Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [323]
Wai′anapanapa’s centerpiece, Pa′iloa Beach, is a jet-black stunner. But be cautious before jumping in. It’s open ocean and the bottom drops quickly, so water conditions are best suited to strong swimmers. Powerful rips are the norm, but when it’s very calm the area around the sea arch offers good snorkeling.
Don’t miss the lava-tube caves a five-minute walk from the parking lot. Their garden-like exteriors are draped with ferns, while the interiors harbor deep spring-fed pools. Wai′anapanapa means ‘glistening waters,’ and its mineral waters reputedly rejuvenate the skin. On certain nights of the year, the waters in the caves turn red. Legend says it’s the blood of a princess and her lover who were killed in a fit of rage by the princess’s jealous husband after he found them hiding together here. Less romantic types attribute the phenomenon to swarms of tiny bright-red shrimp called ′opaeula, which occasionally emerge from subterranean cracks in the lava. A coastal trail leads south 2.5 miles from the park to Kainalimu Bay, just north of Hana Bay, offering splendid views along the way. Shortly beyond the park cabins, the trail passes blowholes and burial grounds before reaching temple ruins. As the trail fades, keep following the coast over old lava fields. Once you reach the boulder-strewn beach at Kainalimu Bay, it’s about a mile further to Hana center. Honokalani Rd, which leads into Wai′anapanapa State Park, is just south of the 32-mile marker.
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DETOUR: NAHIKU
Unseen by most travelers, the rural village of Nahiku was once the site of Hawaii’s only rubber plantation. The plantation folded in 1916, but some of the old rubber trees can still be seen along the road, half-covered in a canopy of climbing vines. Be warned, the road is just one lane the entire way and passing traffic requires pulling over and backing up – so this isn’t a detour for the faint-hearted. The turnoff onto the unmarked Nahiku Rd is just east of the 25-mile marker. After winding down 2.5 miles you’ll reach the village center with its brightly painted church and smattering of old wooden houses.
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SLEEPING
Fall asleep to the lullaby of the rolling surf at Wai′anapanapa State Park’s campground on a shady lawn near the beach. One caveat: this is the rainy side of the island, so it can get wet at any time – plan accordingly. The park also has a dozen cabins that are extremely popular and usually book up months in advance. Click here for details on permits and reservations.
HANA
pop 1855
Hana doesn’t hit you with a bam. After the spectacular drive to get here, some visitors are surprised to find the town is a bit of a sleeper. Cows graze lazily in green pastures stretching up the hillsides. Neighbors chat over plate lunches at the beach. Even at Hana’s legendary hotel, the emphasis is on relaxation.
Isolated as it is by that long and winding road, Hana stands as one of the most Hawaiian communities in the state. Folks share a strong sense of ′ohana (family), and if you listen closely you’ll hear the words ‘auntie’ and ‘uncle’ a lot. There’s a timeless rural character, and though ‘Old Hawaii’ is an oft-used cliché elsewhere, it’s hard not to think of Hana in such terms. What Hana has to offer is best appreciated by those who stop and unwind. Visitors who stay awhile will experience an authentic slice of aloha.
History
It’s hard to imagine little Hana as the epicenter of Maui but this village produced many of ancient Hawaii’s most influential ali′i. Hana’s great 14th-century chief Pi′ilani marched from here to conquer rivals in Wailuku and Lahaina, and become Maui’s first unified leader. The paths he took became such vital routes that even today half of Maui’s highways bear his name.
The landscape changed dramatically in 1849 when ex-whaler George Wilfong bought 60 acres of land to plant sugarcane. Hana became a booming plantation town, complete with a narrow-gauge railroad connecting the fields to the Hana Mill. In the 1940s Hana could no longer compete with larger sugar