Maui Mahalo - The road to Hana

We had another early start today as our plan was to drive the whole south Island. The road to Hana is known for its beauty and it is one of Paul’s favorite trips. There were lots of amazing waterfalls along the way, some ranches and can farms, and many incredible plants along the way. Our only diversion before Hana was a stop at Kahanu Garden, home of the Hale O Pi’ilani Heiau, the largest sacred temple ruins in Hawaii. The site was breathtaking and I felt like I was at last connecting with some authentic Maui. You could definitely also see how the ahupua’a system worked. This was by far one of my favorite experiences in Maui. I hope to spend more time here and learn more about the site and ancient systems next time I’m here.

We had a short lunch in Hana and were then off again on our tour of the south island portion of Maui. There were lots more amazing plants and small villages along the way, some more taro farms and a beautiful old church near the seashore along the way. I was quite amazed at the change in biogeography on the route…from lush to complete desert. There were a few more small ruins along the way as well, demonstrating that the local peoples made use of all the island no matter what the conditions.

After a miserable but usual traffic jam from Kahalui (the main city on Maui) to Lahaina (the town just south of where we were staying) we made it back just in time to catch the Feast at Lele…essentially a Luau that featured food and dance from around Polynesia. WOW! Absolutely amazing. Being a conservation biologist that as in to culture as I am biology I was really blown away.