Don't Drive The Road to Hana If You Can Help It.

Now you may have heard that Hana is a pretty beautiful place.  You’re right it is and the journey you must take to get there is even more incredible.  A world away from the hustle and bustle of the hotel and condo lined beaches of the south side of the island of Maui.   This part of Maui is tropical rain forest filled with such a variety of green that is unbelievable until you see it.

Now the journey is adventure all on it’s own.  Here are a few reasons why maybe you shouldn’t drive the Hana highway yourself.

The Road Itself

Everyone loves to drive and a little challenge too but it’s also the best recipe for an accident.  The road to Hana provides this; hundreds of turns, roads built into ocean cliffs, scores of single lane bridges and miles of single lane road.  Add in lots of traffic, local tailgaters and incredible scenery.  Mix that all together and BANG; you have hit a car, lost your side mirror or drove over rocks that have fallen down on the road.   They don’t sell “I survived the road to Hana and my car did too” T-shirts in Hana for nothing.

Your Passengers

This is to the driver who will undoubtedly not enjoy the day as much as everyone else.  Your passengers will not let you relax for a moment.  To get to Hana requires a whole lot of patience if you are a driver.  Do you have trouble going down the street without speeding?   Going out for a drive with your spouse ends up in arguments?   If these and many other similar examples are things you have experienced then don’t do this to yourself.  The reason for being on Maui is to enjoy a relaxing vacation.  

The Driver

Do you love the person who will be your chauffeur for the day?  Does it matter to you that they too should enjoy everyday of their vacation?  Don't do this to them.  Any driver will want to be able to see all the beauty that you, as a passenger enjoys.  There is no room in most places to stop, allowing just a slow drive-by view.  A first time driver will take risks to check out some of the view before moving on.  A situation like that can turn unpleasant very easily on the road to Hana, especially if you declined the full insurance coverage.

Timing Your Stops

Your plan is to drive to Hana and back or even keep going all the way around Haleakala.  Whatever you do, you want to give yourself the right amount of time at each stop to see everything before sunset.  Guide books can get you out to places but they don't tell you how long you should stay to maximize your day, overall.  Too often people get caught up and spend too much time in certain locations.  That’s great if you can return as often as you like.  For many one day is all they have.   You may want to spend more time at the Seven Sacred pools in Haleakala National Park than at Twin Falls.

Rental Car

If you are planning a first time trip to Hana then you will probably be doing it in a rental car with a policy you must follow or be liable.  To comply with these rules means that you can’t go all the way around Mount Haleakala.  Forcing you to drive back the same way you came.  

Guide Books

Guide books are great for getting you to places all around the island.  Guide books tell you all the hidden places to check out.  Many of those are on private land, dangerous in the best weather or sacred to he Hawaiian people.  Guide books may mention these points but still tell you how to get there.  Causing tension on a peaceful island while on vacation effects everyone, including locals who have permission to visit.

The Shaka Demonstration by a Maui Guide

The Shaka Demonstration by a Valley Isle Excursions Maui Guide

Valley Isle Excursion's Maui guides are very entertaining. Their stories are full of history, mystery, fun and adventure. They love a good joke and while they are out showing visitors the incredible island we live on, are out to have some fun too. This Maui tour guide demonstrates the types of Shaka greetings as seen from different walks of life and backgrounds. Some of the greetings between the Hawaiian's range from rude and funny to just plain bad. The greeting styles between friends and family include the Hawaiian, Italian, the crab, the fisherman and just the plain old flash that you see in pictures and on the street. This is definitely not an all inclusive list but it gives you an idea of the fun we have with it and with life here on the Hawaiian Islands.

The Shaka Story

There are many stories out there about how the shaka (thumb and pinky finger up while the rest of the fingers are down) wave or greeting came to be.

The one that I am most familiar with is this one. A man, because of an accident, was missing three of his fingers still would wave to friends, family and others in the usual way. His wave would be just the thumb and the pinky extended because he had no other fingers to extend. I am not quite sure of how that came to be. It could have been from a shark bite while surfing, working in the sugar cane fields or some other accident. That's a question to ask a Maui Guide while you are visiting Hawaii.

This man was seen often walking on the local beaches and was well liked by the surf kids. The kids in the surf would wave to him and he would wave back in his distinctive style. After a while, they began to copy his wave and as sort of an underground, in the know joke, greet each other and him with what we know as the shaka greeting today.

The shaka then quickly spread throughout the Hawaiian islands and became the unofficial greeting to friends and between locals. So when you see the wave, you know it's just our way of saying hello, thank you or Aloha!

Starting Upcountry Tour in addition to a Road to Hana Tour

One of Maui's best activities is taking a day trip with Valley Isle Excursions down the Road to Hana. This tour is a delightful day that includes so much that it's hard to pack it all in. You will definitely be tired after a full day of touring but you will be quite satisfied with all the things you see and do.

Other tours on Maui's Hana Highway don't start with a Hawaiian continental breakfast, or serve cold drinks all day long. They don't serve you a wonderful lunch either. They expect you to fend for yourself all day long. Valley Isle Excursions knows how to treat everyone that comes to Maui and share the aloha with them. It's who they are and they love what they do.

Now, Valley Isle Excursions is a different tour company. They are family run and local. They care about the Hawaiian people and everyone is actively involved in island life. From the owner to the lowly web guy, they all have a connection to the island, the culture and it's people.

So they started planning an Upcountry Tour and everyone in the company got excited. Where would they go and what would they do. The good thing is that because they are a small company and the vans are quite small, seating only 12 people. It allows them to do things that other tour companies can only dream of.

So what would be on a list of stops on upcountry tour? First you will have to define what is Upcountry on the island of Maui. Upcountry we consider to be towns and villages like...

Makawao - This is a Piioholo (cowboy) town with many of the orginal buildings. This town has many wonderful shops and art galleries to explore.

Kula - This is where most people on Maui want to live. The beautiful sunset views, the gorgeous farms and small ranches, wonderful people, cafes and restaurants. Overall a very friendly place to be.

Keokea - Well this area too is where many people really want to live. Oprah and many celebrities have land up here. It's home to a lifestyle that is far removed from the hustle of the tourist part of the islands and yet not that far away. The views, the forests, Grandma's cafe and more are places you definitely want to check out.

Ulapalakula - Is home to Maui's only winery, Tedeschi winery. It has a great little deli and other scenic spots. Even a leader of China made his home up in this area.

Beyond these towns there is so much more to the island of Maui's Upcountry. A land of mystery and legend. A land spewing volcanos, terrible disease, over-population and tough choices. These areas should be experienced and visited.

So if you have some ideas of what you would like to experience put in your two cents in the comments below. Let us know what you would like to see in your Upcountry Tour.