After stopping at the cute coastal town of Paia for a quick
lunch, I bid adieu to my aunt and uncle and then started out on an afternoon
drive.
I decided that the best way to spend my afternoon was on the
road to Hana, a small coastal town on the other side of the southern part of
Maui. It was 50 miles away, so I thought
it would be a fairly short drive. I
enjoy driving, so this drive was both a dream and a curse. I loved the winding roads and the beautiful
countryside, but the one lane bridges that popped up too often gave me a mini
heart attack every time.
The first stop was a lovely lookout point (I love all the
handmade signs).
I continued further to my second stop, the town of Haiku
because after all isn’t that everyone’s favorite poetic form? The city even had a Kokomo Road. It was pretty out of control.
Next I visited the Garden of Eden, a botanical garden that
featured a duck pond,
...a peacock,
...pretty flowers,
...lots of bamboo and bananas,
...a 100 year old mango tree and other leafy plants,
...rainbow eucalyptus,
...waterfalls,
...the opening scene of Jurassic Park
...and more!
I ventured further to a point that had beautiful rocks
jutting into the sea and lots of fishing action going on.
And I took pictures while I drove some more.
I then stopped for a super healthy dinner of vegan coconut
ice cream at a semi-sketchy looking roadside stand. There were handmade signs AND instead of a
spoon, they give you a piece of coconut, so I couldn’t resist.
By the time I reached Hana, it was close to dusk so I
stopped to enjoy Hana Bay and continued on my journey.
Rather than head back the way I came, I thought it would be
better to continue around the island since I thought the road might be better
that way. Nope. It became a one-lane dirt road several miles
after Hana and shortly after that it was pitch black and I got to dodge the
cattle that were in the roadway.
Luckily, I caught up with a line of cars, so the six or so of us
ventured along the Hawaiian coastline back to the more populated part of the
island. What a fun afternoon drive!
