EAST MAUI: THE ROAD TO HANA - Maui: Including Molokai and Lanai - page 505

Hana. One of the tours spends time exploring the recesses of Ka'eleku Caverns, while
there is also a Hana picnic tour similar in itinerary to the other options but with much nicer
vans. The top choice, however, is to drive the Road to Hana and then hop aboard a heli-
copter at the Hana Airport for a ride back to Kahului. During the flight you'll zip by tower-
ing waterfalls you would never see from the road, and also buzz over the multihued cinder
cones of Haleakala Crater. Prices for this Hana Sky Trek option are understandably higher
at about $345/person.
Valley Isle Excursions (808/661-8687, www.tourmaui.com , $132/adult, $94/child),
Roberts Hawaii (800/831-5541, www.robertshawaii.com , $124/adult, $74/child), and
Mahalo Tours (877/262-4256, www.mahalotoursandtrans.com ) also offer tours in larger
vans that make all of the usual stops, and you'll wrap all the way around the back of the
island and make a stop at the Tedeschi Winery in Ulupalakua.
For smaller, private, more customizable tours, Awapuhi Adventures (808/269-6031,
www.awapuhiadventures.com ) , Open Eye Tours (808/572-3483,
www.openeyetours.com ) , and Maui Easy Riders (808/344-9489,
www.mauieasyriders.com ) provide personalized experiences which—if you are going to
choose a guide trip for Hana—are the best, albeit most expensive ways to go.
BUS
The Maui Bus provides regular service between Pa'ia, Ha'iku, the Kahului Airport, and
Queen Ka'ahumanu Center in Kahului (where you can connect with buses to anywhere
else on the island). The rate is $2/boarding or $4 for a day pass, and pickup begins in Pa'ia
at 5:53am if headed toward Ha'iku and 6:29am if headed toward Kahului. The route also
makes stops at the Ha'iku Marketplace and Ha'iku Community Center, with the final bus
going from Ha'iku to Kahului departing the community center at 7:47pm.
FLIGHTS
Hana
At the small airport in Hana, you can swap the nausea of a three-hour drive for the con-
venience of a 20-minute flight. Of course, you'll miss out on all the sights along the Road
to Hana, but if your focus is on getting to Hana and relaxing at the resort, then Mokulele
(866/260-7070, www.mokuleleairlines.com , 7am-7pm daily) operates flights twice daily
between Kahului Airport and the landing strip in Hana. Often the Travaasa Hana hotel will
run specials in which you can bundle airfare with a stay of three nights or more, and occa-