The drive to Hana is legendary; something all visitors to Maui should do at least once. As we’ve done on previous occasions, we not only drove to Hana, we continued on and drove around the back side of Haleakala, looping all the way back around the island.
The road past Hana really isn’t too rough, but it is very slow going in some parts. It is also very beautiful with breath-taking views around almost every corner. One of the cool things is that on clear days the big Island of Hawaii is visible from this part of Maui. Interesting too is the fact that driving through the very sparsely populated, fenced ranchland is not unlike driving through similar farmland on the mainland … Though not for everyone, if you are the least bit adventurous you should definitely consider the road beyond Hana, around the back-side of Haleakala.
View of Haleakala from a few miles south of Lahaina.
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Keanae peninsula, seen from a hilltop a few miles away.
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Center of the Kenae peninsula; taro is grown here, among other things.
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Right side of Keanae peninsula, where a river runs into the sea.
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Bananas in a tree.
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Waianapanapa Park is one of my favorite locations on the island of Maui. The intensity of the black lava rock contrasted with vibrant, bright green vegetation is only partially captured in these images.
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The beach at Waianapanapa Park.
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Interesting lava arch at Waianapanapa Park.
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On the far backside of Haleakala, beyond Hana, looking back from where we came.
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Same area as above, looking at the road and view ahead.
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Near the end of the unmaintained roadway, looking down towards the newest part of Maui; the lava seen below is from only 200 years ago. (Still not as fresh as what’s currently flowing on the Big Island, though!)