![]() If you have the time, you can check out the Ali’i Kula Lavender farms. As you reach Keokea, you’ll drive by several farms. You’ll also see small farming communities holding on to the mountain’s green slopes. Haleakala, the vistas are nothing short of spectacular. You’ll see the RPM go up, the engine sound like a Ferrari on an F1 race track, but struggle to beyond 40mph. That said, a non-powerful car would easily give it away. You wouldn’t know that you’re climbing a gigantic dormant volcano because the elevation gain is so gentle. The road from Pukalani to Keokea slowly gains elevation. More on Makawao later, but let me just say that they have this amazing coffee truck - Espresso Mafia, that reminds you of the hipsters from San Francisco. We were craving for a good cup of coffee that morning so we made quick detour to the town of Makawao. Or the Kealia Pond Wildlife Refuge where you can spot absolutely no wildlife. Or the random house graffitied with the noble of cause of saving the cats (#meowmeow). Like the rusted and deserted sugar mill standing tall like a burning man installation. While there is not much to do, there are some interesting sights along the way. So you have to drive around the northern section of the island, bypassing the airport and taking the highway that leads to Haleakala. Yes, even though Kihei is geographically close to the southern section of the island, there is no road that directly connects the two places, unless of course you’re Oprah Winfrey (well, at least she opened her private road during a disaster evacuation). Let’s get the big question out of the way first. Kaupo to Hana ( From Desert to Rainforest in 5 miles).Maui winery to Kaupo ( Where the road gets “interesting”).Keokea to Maui winery ( Playing Need for Speed with the locals chasing us).Pukalani to Keokea ( I’m flooring this goddamn rental car and it still doesn’t move!).Kihei to Pukalani ( Why the heck do we have to do drive around this whole island?).From Kihei, the counter-clockwise path to Hana can be broken down into the following sections: Now, on to the counter-clockwise road to Hana Driving during night is risky given lower visibility. In general, driving during rain conditions is risky given the potential for flash floods. If you feel nervous about driving, turn back. If you’re not getting the traction you need, turn back. So, it would be wise to use your common sense during these road trips. Hawaii experiences unexpected changes in weather conditions. You’re probably thinking - ahh this is the section where the author will conveniently negate everything he wrote earlier to absolve himself of any responsibility. As long as you drive slow, you should be good. Both are pretty short sections (maybe 20 mins each). There are two sections on the entire road that have a questionable surface - one is a paved road with potholes, and another is a gravel road. Like I said earlier, we drove our fabulous 2-wheeled drive Nissan Sentra and we had no problems. Myth 3: There is a scary unpaved section - don’t drive it Given that there are no traces of human civilization in some sections of this road, I can imagine you’d be in a tough spot if you did encounter an issue. I have a feeling this rumor was spread to prevent inexperienced drivers from driving through a remote section of the island. Myth 2: Rental car companies void your contract if you drive the counter-clockwise route texting and driving, looking out and taking a selfie before a blind turn), you should be fine. As long as you’re not doing something stupid (eg. There is mountainous terrain, rugged coastline, narrower roads, sharper turns, unpredictable weather, not many streetlights etc. The reality is that on an average, a road in Hawaii is perhaps more dangerous than your average road in the lower 48. Myth 1: Counter-clockwise road to Hana is treacherous and should not be done Tropical Paradise It’s myth-busting time! It’s not that we were obsessed with Hana and we wanted to drive these roads multiple times - we just happened to plan poorly and were adventurous enough to let serendipity guide us in our decision-making :) In our trip to Maui in November 2020, we visited Hana multiple times, taking different roads at different times of the day. Your choice purely depends on your interests, your driving skill, and your risk tolerance. The good news is that you can approach Hana through either direction. However, what the internet and print media doesn’t agree on is - whether to take the more popular, well-established clockwise road to Hana, or to take the seemingly riskier, edgier counter-clockwise road to get there. It’s Maui’s #1 tourist attraction and it takes the top spot for a reason - it’s an adventurous drive through a rainforest paradise. Read about the clockwise road to Hana hereĮvery Maui guidebook, youtube video, and tripadvisor review will tell you to take the road to Hana.
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