Bright and early Saturday morning, I headed off to Hana with my friends Tom and Jeanine to help celebrate Tom’s 35th birthday. As might be expected, we experienced a few small passing showers on the way out to Hana. The rain hardly dampened our spirits. If anything, it added to the lushness of the drive and helped fuel the many waterfalls that dot the roadway. Our base camp for the weekend was the Oheo Gulch area of Haleakala National Park. This area is also known as the seven sacred pools. This part of the park features the rugged coastline of East Maui and some of the spectacular waterways that drain from the rainforest on Haleakala’s east flank. The centerpiece is Oheo Stream which has carved a dramatic path to the ocean with a series of pools and waterfalls.
After setting up camp, we headed to Hamoa Beach. This beach is a perennial favorite on Dr. Beach’s top ten beaches of America and my personal favorite beach on Maui. A lush backdrop, spectacular sapphire blue waters and a unique salt and pepper covered sand combine to make this one of the special places on the planet. The beach is also home to a pretty rough and tumble shore break. It can be fun for body surfing, but it is not to be taken lightly. The three of us had a good time getting washed around in the waves and just soaking in the scenery.
Back at camp, we rinsed off in the pools of Oheo Gulch, made dinner and played a quick game of hearts before night time showers chased us to our tents. It was a good night of sleep with the soothing sound of rain on the fly of my tent. I awoke just before sunrise to a clearing skies. With Tom and Jeanine still sleeping, I headed off to the pools for some quiet contemplation. There was not a soul along the stream. After Tom and Jeanine woke up, we went on the hike to Waimoku Falls via the Pipiwai trail. This four mile hike takes you up the slopes of Haleakala with various overlooks of the pools and waterfalls created by Oheo Stream. The foliage is another highlight with enormous banyan and mango trees and a spectacular bamboo forest. The hike dead ends at Waimoku falls, a beautiful 200 foot waterfall. We enjoyed the scenery going down as much as we enjoyed it going up.
After our hike and a last rinse off in the “sacred pools”, we reluctantly packed our bags for the trip home.
This trip only reinforced my belief that Hana is truly a special place. While the area’s seclusion and lack of amenities may not be for everyone, but for those that are looking for a spectacular natural setting and/or a slow pace of life Hana is next to heaven. Contact us today for an overview of the current Hana and East Maui Real Estate market.
