The Road to Hana

The Road to Hana is a 52-mile (84 km) narrow, winding, scenic road, leading to the little town of Hana, located at the eastern end of the island of Maui, Hawaii. The road, which travels mostly through lush, tropical rainforest, passes over 59 bridges, 46 of which are only one lane wide, and around approximately 620 curves. Driving it can be a harrowing but rewarding experience.

Too many years have passed since our 1987 honeymoon for me to remember the names of many of the places we saw, but I've selected a few representative photos to share here.

One of the many waterfalls seen along the way

Coastal View

Wailua Falls

Another waterfall, the name of which I have forgotten

The trail to Waimoku Falls led through this pasture.

The pasture was occupied.

The trail also passed through a bamboo forest so dense that it was like night in there. This photo was taken with a flash.

The two-mile one-way hike brought us to this...Waimoku Falls

This gives a little perspective as to the size of the waterfall.

Waimoku Falls, the largest waterfall on Maui, drops 400 feet down a sheer lava rock wall into a boulder-strewn pool below. It's an awesome sight and made every step of the hike worthwhile.

Haleakala National Park, Maui, Hawaii

Maui was the third and final island we visited on our 1987 honeymoon in Hawaii. Here are some of the photos from Haleakala National Park on that island. The elevation there was about 10,000 feet (3,055 m), and the scene looking down into Haleakala crater was just incredible.

The dormant crater of Haleakala Volcano in Haleakala National Park

Haleakala Crater

Haleakala Crater

Haleakala Silversword is found only in Haleakala National Park on the island of Maui.

Haleakala Silversword

Haleakala Silverswords

The Hawaiian Goose, also known by it's Hawaiian name nēnē (pronounced nay-nay)

The nēnē is the state bird of Hawaii.

I'll have more from this beautiful island in a future post.

More from the Big Island, Hawaii

Here are a few more photos from our 1987 honeymoon in Hawaii. I believe that all of these were taken on the Big Island.

I don't know what it is, but isn't it beautiful?

Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park

Lava Cliffs on the Big Island

Lava Flow on Roadway

The Sign Says It All

Lava Fires

Our favorite little restaurant

Shoreline

The end of a perfect day

The Big Island, Hawaii

The state of Hawaii is the only U. S. state made up entirely of islands. It consists of hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles (2,400 km).

My previous posts on our 1987 Hawaiian honeymoon featured the island of Oahu. With this post, we are moving to the island of Hawaii, which is the largest and which is often called "The Big Island" to avoid confusion with the state as a whole.

Kahuna Falls

I don't know what these orange flowers are called, but they're beautiful.

Akaka Falls

Again, no clue what these pink flowers are.

Sorry, don't know this one either.

Black Sand Beach

Sunset

Polynesian Cultural Center, Hawaii

In addition to its magnificent beaches and awesome scenery, the Hawaiian island of Oahu is also the home of the Polynesian Cultural Center, which features cultural demonstrations from Hawaii, Samoa, Maori New Zealand (Aotearoa), Fiji, Tahiti, the Marquesas and Tonga. Shows include a parade of canoes, each featuring native attire and dancing from one of those cultures. 

The New Zealand Warrior dance is Doug's absolute favorite. In the above photo, you see several other guys trying to learn the dance. I'm sure it was killing Doug not to be out there with them; but, after all, he was on his honeymoon and didn't want to look like a total idiot. But you can be sure he was absorbing every move and would be trying them out when he thought no one was looking.

Above is a short video, demonstrating that New Zealand Warrior dance. It's more effective when the warriors are wearing war paint, but you can get the idea anyway.

The Polynesian Cultural Center offers a variety of shows and activities. The parade of canoes and the evening show are "must sees" if you're ever on Oahu.

Diamond Head & Waimea Bay, Hawaii

Here are a few more photos from our 1987 Hawaiian honeymoon.

The newlyweds, sporting a little more hair and a lot less weight than currently.

Both of the above photos were taken from the top of Diamond Head.

Yes, we hiked up to the top...in August.

I don't like to sweat, but apparently Doug hadn't figured that out yet. And I might add that, in August in Hawaii, if you're outdoors and you're not swimming, you're sweating.

I had never done any hiking before, and the trail up Diamond Head is steep. It's not terribly long...about three-quarters of a mile...but it's plenty steep enough to work up a good sweat. What's a girl to do? It was my honeymoon. I didn't want my new hubby to find out I was a wimp. So I went, and I smiled, and I sweat. It was worth it though. The view from up there is spectacular.

But, if I ever do it again, it will be in February.

This is looking down into Diamond Head's volcanic crater.

This is a view of the switchback trail to the top.

A food vendor at the beach

I learned from Doug how to spot the best places to eat...you look for places with a lot of customers, some of whom are carrying large Styrofoam containers of food as they depart. The little place pictured above was a gem. It served a wide variety of Chinese meals; and it served them fast, hot, and delicious. Oh...and cheap.

The Rock at Waimea Bay

The Rock at Waimea Bay is about 30 feet (9 m) in height, and there are lots of folks who just love the adrenaline rush of jumping into the water from its top. Doug and I are not among them.

There is a cave nearby that you can swim into, and Doug wanted me to see it. Again, in addition to not knowing that I don't like to sweat, he apparently didn't understand my fear of water. And, again, I was too timid to let him know. So I followed him to the cave. Once inside, I discovered that I couldn't touch the bottom; and there were no handholds anywhere on the walls of the cave. And the waves were coming in. And I was getting water inside my snorkeling goggles, which made me feel as if I was drowning.

As I began to panic, I managed to say, "I've got to get out of here" before pushing my sweet hubby aside and heading for shallow water as fast as my poor swimming ability would allow.

Sometimes I think honeymoons ought to wait until the couple gets to know each other a little better.

Hanauma Bay, Hawaii

Here are some more photos-from-slides from our 1987 Hawaiian honeymoon. These were all taken at Hanauma Bay.

Hanauma Bay may not be the most beautiful place on earth, but it's certainly one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.