Road to Hana - Wailua Falls

With the hairpin turns ending in Hana this next stage of the journey is a little more straightforward with a few gentle curves along the east coast of Maui. A slight detour for more beach opportunities are presented with either Koki Beach for surfing and views of Alau Island in the distance or Hamoa Beach further south that is great for bodysurfing and views of a row of pine trees on Maka’Alae Point.

The pine trees known as Cook Pines are endemic to New Caledonia but have been cultivated around the world including Hawaii. First classified by naturalist Johann Forster, the pines were named after Captain James Cook whom Forster joined on the 1772 round the world voyage. A quirky phenomenon about the Cook Pines is their lack of upright growth and rather obvious tilt. Looking like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the strange aspect of its lean is that those cultivated north of the equator such as Southern California tend to lean southward and those cultivated south of the equator such as Australia or New Zealand tend to lean northwards. It seems depending where they are planted, they lean towards the equator. One particular tree in South Australia slants at a 40 degree angle.

With no shortage of waterfalls on the highway, Paihi Falls comes into view very close to the bridge. Tucked in a concave position, dense vegetation obscures it coming from Hana until pretty much located on the bridge. It is so close once seen you could almost reach out and touch it. At 50ft (15m) tall regardless of whether it’s a light trickle or full the waterfall is a pretty sight as it falls along several narrow rocky ledges to the pool below.

A quarter of a mile further (480m) is the scenic 95ft (29m) drop at Wailua Falls. Visible from the road, a better view is a short hike to the falls’ base to watch the upper section plunging halfway down onto a rocky ledge before fanning out slightly to cascade into the swimmable pond.



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Road to Hana - Hana

A mere 2.4mi (3.8km) further from Upper Waikani Falls is the Wailua Iki Falls. More of a cascade visible from the road to the right, the flow is part of West Wailua Iki Stream coming from up north. The stream, making up the Lower Wailua Iki Falls, plunges 150ft (45m) beneath the bridge into a pool below. This part is easily missed on the way to Hana as it’s not visible from the road unless travelling in the opposite direction. A good view from the road is 528ft (160m) after the bridge looking back and even better is to hike down to the stream via the Wailua Iki Trail that’s nearby. The impressiveness of the falls is dependent on the amount of rain that has fallen which dictates the strength of the flow. Seeing the flow of the cascade on the right would be an indicator if it’s worth looking for the waterfall downstream.

The next roadside waterfall is Hanawi Falls. Fed by the ample waters of Hanawi Stream, this year-round cascade flows beneath a nearly century old bridge continuing 9mi (14km) downstream into the Pacific Ocean. Surrounded by dense vegetation, the stream is home to an endangered damselfly species (similar to dragonfly) that feeds plants such as white ginger, the endemic koa tree and sandalwood. Groups of hala trees with its pineapple-shaped fruit are dotted throughout. Culturally significant many parts of the hala tree are used such as: the fruit, eaten fresh or preserved; the trunk as building materials; and the most common use are the leaves that are weaved into goods like baskets, mats or hats. One of the most pristine streams in Hawaii, the swimming hole is inviting but can be extremely cold.

Arriving in Hana is where the Road to Hana driving tour ends. However, this journey continues on along Hana Hwy for another 14mi (23km) or so along the east coast of Maui. Hana is a small community and one of the most isolated towns on the whole island. Settled by Polynesian people between the 6th-9th centuries, Hana was home to sugarcane plantations from the mid-1800s until 1949 when the last plantation closed. With the opening of the first inn, in the same year, Hana’s economy moved towards tourism which was further boosted with the construction of Hana Hwy.

Exploring Hana Bay along its black sand, a result of eroded lava that washed ashore, leads to Hana pier on the east side with views of Hana town and Haleakala Mountain in the background. Even more interesting is a meander along Kaihalulu Beach with its red-sand beach and whilst very rocky in some areas there is a sheltered swimmable area amongst its jagged ruggedness.



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Road to Hana - Upper Waikani Falls

Maui has a plethora of waterfalls of which many are along the Hana Hwy (sometimes out of view due to heavy vegetation), largely due to the 50+ streams that cross beneath all the bridges. The waterfalls form at the top of Haleakala Mountain and may take anywhere from 6 to 12 hours to travel down the mountainside to become these falls. The strength of its pour will be dependent on how much rain has fallen and it can be anything from a trickle to flooding with very little in-between.

Haleakala Mountain is a huge inactive volcano on the east side of Maui taking up more than 75% of the island. The west side of the island is taken up by another volcano. Accessible by car the tallest peak is 10,023ft (3,055m). From the summit facing east is a massive crater measuring 7mi (11km) across, 2mi (3.2km) wide and almost 2,600ft (800m) deep. Devoid of vegetation the crater has several walkable trails and right in the centre of it is Kawilinau, a 65ft (20m) deep ‘bottomless’ pit.

The very first waterfall on this route is the Twin Falls and although not visible from the road, it is only a short hike into the lower falls, then up a sloping path to the second one. Both with plunge pools to swim in and cool off it is quite often very busy. For the adventurer, a little further upstream is another waterfall (unnamed) tucked within the dense rainforest in absolute tranquility.

The Upper Waikani Falls, also affectionately known as Three Bears Falls is visible from the highway on the mountain side via a small viewing point. The falls are three thin parallel cascades with the left one at a higher point, followed by a drop in height for the middle one and even lower for the third one. The falls cascade from a height of 70ft (21m) and plunge into a swimmable pool below. Getting to the base of the falls is via a trail beneath the bridge accessed from the southwest side via a steep descent through tropical vegetation until it levels out.

Amongst the foliage, splashes of Red Torch Ginger plants abound. Brought to Hawaii in the 19thC, this striking plant harbours medicinal and culinary properties. Its brown root is used in tea to aid with cold symptoms, morning sickness, motion sickness to name a few whilst also providing the tingly flavour in gingerbread, used to complement sushi or added in thin slices in bowls of ramen (Japanese noodle soup).

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Road to Hana - Mile Marker Zero

The north shore is sparsely populated with Paia town only a few miles out of Kahului being the last town on this route before Hana and no other town for the remainder of this journey. Paia is described as a small “eccentric, hippy, surfer town” and the nearby Paia Bay is a great location for accomplished bodyboarders and bodysurfers due to the near-shore surf break. The remnants of a pillbox (concrete guard post) stands on the edge of the shore as a constant reminder of Hawaii’s role during WWII.

Just 2mi (3.2km) further is the Ho’okipa Beach where windsurfers share the ocean with Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles. Indigenous to Hawaii, the sea turtles referred to as Honu are sacred creatures that “embody good luck, protection, endurance and long life”. Over harvested by westerners during the 19th and 20th centuries, the Honu became a protected species in 1978 and has since begun to repopulate. Still listed as an endangered species, the honu - should it survive predation, environmental hazards and/or marine debris – can live up to 100 years with the female reaching reproduction maturity around 25 years and laying up to 100 eggs every 2-3 years ashore.

Moving inland on Hana Hwy, Route 36 turns into Route 360 where the Road to Hana Mile Marker Zero, denotes the beginning of the narrow and winding mountain highway. This serpentine road has a staggering 620 curves, crossing 59 bridges (46 are one-lane wide) through a tropical rainforest. The majority of the bridges, built between 1908 and 1947, have historic designations and continue to be used today. Only one bridge was replaced in recent years due to erosion.

The construction of the Road to Hana hails back to the 14th century when Maui was divided into three regions, each with its own ruler. King Pi’ilani was the ruler of west Maui and through marriage became the ruler of Hana in the east. To provide access between the two regions he built a road that was the precursor to Hana Hwy. Legend says that “travellers swung over East Maui’s rushing streams with ropes made of vine” which were the precursors to the 59 bridges. Modern road construction began in the 1870s, carried on through the early 1900s and was finally completely paved by the 1960s.

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Road to Hana - Kahului

One of the most isolated archipelagos in the world can be found in the centre of the Pacific Ocean. Consisting of approximately 137 islands, and between 400,000 and 28 million years of age – depending on location – are the Hawaiian Islands. The nearest landmass, quite surprisingly, is the southernmost point of Alaska at 1,573mi (2,531km) away from Hawaii’s northernmost point. It is usually mistaken to be California which is about 2,286mi (3,680km) away.

Hawaii is the 50th state of the USA having joined in 1959. It has eight main islands with Hawaii, Maui and Oahu being the top three in size. Maui is the second largest island and is one of four islands – two of which are uninhabited – that make up the County of Maui.

On the northeast coast of Maui is the winding Road to Hana that begins in the town of Kahului and ends in the small village of Hana. My journey will continue beyond Hana, exploring the east coast down to Kalepa Gulch and finishing at Alelele Falls Viewpoint.

My travels begin in Kahului, the most populated town on the island, with several commercial shopping malls and light industries that serve most of the island. Within one of these malls is the Tasaka Guri Guri shop, known for its specialty in frozen dessert and its well-guarded secret recipe. A cross between a sherbet and ice cream, the guri guri was invented by Jokichi Tasaka in the early 1900s in Japan. When his son, Gunji, migrated to the United States he set up shop in Maui and carried on the family business. Today it continues to be run by family members with pineapple and strawberries as their main flavours inside a bright pink painted shop that has been the family’s business address for nearly 40 years.

The northern beaches of Maui such as Kanaha Beach just to the east of Kahului are popular destinations for windsurfers and kitesurfers. Since the northern shores are open to the oceanic elements it is a much windier location, when compared to the southern beaches that are sheltered by the island, creating the right conditions for these sailing sports. Maui is the birthplace of kitesurfing following the inaugural 1998 Kitesurfing Championships. Described as a combination of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding and wakeboarding, it is one of the more accessible extreme sailing sports both financially and in terms of learning it.

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Estrada Real - Magé

It’s been a long journey, travelling through mountainous terrain, alongside rivers, through villages and cities. I arrived in Magé where the Estrada Real ended.

Historically, Magé played a very important role in the development of Brazil, being one of the first towns to emerge after its discovery in 1500. Magé began as a village in 1566 under the name Magepe-Mirim. Located on the Guanabara Bay, Magé’s economic activity centred around maritime trading. As Magé prospered it was elevated to parish status and by 1857 it was granted city status.

The first railway in South America was built here when the Mauá railroad connected Guia de Copaiba on the coast to Fragoso (both districts of Magé) over a track length of 9mi (15km). This was the beginning of railroad building that would eventually carry imported goods to the mining regions of Minas Gerais. Magé was the busiest port in colonial Brazil where extracted gold from Minas was shipped to Portugal.

With the abolition of slavery, former slaves left the region and most of the plantations disappeared. Thus began a gradual decline in the area until the 20th century when textile manufacturing moved in.

Today, there’s little evidence of its prosperous years, except for remnants of a railway turntable, a small station and a short section of narrow-gauge rail track at the end of a pier that at one time would have been part of a port.

It seemed fitting to finish here at the end of the railway track overlooking the bay. I imagine how busy the port was hundreds of years ago as ships sailed in with Portuguese goods and sailed out with gold and other treasures. A lot has changed, cities have grown and developed yet at the same time many have remained the same. Some may seem as if they’re stuck in a time capsule, others protect and preserve their history for future generations.

On that note I bid you farewell.



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