Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 248-7779; www.onofarms.com ; 90min tours adult/child 9yr & under $35/free; 1:30pm Mon-
Fri) The variety at this exotic farm is amazing - scores of tropical fruits the likes of
which you've never seen, spices, cocoa and coffee - all of it top rate and grown organic-
ally. The tour ends with a generous spread of seasonal tastings. Advance reservations re-
quired. The farm is on the inland side of the road just south of the national park.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Piʻilani Highway
Secure your seat belt - and maybe offer up a prayer - if you decide to return to civiliza-
tion on the bumpy and untamed Piʻilani Hwy. This narrow roadway romps across the far
southeastern Maui coast, skirting the southern flank of Haleakalā for 25 ruggedly scenic
miles between Kipahulu and ʻUlupalakua Ranch.
The tight hairpin curves will have you clenching your teeth - and the wheel - while
signs such as ʻMotorists assume risk of damage due to presence of cattle' and ʻSafe
speed 10mph' remind you that this is not your typical highway.
The road winds like a drunken cowboy through these lonesome boonies but most of it
is paved. The trickiest section is around Kaupo, where the road is rutted. Depending on
when it was last graded, you can usually make it in a regular car, though it may rattle
your bones. But after hard rains, streams flow over the road, making passage difficult, if
not dangerous.
Flash floods occasionally wash away portions of the road, closing down the highway
until it's repaired. The Kipahulu Visitor Center ( Click here ) at ʻOheʻo Gulch can tell you
whether or not the road is open.
The best way to approach the drive is to be sure and get an early morning start, when
the road is so quiet you'll feel like the last soul on earth. Pack something to eat and
plenty to drink, and take care to check your oil and spare tire before setting out. It's a
long haul to civilization if you break down or get stranded with a flat - gas stations are
nonexistent between Hana and the Upcountry.
Kaupo
Near mile marker 35 is Kaupo, a scattered community of paniolo, many of them fourth-
generation ranch hands working at Kaupo Ranch. As the only lowlands on this section of
coast, Kaupo was once heavily settled and is home to a number of ancient heiau and two
19th-century churches. However, don't arrive expecting a developed village in any sense
 
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search