As we docked in Maui, the sun was coming up with dense cloud cover. As it began to peeked through a hole in the clouds, it was as if it was burning a hole in the clouds. Finally, the sun won and the sky opened up to a bright sunny day.
The Coast Guard came along side the ship to come aboard to complete the paper work necessary for us to leave the ship.
With all the paper work done, we got off the ship and had our ship photos taken.
Along Maui’s rugged eastern coastline is the peaceful town of Hana, considered one of the last unspoiled Hawaiian frontiers. The legendary road to Hana is only 52 miles from Kahului. The road was so narrow that many times it was a one-lane road (even though it went 2 ways) with a mountain on one side and a sheer drop off on the other, with no guard rail. This road twisted and turned between the mountain side and ocean for over 4+ hours! It was a surprise when we finally arrived in Hana.
You will have to look close to find the two roads in this picture. We were on top of the mountain looking down on where we were going.
A wide part of the road.
The Hana Highway (HI-360) has 620 curves and 59 bridges. The road leads you through flourishing rainforests, flowing waterfalls, plunging pools and dramatic seascapes. There are plenty of opportunities to stop and enjoy the lovely views, so we got an early start and tool our time on our drive.
At one point on our journey, we stopped to get the waterfall pictures. The bend in the road was very tight, so Fred was in the process of moving the SUV over to the side closer to the mountain when we heard the scraping noise.
This is what happened to the SUV…..
Only minutes away from Paia is Ho’okipa Beach Park, windsurfing capital of the world. In winter, monster surf rolls into the North Shore, with wave after wave and winds rolling in, making Hookipa a world-class windsurf and kite surfing destination. Several professional competitions are held each year at Ho’okipa which attracts competitors from all over the world. Wave jumping and aerial flips are not unusual to see. The spectacle of it is awesome.
This is where the road to Hana stopped for us. We drove through town and did not find anything open at 2:30 on this Sunday afternoon. We came upon the Travaasa Hotel. As we walked into the dining room. There was a perfect view of the bay and a gorgeous day with great outdoor seating. Lizards were running around while Mina birds could be heard in the distance.. This is what we had for lunch the purple chips were made from sweet potatoes. If time I have ever seen purple sweet potatoes!
As we walk around the hotel it was very peaceful.
After lunch we headed back to the ship. The trip was much faster (only 2 1/2 hours) going back, We were on the cliff side of the highway so it was much easier to see oncoming traffic. Once back to the ship, we parked the car in a lot adjacent to where the Pride of America was docked. It appears that many people from the cruise ships rent cars when visiting this island.