The Road to Hana... and a Little Beyond

One of the "musts" on my Maui wishlist was the Bamboo forest found along the Pipiwai trail. I've walked among Redwoods, hugged Sequoias and marveled at enormous Douglas Firs, but an entire forest of Bamboo was something I had not yet experienced. To get to this forest I was first going to have to brave the Hana Highway. Know as the crown jewel of driving and rumored to have around 600 turns, guidebooks caution that this road isn't for everyone. Even people who could be considered adventure travelers looked at me skeptically when I mentioned it was something I was planning to do. I braced myself for hairy hairpin turns with steep drop-offs which would plunge me into the Pacific Ocean at the slightest driving miscalculation. What I got was a tad disappointing. Was it a beautiful drive? Definitely. Was the road ridiculously narrow with endless sharp turns? For sure. Was it the scariest and most challenging road I've ever been on? I don't think so.

The road mostly winds its way through a lush jungle with just a few peek-a-boos of the ocean.

Clearly, it wasn't the prettiest of days, which actually made it perfect for driving. Even though the drive from where we were staying is only about 25 miles, it takes much longer than expected due to the driving conditions. In order to make it to the Pipiwai Trail to hike to the Bamboo forest and then make it back to town before dark, we blew past the town of Hana. The road finally became as treacherous as promised, but luckily we had to drive only a short distance to get to the trailhead.

Finally. This part of the island is considered the rainier side (ergo the lush jungles) but despite the gray skies and dark clouds in the distance, we forged ahead.

A short distance into the hike we encountered a mystical Banyan tree whose aerial roots welcomed us into its folds.

As we climbed deeper into the jungle, it started to drizzle, and then rain. But we were finally into the Bamboo: just what I had been waiting for.

As much as I wanted to stay in this magical place, the rain had become heavy so we headed back down and started our drive back. Just outside of Hana is Koki Beach which has a red hill called Ka Iwi o Pele as a gorgeous backdrop. The hill is said to contain the bones of the volcano goddess Pele, left behind after she had a battle with her sister. Based on the tempestuousness of the inlet, I wouldn't doubt that claim.