Hawaii Travelogue -III - Day Trip to Maui

It was hard to believe that we had already spent 2 days of our vacation in Hawaii. And it was the second consecutive day of our day tripping - day trip to the beautiful island of Maui. It was a 30-minute flight from Honolulu to Kahului, Maui. Maui is known for its pristine, serene beaches with sparkling crystal blue waters and the tropical winds. Most of Maui beaches have white sand but black and red sand beaches are not uncommon. The black and red sand beaches are formed due to the volcanic activity in the area.

We rented a car from the Kahului Airport and decided to drive the 53-mile stretch of Hana Highway. This was the most recommended activity that the local people suggested us to do, since this was a day trip. Hana highway is 53 mile drive from Kahului to Hana, on the rugged terrain of Maui. Mind you, the 53 mile drive is not an easy task. The highway is just a single lane on each side with winding roads (more than 600 curves) and small bridges. The bridges are so rustic that only single lane goes through most of the bridges - one needs to yield to the oncoming traffic. The drive winds its way through bamboo forests, taro plantations, ocean views, beaches, bridges and waterfalls. There are many lookouts marked on the way that offer majestic views of ocean. The end of Hana Highway is the Pools of Oheo, which are a group of seven crystal and rock bound pool bordered by cliffs. We could not complete till end of Hana Highway, since we were running late and we were exhausted after the drive. So, we decided to turn back towards Kahului.

Many places on the Hana Highway and parts of Maui are featured in the movie Jurassic Park. Unfortunately, batteries of our camera died that day after clicking some pictures. So, I just have this picture from the Maui trip. But http://www.hanalanihideaway.com/hana.php shows some of the beautiful pictures at each milepost on Hana Highway.

Some of the things that we missed on our day trip, but worth giving a thought when you plan Maui trip is the Helicopter ride to see the "Wall of Tears" and visit to the Haleakala national park.