feedback
• Terms & Conditions
• Site Map