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osodecanelaFor the handful of people not aware, the Hawai'ian islands are a series of volcanos that arose from the floor of the Pacific. Maui is comprised of two, a smaller one (extinct I think) which makes up the west side of the island and Haleakala, the larger of the two which makes up the larger east side of Maui. Haleakala last erupted in the late 1800's, so while not extinct, it's been quiet for a while.
On our last trip we made it to the top of Haleakala, which is over 10,000 feet (& bloody cold at the summit!). We also drove the north shore to Hana. We took in the black sand beach at Wainapanapa, which is more a black pebble beach and no picnic to walk on. We wanted to see the blue pool, as well as the 7 sacred pools, but we misjudged our time, got there too late in the day and it started to pour. It's a 3 hour drive to go 72 miles and so we turned back.
This morning we set out early. Well, earlier. The weather was good and the views of the north shore gorgeous. We breezed straight thru Hana south to the 7 pools. They're part of Haleakala Nat'l Park as is the top of the volcano. The trail to the pool is an easy 3/4 mile hike. We could have worn the water shows to get there, but being unfamiliar with the terrain we wore our street shows and carried the rest.
The pools were phenominal. The ones most easily accessed were deep enough to swim in, the water cool and very inviting. From the calmness of them you could see the crashing surf at the beach below. We spent 2 hours at the pools; I would have preferred longer but my husband was getting cold and we needed to make the drive back.
We had been told that the road along the south side of Maui wasn't passable, but the park ranger suggested we take that route back, that it was the way most of the smaller tour buses went. With the news that the blue pool was no longer accessible, we followed his advice. It was a rough road back which was very slow going for the first 15 miles, but we were treated to some incredible vistas on our drive back some of the most spectacular I've seen so far this trip.
The road back runs upcountry, climbing 3500 feet back up the mountain, before descending again into Kahului. It's 64 miles from the sacred pools whether you take the Hana Hwy the way you came or head out the Pi'ilani Hwy to the west. It took us an hour less on Pi'ilani but that was only because traffic on it was minimal. The road is so narrow, that had there been more than a car or 2 each mile it could easily have taken much longer. A fender bender out there would have been a nightmare.
So we circled the volcano today. Tomorrow, Molokini.
On our last trip we made it to the top of Haleakala, which is over 10,000 feet (& bloody cold at the summit!). We also drove the north shore to Hana. We took in the black sand beach at Wainapanapa, which is more a black pebble beach and no picnic to walk on. We wanted to see the blue pool, as well as the 7 sacred pools, but we misjudged our time, got there too late in the day and it started to pour. It's a 3 hour drive to go 72 miles and so we turned back.
This morning we set out early. Well, earlier. The weather was good and the views of the north shore gorgeous. We breezed straight thru Hana south to the 7 pools. They're part of Haleakala Nat'l Park as is the top of the volcano. The trail to the pool is an easy 3/4 mile hike. We could have worn the water shows to get there, but being unfamiliar with the terrain we wore our street shows and carried the rest.
The pools were phenominal. The ones most easily accessed were deep enough to swim in, the water cool and very inviting. From the calmness of them you could see the crashing surf at the beach below. We spent 2 hours at the pools; I would have preferred longer but my husband was getting cold and we needed to make the drive back.
We had been told that the road along the south side of Maui wasn't passable, but the park ranger suggested we take that route back, that it was the way most of the smaller tour buses went. With the news that the blue pool was no longer accessible, we followed his advice. It was a rough road back which was very slow going for the first 15 miles, but we were treated to some incredible vistas on our drive back some of the most spectacular I've seen so far this trip.
The road back runs upcountry, climbing 3500 feet back up the mountain, before descending again into Kahului. It's 64 miles from the sacred pools whether you take the Hana Hwy the way you came or head out the Pi'ilani Hwy to the west. It took us an hour less on Pi'ilani but that was only because traffic on it was minimal. The road is so narrow, that had there been more than a car or 2 each mile it could easily have taken much longer. A fender bender out there would have been a nightmare.
So we circled the volcano today. Tomorrow, Molokini.
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Date: 2010-07-02 02:13 am (UTC)Glad ya had a good trip to the pools
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Date: 2010-07-02 04:55 am (UTC)