#waianapanapabeach

[rupe-taut]

[thesixweekseeker]

Road to Hana

(1/26-1/27/17)

 The “Road to Hana” is on every must-do list for Maui, so I was not about to have some major FOMO and miss out on this trip. My best bud and his dad love it up there so they happily obliged and became my unofficial tour guides.  Since it’s about a 3-hour drive from where we are, we woke up at 5am to get a head start on the “tourists” and the sunrise. Since I was with these two experienced locals, I earned the shotgun spot, and just sat back and was prepared to soak it all in.  

For starters, the drive itself is like an amusement park ride (which is totally my jam).  As you drive along a road made for one car (not two), with tons of opportunities to meet another car head on around every curve, and also throw in the chance landslide encounter (one had just occurred a day or so before we arrived)… it becomes a windy little thrill ride.  Hands in the air like you just don’t care.

Luckily we made it unscathed to the first stop on our tour: Wai'anapanapa Beach, aka Pa'iloa Beach, aka Black Sand Beach.  A quick walk down the path takes you to a beautiful beach with (you guessed it) black sand.  The black sand was created by a lava flow several hundred years ago and the proper name of Wai'anapanapa translates into “glistening water” which is very evident from the pictures below.  It wasn’t really swimmable so we took a path above and alongside the beach to get some stellar views over the cliffs.  We weren’t sure how far the path went, but we walked about 0.5 miles in and got some of these views below.  Maybe next time we will go on a little Lewis and Clark expedition for the full mile and see what we find.

 En route to our next highlight, we made a quick pit stop at Hana Farms.  Although there is no shortage of fruit and coffee stands on the Road to Hana, this one may be the winner.  The women behind the stand were super friendly and answering all of our annoying “what’s in this” questions with an extreme amount of patience as we were trying to decipher what was Six Week approved. Unfortunately their Macadamia Nut Banana Bread “voted best in Hana for years” was not on the approval list so I can’t weigh in on that ruling.  We did get the green light on their Macadamia Nut Pesto Hummus and that did not disappoint (includes everything the name says plus some basil and olive oil).  They also have a ton of homemade goodies including dried exotic fruits and jams, holistic healing goodies and a very legit coffee bar.

 Moving on to our next beautiful beach: Kaihalulu Beach (known as Red Sand Beach).  If I wasn’t with my local tour guides, I would not have been able to find this beach … and that’s the way they like it.  It was a slightly intimidating walk down to the beach and we almost saw a guy bite it over the cliff, so make sure to wear something besides flip flops and get off your phone and focus.  

When you get to that first lookout over the beach, it’s absolutely stunning. Picture huge red cliffs, beautiful red (ish) sand, clear teal water, naked people… wait, say what?

So yes, it’s a clothing optional beach (which I fully support) and I’ve experienced my fair share living in SF.  My only issue is it seems like it’s always the LAST person you want to see naked… and I’m just wondering when do I get the Kelly Slater look-a-like who wants to throw his board shorts to the wind and sit next to me versus “this guy”?  

Anyway, I had to do a quick conference call there, so I tried to go around to a little side pocket so I could avoid the distractions.  However, my new friend just decided to pull up his laptop next to me in his birthday suit and jump on his conference call to discuss philosophy and politics.  Go ahead and also cue two dogs stopping right in front of me to fully (and I mean fully) get it on, with the owner (topless chic) running towards me to try and stop it.  My conference call obviously went well.

Pepper is clearly vibin’ with this beach.

After an exhausting day of sitting at beautiful beaches in perfect weather, we decided to go set up shop at our campsite. We went to Haleakala National Park on the Kīpahulu side (one of two drive-up camping options in the park) and got the best spot (IMO) in the very back away from everyone, but still close enough to get a great view of the water.  The campsite was small with no frills but it was completely surrounded by wonderful scenery.  If you have a Wrangler, Golden Retriever, hammock and a pop up tent – go chill here for three days.  (Three days is the max number of nights they allow at once and I guess you don’t need a Wrangler and a Golden – I just assume everyone wants the same things that I do.) 

 While at the campsite, I learned how to make a version of Huli Huli (turn turn) Chicken – which was delish.  I also became very campfire savvy and learned that you can wrap sweet potatoes up in foil and put them right in the coals and you can also put a whole can of green beans on the grill and cook them straight up.  (You didn’t know that either.)  We walked off our din by taking a little stroll to see the sunset and I knocked out “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg - GREAT book and very applicable for The Six Week. 

 I had some conference calls that next morning and I was able to walk down and take one right as the sun was rising – and it was hands down one of the best I’ve seen.  It was a moment where I realized that I was “in my office” working watching all of this unfold, and it made me beyond grateful for the choices that led to that present moment.  (Side note: you will learn that I geek out over the following: sunrise, sunset, waterfalls.)  

We decided after sunset that we would get a jump start on the Pipiwai Trail to go see some waterfalls.  Go early (7ish) as it starts to get crowded by 9/10am.  The hike is roughly 5 miles round trip but it doesn’t even feel close to that.  Your hiking highlights include:

A massive banyon tree..

A view of Makahiku Falls ...

A trek through an enchanted bamboo forest ....

And the grand prize… Waimoku Falls.  

 My friend’s dad was talking to us about the vortex right above the waterfall.  He said there were only two in the world (here and in Africa) and it was meant to have vast spiritual powers and healing energy.  I did some quick research and it says this area is the Global Fire Vortex. This is said to govern liberty and they recommend coming to this space to meditate (during the Aries new or full moon) on fire, liberty and purpose.  I’m not sure what all I buy into, but there is definitely something very special in that space.  I instantly felt a complete calm rush over me and it was very therapeutic in a way.  

I could have and would have stayed there all day … but somebody had to go find her pot of gold.

 After we got back from the hike, we decided it was tear down camp time, and we were going to venture the rest of the way around the island – Venus Pools would have to wait until the next Hana trip.  My bud made us stop at the Coconut Zen Cave on our way back, and if if you met the owner and saw his space, you would too.  I learned how to crack open a coconut and use a machete for the first time and somehow all appendages are still intact.  Also, putting some Tahitian lime juice (his recommendation) in the coconut water IS amazing and it makes a huge difference.

 The ride back home from Hana was one of the highlights of the trip.  I was surprised to learn that most people don’t go around the backside of Haleakala, they just head back the same way they came.  “They say” the backside is more dangerous to drive on and less visually appealing, but I thought both claims were false.  I mean, there were definitely a few “we might die here” spots during the ride back, but alas, I live another day to write another blog.  

 You need to make sure to save some room for lunch on your drive back so you can hit up Ulupalakua Ranch Store.  Since they were fresh out of elk (the go-to choice) we had lamb and venison burgers, but don’t worry, we had those wrapped in lettuce wraps so TSW approved.  After lunch, I convinced the crew to drive around the West Maui Mountains instead of the normal way home through town. It adds an extra 45 minutes but well worth the drive as the views are gorgeous – reminds me of some of the North Shore in Kauai.  

 We made the complete figure eight loop of Maui within 48-hours and that final day I was able to watch an epic sunrise in Hana, hike to a stunning 400-foot waterfall in Haleakala Park and get home just in time to end with a beautiful sunset in Kahana.  Like I mentioned above, geek out central with those things, so all three in a row = my favorite day in Maui so far.