We are staying in Hana for 3 nights and have heard that massive people make the trek around 8am daily. If we are not trying to rush there and turn around, what time would be best to drive there, without the crowds and traffic?
Also, if staying overnight, what would you recommend buy at the store before the drive? Not sure if we will have an ice chest! Our place will have a kitchen once we arrive in Hana.
What Time to Leave for Hana Drive/Groceries??
Just go to K-mart or someplace and buy a cheap foam cooler.
What Time to Leave for Hana Drive/Groceries??
This time of year it%26#39;s not that busy; was just there at the end of Nov.; shouldn%26#39;t be a problem. Enjoy---hope you like the very low key lifesytle if you%26#39;re in Hana for 3 nights . . . .
This time of year it%26#39;s not that busy; was just there at the end of Nov.; shouldn%26#39;t be a problem. Enjoy---hope you like the very low key lifesytle if you%26#39;re in Hana for 3 nights . . . .
This time of year it%26#39;s not that busy; was just there at the end of Nov.; shouldn%26#39;t be a problem. Enjoy---hope you like the very low key lifesytle if you%26#39;re in Hana for 3 nights . . . .
We went last week -- left Paia (at the ';civilization'; end of the Hana Highway) around 10:30 and traffic was light. Stopping here and there, we made it to Hana around 1:30. Leisurely pace, nice drive -- it had obviously rained early that morning b/c it was wet, wet, wet. Last year we were there in September and left Paia around 8:30 or 9; the road was considerably more crowded, probably due to both the time and the season.
Thank you everyone! I wil be in Maui in April 06, so not sure how crowded it will be then. I guess it is safe to leave later than 9am. Happy holidays. ps Thanks for the tip on the cheapie cooler- that is brilliant!
A better idea than a disposable cooler would be to buy a softsided one that you can reuse, for a few dollars more. Styrofoam lasts a long time in the landfill and we live on a small island.
I stay Hana a few times a year. Haegawa%26#39;s and the Hana Ranch Market both have limited groceries. You can buy local grown beef and local produce. I find plenty things at Hasegawa%26#39;s are same price as at Safeway. We buy beer at Hasegawa%26#39;s. They always have specials, same price as everyplace else. I buy fresh fish from the guys at Koki beach. Most nights they have some, and you can find them cleaning the fish along Haneo%26#39;o Road, near the beach. Hana meals for us are usually fresh fish or local beef on the grill, Moloka`i potatoes, and a salad or fruit.
Sometimes, if I am coming from Pa`ia and it is not too early, I stop at Nagata market in Pa`ia. They usually have Kula corn and tomatoes and all kine fresh fish. If it is after 9 when you buzz through there, stop and check them out. Mana food on Baldwin is a good healthy market also in Pa`ia, if you like natural foods.
Wow! You wrote back so fast!! Thank you so much. Yes, we are very healthy eaters. Although, not sure how healthy we will be eating on the Lahaina side! Ha! Great idea about the fresh fish- yummy!!!
We went to Haleakala to see the sun rise. Went to Charley%26#39;s in PAia for a great (substanance) breakfast, stopped to watch the wind surfers north of Paia and then drove to Hana around 10:30. I think this was the best time because it was very leasurely as so many had left earlier.
We didn%26#39;t stay in Hana but we did continue on (the back side) and it was great. We actually enjoyed the %26#39;backside%26#39; more than the drive to Hana. Beautiful country/Incredible landscape. We had a Mercury Sable and the roads were fine just make sure you get gas in Hana.
We used MAui Revealed as our guide and did stop at some of the %26#39;hidden%26#39; waterfalls. These required walking back into the woods but the falls we saw were very private and stunning.
- The trip to the tiny town of Hana is much more relaxing if you leave early - the road can become crowded with other sightseers by midmorning. We leave Lahaina at 7am (not popular with anyone but Dad, who drives.
If you are coming from the U.S., you might want do this trip early in your vacation, when you are still waking up early in Hawaii because of the time change.
- There are lots of stops for waterfalls and vistas, which get better as you progress during the day. To keep ahead of the crowd, skip the mediocre stops at the beginning of the trip.
- The travel book %26#39;Maui Revealed%26#39; has an excellent section on the road to Hana that helped us select the stops that matched what our family wanted to see and do.
- Consider taking the west Haleakala road back to West Maui. The information in the tourist brochures and many travel books about the condition of this road is outdated and inaccurate. After a few miles of narrow winding road (drive slow on this part and enjoy the striking ocean views), the road is either graded gravel or smooth blacktop. The road is a super highway compared to what we experienced on this same roado 20 years ago, when we slowly bumped along in a jeep. And the views on the isolated west side of Haleakala are stunning.
- We have several more suggestions about the Road to Hana (don%26#39;t miss the banana stand with all the boar%26#39;s heads nailed to the wall!) at lahaina-family-vacation.com/road-to-hana.html
No comments:
Post a Comment