Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Two miles farther along is
Kalahaku Overlook
, the best place to see a rare
silversword.
You can turn into this overlook only when you are descending from
the top. The silversword is the punk of the plant world, its silvery bayonets dis-
playing tiny, purple bouquets—like a spacey artichoke with attitude. This
botanical wonder proved irresistible to humans, who gathered them in gunny-
sacks for Chinese potions, British specimen collections, and just for the sheer
thrill of having something so rare. Silverswords grow only in Hawaii, take from
4 to 50 years to bloom, and then, usually between May and October, send up a
1- to 6-foot stalk with a purple bouquet of sunflower-like blooms. They're now
very rare, so don't even think about taking one home.
Continue on, and you'll quickly reach
Haleakala Visitor Center,
which
offers spectacular views. You'll feel as if you're at the edge of the earth, but the
actual summit's a little farther on, at
Puu Ulaula Overlook
(also known
as Red Hill), the volcano's highest point, where you'll find a mysterious cluster
of buildings officially known as Haleakala Observatories, but unofficially called
Science City.
If you go up for sunrise, the building at Puu Ulaula Overlook, a
triangle of glass that serves as a windbreak, is the best viewing spot. After the
daily miracle of sunrise—the sun seems to rise out of the vast ocean (hence the
name “House of the Sun”)—you can see all the way across Alenuihaha Channel
to the often snowcapped summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island.
EAST MAUI & HEAVENLY HANA
Hana is paradise on Earth—or just about as close as you can get to it, anyway.
In and around Hana, you'll find a lush tropical rainforest dotted with cascading
waterfalls and sparkling blue pools, skirted by red- and black-sand beaches.
THE ROAD TO HANA
Car top down, sunscreen on, radio tuned to a little Hawaiian music on a Maui
morning—it's time to head out to Hana along the Hana Highway (Hwy. 36), a
wiggle of a road that runs along Maui's northeastern shore. The drive takes at
least 3 hours from Lahaina or Kihei—but take all day. Going to Hana is about
the journey, not the destination.
There are wilder roads, steeper roads, and more dangerous roads, but in all of
Hawaii, no road is more celebrated than this one. It winds 50 miles past taro
patches, magnificent seascapes, waterfall pools, botanical gardens, and verdant
rainforests, and ends at one of Hawaii's most beautiful tropical places. Everyone
in the family will find something along this magical road.
The outside world discovered the little village of Hana in 1926, when the nar-
row coastal road, carved by pickax-wielding convicts, opened. The mud-and-
gravel road, often subject to landslides and washouts, was paved in 1962, when
tourist traffic began to increase; it now sees 1,000 cars and dozens of vans a day,
according to storekeeper Harry Hasegawa. That translates into half a million
people a year, which is way too many. Go at the wrong time, and you'll be stuck
in a bumper-to-bumper rental-car parade—peak traffic hours are mid-morning
and mid-afternoon year-round, especially on weekends.
In the rush to “do” Hana in a day, most visitors spin around town in 10 min-
utes and wonder what all the fuss is about. It requires time to take in Hana, play
in the waterfalls, sniff the tropical flowers, hike to bamboo forests, and view the
spectacular scenery. Stay overnight if you can, and meander back in a day or two.
If you really must do the Hana Highway in a day, go just before sunrise and
return after sunset.
