Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [324]
Enter San Francisco businessman Paul Fagan, who purchased 14,000 acres in Hana in 1943. Starting with 300 Herefords, Fagan converted the cane fields to ranch land. A few years later he opened a six-room hotel as a getaway resort for well-to-do friends and brought his minor-league baseball team, the San Francisco Seals, to Hana for spring training. That’s when visiting sports journalists gave the town its moniker, ‘Heavenly Hana.’ Today Hana Ranch remains the backbone of Hana’s economy and its hillside pastures graze some 2000 head of cattle worked by Hawaiian paniolo.
Orientation & Information
Hana closes up early. If you’re going to be heading back late, get gas in advance – the sole gas station, Hana Gas ( 248-7671; cnr Mill Rd & Hana Hwy; 7am-6pm), has limited opening hours.
Hana Ranch Center (Mill Rd) is the commercial center of town. It has a post office ( 248-8258); a tiny Bank of Hawaii ( 248-8015; 3-4:30pm Mon-Thu, to 6pm Fri), and the Hana Ranch Store ( 248-8261; 7am-7:30pm), which sells groceries and liquor. There’s no ATM at the bank, but Hasegawa General Store ( 248-8231; 5165 Hana Hwy; 7am-7pm Mon-Sat, 8am-6pm Sun) has one. For medical needs, Hana Health ( 248-8294; 4590 Hana Hwy; 8:30am-5pm) is at the north side of town.
Sights
HANA BEACH PARK
Hana’s pulse beats from this bayside park. Families come here to take the kids for a splash, to picnic on the beach and to strum their ukulele with friends. When water conditions are very calm, snorkeling and diving are good out in the direction of the light beacon. Currents can be strong, however, and snorkelers shouldn’t venture beyond the beacon. Surfers head to Waikoloa Beach, at the northern end of the bay.
HANA CULTURAL CENTER
Soak up a little local history at this down-home museum ( 248-8622; www.hookele.com/hccm; 4974 Uakea Rd; adult/child under 12 $3/free; 10am-4pm Mon-Fri) displaying Hawaiian artifacts, wood carvings and quilts.
The museum grounds harbor still more cultural gems, including four authentically reconstructed thatched hale, which can be admired even outside of opening hours. Here, too, is a three-bench, c 1871 courthouse. Although it looks like a museum piece, you may be surprised to learn this tiny court is still used on the first Tuesday of each month when a judge shows up to hear minor cases, sparing Hana residents with traffic tickets the need to drive all the way to Wailuku.
KAIHALULU (RED SAND) BEACH
A favored haunt of nude sunbathers, this little cove on the south side of Ka′uiki Head has beautiful contrasts with rich red sand set against brilliant turquoise water. The cove is partly protected by a lava outcrop, but the currents can be powerful when the surf’s up. Indeed, the name Kaihalulu means ‘roaring sea.’ Water drains through a break on the left side, which should be avoided. Your best chance of finding calm waters is in the morning.
The path to the beach starts across the lawn at the lower side of the Hana Community Center, where a steep 10-minute trail continues down to the cove. En route you’ll pass an overgrown Japanese cemetery, a remnant of the sugarcane days.
HASEGAWA GENERAL STORE
For a century, this tin-roofed store ( 248-8231; 5165 Hana Hwy; 7am-7pm Mon-Sat, 8am-6pm Sun) operated by the Hasegawa family has been Hana’s sole general store, its narrow aisles jam-packed with everything from fishing poles and machetes to soda pop and bags of poi. This icon of mom-and-pop shops is always crowded with locals picking up supplies, travelers stopping for snacks and sightseers buying ‘I Survived the Hana Highway’ T-shirts. It’s a sight in itself.
WANANALUA CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
On the National Register of Historic Places, this c 1838 church (cnr Hana Hwy & Hau′oli St) has such hefty walls it resembles an ancient Norman church. Take a close look and you’ll notice that the rock is cut from lava. Also noteworthy is the little cemetery at the side, where the graves are randomly laid out rather than lined up in rows. Even at rest, Hana folks like things casual.
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