The Road to Hana
Yesterday we got into the Mustang and headed down Highway 360 -- the Road to Hana. We took so many pictures and there's just too much to put into one post. In fact, the taking this road is about the full sensory experience. The visuals are incredible, you can hear the sounds of birds and waterfalls and the ocean. You can smell the scent of gingers and other tropical flowers in the air. You can reach out and feel the gentle rain that doesn't quite make it into your car, even though you've got the top down. And there's just nothing better than the tast of fresh pineapple that you bought along the way and ate at a beautiful beach at the end of the road.
And driving the road is an experience in and of itself. So I thought I would start out with a few images that highlight the road itself. If you like some S curves in your life, this road is probably the ultimate. But don't expect to get much over 15-20 mph. Or, as the signs all over say... "Slow down, this isn't the mainland!" It's excellent advice.
.
Everywhere you turn, there's something new and wonderful to see. The vegetation just draws you down the road, creates it's own lush and beautifully lit "caves" of green.
And the vegetation is both exotic and beautiful. These are the rainbow eucalyptus trees. Their bark is a rainbow of beautiful tropical colors. There are a couple of stands of them early on in the trip. Makes you feel like you are in a magical fairy wood. The colors look like they were painted on with water color or pastel brush strokes.
You might expect the same tropical plants to repeat themselves everywhere. In fact, as you go farther down the road, the plants you see change as the road does.
The road itself clings to the edges of the mountain sides. There were several places where we got out just to see where we had come from and to watch others take the path along the road.
I wish I could remember the name of this falls. Perhaps it doesn't have one. It's literally just off the road in a little turnout before one of the one lane bridges on the Hana Highway. And it's beautiful. This part of the island is clearly rainier than other parts, but without the rain, you wouldn't have sights like these. There are three lower falls and one above the main set of three. Probably hard to see in this picture that I made smaller for the blog, which is too bad. It was definitely one of my best pictures of the day. And one of the nicest falls we saw on the trip as well.
Aloha!
You've driven the road to Hana! I was in Maui a couple of years ago & the one thing we didn't do was that drive. Thanks for sharing. The pictures are beautiful!
That waterfall shot would make a lovely screen saver for a cold winters day cheer-up.
I've heard wonderful things about the road to Hana. The curves in the road are probably very similar to the eastern side of the Big Island. Lots of twists and turns through rainforest, and just spectacular views everywhere!