Top Up or Top Down -or- The Road to Hana

Go ahead and try to hate us.  We took a long weekend in March to visit Maui.  We set a goal to visit a different Hawaiian island every six months and chose Maui first because we were hoping to be able to spot whales from the Maui shore. 

Being blessed with the ability to take a trip and not feel the need to sit and chill on the beach (yes, this is still a bizarre concept), we maximized our time on the island, driving over 350 miles in four days.  For perspective, Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian islands, 48 miles long and 26 miles wide.  

We took a very early morning flight from Honolulu to Kahului.  The flight is so short that the flight attendants practically sprint down the aisle passing out juice boxes.  At the rental counter A was surprised and elated to see the rental car R had reserved.

Though we didn't really do any "off roading" the car was So. Much. Fun.  This includes each time we had to stop and hustle to put the top back on in a sudden downpour.  Having never ridden in a open Jeep before it was wonderful to take in the scenery without the view being hindered.  (See pictures in the slide show below.)

After picking up the car we stopped to pick up overpriced sunblock (thanks, 3-1-1 rules) and dumped our bags at our vacation rental in Makawao, which is in Upcountry (the middle of the island).  Then we proceeded on to the road to Hana, excited for the clear blue skies, until the sky turned black (top up!).  We had read scary stories about the road, with it's 600 turns and 54 one-lane bridges, but were ready for the challenge.  What we found was a very nicely maintained road with attentive drivers and beautiful scenery (top down!).  We didn't stop until we reached a banana bread stand outside Hana; we were enjoying the drive and counting the one-lane bridges and waterfalls. 

We stopped at Wai'anapanapa State Park to see the black beach, spotted a whale offshore, and took in a second rainstorm (top up!).  Our next stop was Kaihalulu Beach once the next rainstorm stopped.  A small window opened up for us to hike down to this secluded beach with red sand, which also turned out to be an unofficial topless beach.  Following a quick dip we kept the (car) top up and proceeded in the pouring rain to 'Ohe'o Gulch in the south end of Haleakala National Park.  It was too late in the day to embark on our planned hike but we wandered over to check out the "Seven Sacred Pools" where we didn't count seven nor understood why they are sacred.  Perhaps due to the lateness in the day and the recent heavy rains the pools were not safe for swimming.

Putting the top back down we snacked on banana bread and continued around the southeastern side of the island via Pi'ilani Highway and saw very different views from the east coast.  As we finished this semi-paved rural road the day became night and driving into the mountains became very cold.  Not wanting to put the top up again we turned on the heat - the first time we've done that in awhile!

For all of the online comments that mention the road to Hana is scary and the southern road un-passable we found both roads to be mild and extremely enjoyable.  We took it slow when necessary, honked horns around blind curves, and had a fun time with the top down (when it wasn't pouring). 

Our pictures don't look anywhere near as beautiful as they do in person but we hope we get a pass for our lack of photography skills as you enjoy this slide show.