Day 18 - Road to Hana
Today we got up early and drove straight to Avis to exchange the terrible car for one which has brakes and doesn’t sound like a UFO is on our tail. That done, we left in our much more modern, red Buick Enclave (with CarPlay - whoop) and headed to Paia Town to collect supplies. We’d selected to do another Shaka Guide Tour and we were directed to a cute little place that makes up picnics for the journey. So, we grabbed one of those and a vanilla latte for Phil. Apparently, it was the best vanilla latte Phil had ever had (I saw how many pumps of vanilla syrup she used so I am not surprised he loved it).
We didn’t want to do the whole tour which could take between 8-10 hours. We cross referenced the Shaka Guide with what Audley had mentioned were the must-see spots and planned to do 4-5 hours (52 miles). The road to Hana is beautiful. A very windy single carriageway which traces the coastline between Paia and Hana, canopied by rich green rainforest, with waterfalls and one lane bridges every few minutes. There are over 160 twisty turns on the route, so it’s not really for people who suffer from carsickness.
We stopped at Twin Falls and did a little circular walk there. We also stopped ate Garden of Eden Arboretum which is a private botanical garden with a view of a rock which featured in Jurassic Park (I couldn’t resist another JP site) and a beautiful waterfall. It also has a 100 year old mango tree which we apparently walked by without noticing…but I think we were distracted by the ravenous mosquitos!
We popped in to take pictures at Kaumahina State Park, the Keanae Lookout, Ho’okipa Beach (where we watched kitesurfers and windsurfers), Waikato Falls and a hidden lava tube. The lava tube was one of our favourite stops, you have to crawl through a tiny entrance but it opens up into a large cave which seems to go on for ever. It was fun but with only our iPhones as torches (yes, I forgot to tell Phil he needed to bring his real torch) we had a few bumps and scrapes against the narrow tunnels.
We stopped at Nahiku to purchase some souvenirs at a a local gallery and craft shop and then headed to Hana for our picnic by the sea. Hana is one of the oldest settlements in Hawaii and has a rich history. It’s not very large and it’s very isolated. The road to Hana is not really about the destination at the end. It’s about all the little stops and sites on route. Nevertheless, we had our picnic at the end point and watched the kids pier jumping before heading back to the hotel.
There was just enough time for a piña colada by the pool before the pool bar closed.
In the evening we had a lovely three course dinner at the main Hotel Wailea restaurant. The food was excellent and the view over the gardens was lovely.
Day 19 - A final day of relaxation
Today was a pool day. We managed to get a cabana by the poolside and ordered ourselves a bottle of champagne (Möet) to sip regally throughout the afternoon. It was a very chilled. I got to play with all the blow-up animals… llama, flamingo, swans. I had fun and relaxed.
