Day 11: Maui, Hawaii – Haleakala and Road to Hana

Didn’t really sleep. We left at 3am and didn’t lay down until 40 minutes before we left, so really I took a nap. We were headed to Haleakala Crater for sunrise. Moana’s whole family and a friend went so the van was loaded. Bout an hour and a half drive and none of us really slept. It was a loong way up! Once we got to 10,000 feet it was sooo coold and windy. We got there about an hour before the sun would start rising so we napped in the car for another 40 minutes. After our nap we headed for the observatory and the cliff edge to watch the sunrise. It was sooo soo cold! I didn’t think i’d experience numb toes and fingers and face in Hawaii! I had one jeans, socks and flip flops, and two hoodies but still didn’t help much. It was probably in the 30’s with the wind constantly blowing. But it was worth it. Can’t describe the sunset in a thousand words. It was the most beautiful sunrise i’ve ever witnessed. First you could just see the glow above the clouds (we were above the clouds). Then slowly the sky started changing colors and the stars faded. The lining of the clouds began to glow and looked gold as the sun began to rise past the clouds. Then it lifted out above the sea of endless clouds exposing the mountain tops surrounding us and the ocean down below to the right of us that we couldn’t see before. It was breathtaking and pictures don’t do it justice. It’s just one of those things you have to experience. We had a lot of fun goofing off up there and entertaining the crowds too. haha. After the sunrise…and warming up some of my limbs under the hair dryers in the restrooms…we headed to Hana on Maui’s famous “Road to Hana.” …again….the most beautiful scenic drive I ever been on in my entire life. Words and pictures and videos could never do it justice. The road is one carved into the hill and mountainsides of the coast so that the coastline is nearly always visible to one side while either jungles, rugged mountains, or rolling green hills rise up to the other. Windmills, wildflowers, jagged rocks, old fences, cactuses, palms, old shacks, mansions, streams, creeks, rivers, waterfalls…so many varieties line the road. Everywhere you look is beauty to the eye. I couldn’t get bored. And no matter how tired I was, and how much my eyes were screaming to close, I stayed awake, drinking in the beauty and snapping pictures as much as I could.

 

We had stops planned along the way. First stop was “Seven Pools” a series of seven waterfalls each falling into a different pool eventually ending into the beautiful ocean with waves crashing into the rocks at the bottom. Does it sound beautiful? It’s even more beautiful than I could make it sound. We swam in four of the pools and jumped and dove off some of the cliffs and waterfalls as well. 🙂 Heaven!

 

The next stop was the beach. We went to a beach that had red, black and white sand, collected some, and then moved on to another beach. Hamoa beach. A black sand beach. We stayed there for a long while enjoying the water. The water was so blue and clear and the waves were a blast! We all took our turns at being pounded into the sand or getting tossed around like a washing machine. I might’ve pulled a shoulder muscle in one of the rounds, but after a couple more times it was evened out. haha. The beach was a blast.

 

We then stopped at another waterfall to take a pictures and then stopped at a few more beaches to take more pictures and check things out. We also stopped at Wai’anapanapa State Park (try saying it and then spelling it! haha) and checked out a couple things. There was a fresh water swimming hole in the jungle surrounded by rock walls. It’s actually a cave. You can swim under the rocks and the underwater cave path eventually leads out to the ocean. Some of moana’s cousins have done it and I really wanted to, but I had no flashlight or goggles, and it was getting dark out soon and I was already cold from being so wet all day. So no one got in. We then walked over to see the ocean view, always beautiful, and also to a blowhole.

 

Hana’s beautiful road continued on and I stayed awake til it got dark and there was nothing to see. I’m pretty sure I saw nearly all of it. We were almost back when it got dark out and then I finally let my eyes drift to sleep and I slept probably another half hour-40 minutes. Thus all day Sabbath, Sabbath night, and Sunday I got nearly NO sleep and I was exhaaausted. But we ended up stopping to eat at Ruby’s diner on the way home because everyone was hungry, and it was my birthday and they wanted to take me out to eat. Embarassingly, I had all the staff from the diner sing a party song to me. hahaha. But it was fun. Another memory that was part of one awesome day that i’ll never forget. My 21st birthday won’t ever be forgotten. I’m living up my dreams. 🙂