We travelled the Road to Hana

Our bucket list item has been fulfilled. We achieved a goal, and it wasn't that scary nor rugged as promised. We certainly saw lots and enjoyed every minute of the day. From 8 am this morning to 4 PM this afternoon we travelled in a small mini bus with 10 others cruise guests from the Cruise Terminal to the town of Hana and back.

The "Kodak Moments" never ended and I know I took way too many pictures but it's all a great memory. Our tour guide, who doubled as our driver was a local and grew up in this area. He never stopped telling us about the history of the area including his personal life experiences. He educated us for the entire 8 hour tour and only finished when we returned to the ship. His stories never ended. He called us family and never stopped talking about how everything to the locals is about honestly and looking out for the neighbours in their community.

Maui is a Hawaiian island known for its stunning beaches, lush landscapes, and vibrant culture. It features volcanic peaks, tropical rainforests, and scenic coastal drives. One of the most famous attractions is the Road to Hana, a winding highway that stretches along the island’s northeastern coast.

The RED line is the route we took and the YELLOW line is the section that was damaged with a rock slide and is only open to local residents

The Road to Hana ship excursion is a popular adventure for visitors. The entire Circle Route covers about 64 miles and along the way travelers can stop at waterfalls, black sand beaches, botanical gardens, and hiking trails. The journey is as much about the scenic drive as it is about the unique sites and natural beauty encountered along the route. Today, along the RED route to and from Hana, we travelled 120 miles, crossed 54 bridges two times, and went around 1238 hairpin turns.

Along the way we passed properties owned by the likes of George Harrison, Kris Kristofferson, Jim Nabor, Willie Nelson, Freddie Krieger, and Woody Harrelson. Others that have homes (R&R places) are Oprah Winfrey, Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bezos and Larry Ellison. Restaurants in the towns on the way to Hana are owned by celebrities including Gene Simonds from the rock band Kiss. Rumour has it that they don't drive down the Road to Hana to get to their places but rather use a helicopter.

The road to Hana previously was a full circle route from the Port town of Kahului on the northern coastline of Maui along the Road to Hana. From there the route continued along the southern coastline back to Kahului. The north side is the windy side bringing rain and moisture to the island and is integral to the Rainforest area. Along the southern coast it is dry and hot where there are steep cliffs and windy roads. In many areas the road is a single lane and very treacherous. A couple years ago there were large rockslides that blocked the southern road and made it impossible to use. It is now reopened but the state has disallowed commercial vehicles from using the roadway. Only locals are allowed on this section and this is the why the tour ends at Hana and returns to the port along the northern section of the road to Hana.

There were many sections of the road where it was difficult to pass the oncoming traffic and at many bridges we would have to wait for other vehicles to pass. Several times locals would simply pass the vehicles going extremely fast and then pull in ahead of the lead car. On that stretch of the road to Hana we never saw any close calls or accidents. However, when we got to a long straight stretch of the road we came upon two vehicles in a smash up..... no idea how that could have happened but just checkout that attire.

Remember when your mom told you, "Always wear clean underwear in case you get into an accident." Maybe these two gals should have paid attention to mom's advice because they got into an accident and now have to stand there for hours waiting for the police and a tow truck to rescue them.

Along the route we stopped at several interesting spots and we learned lots about the eucalyptus trees in Maui. Our guide pointed out that there are several different kinds but the most interesting one was the Painted Tree and they thrive in the hot, humid rainforest areas in Hawaii. We also learned about the wild boars and ways that the locals farm to support their families. They have goats, pigs, chicken and some cattle. Roosters still roam everywhere but they are mostly wild.

On the return to our ship we stopped at a few "lookouts" and one in particular was a surfing beach with over 35 large Green Sea Turtles sleeping on the beach. We found out that Green Sea Turtles are reptiles and as such come to shore to get into the sun so their body and blood can warm up. They then return to the sea for food the next day.

It was a long day on the tour bus but well worth the trip. Tomorrow we are on the Big Island called Hawaii and we've never been to this island so it will be another interesting day.

That car accident was NOT a HALLMAN EXPERIENCE and at this point in our travel our track record is perfection!