On our second day in Hana, we woke up early and made banana pancakes for breakfast before packing up the house, loading up our cars and heading to Seven Sacred Pools.
Seven Sacred Pools, also known as the Pools of 'Ohe'o, is the most popular destination on the east side of Maui. At the bottom of the park are the famous pools, a series of small cascading falls pouring into a series of pools on the edge of the ocean. A 2 mile hike into the mountains leads you through lush bamboo forests to Waimoku Falls, a 400 foot waterfall. I did this hike twice last May when I got to visit Hana with Carolyn and Bryan and then later in the same month with Shaina and Nina (click the links to travel in time to my past visits to Hana).
On the Pipiwai Trail, you cross over water, pass several waterfalls (including the 200 foot Makahiku Falls early on into the hike), and then hike into towering groves of bamboo.
The trail ends at the foot of 400 foot Waimoku Falls.
The water pours down in a sheet over a 400 foot rock wall.
The wall wraps around the end of the forest, so you feel like you are standing at the bottom of a deep bowl.
Smaller trickles of water seep down all the way around the wall.
After taking a break under the falls, we headed back the way we came. At the park facilities, we turned down to the ocean and rushed to the Seven Sacred Pools for a quick dip.
{Seven Sacred Pools}
The water was clear, cool and deeply refreshing after sweating it out on the trails. We all jumped in and cooled off for one hot minute before clambering back up and hitting the road again.
{the fresh water from the Seven Sacred Pools flows right into the ocean}
{Roland mid-jump}
On our way home, we drove the backside of Hana--probably the most terrifying and stressful journey I've ever done in the Green Monster. We are so happy we made it home in one piece. Bryan and I were afraid the car was going to rattle apart on the road. Will's truck raced in front of us, and we bumped along behind it. We made a quick stop for snacks and water on the way, and then we cruised back towards Kula. Thankfully, we hit paved road not too far into the journey, and both Bryan and I finally stopped sweating and began to enjoy the ride.
The ocean on the east side of the island seems so much more wild and intimidating than on the west side of the island. There are no other islands in view on the east side, so the ocean seems so much more epic and vast and lonely. The backside of the island is pretty intimidating as well. Not too many people live out there. There are some ranches and some new windmills. Large slabs of crumbling black lava rock sheer off into the ocean, and waves of long grass blow in the wind.
We crept up away from the ocean and into the clouds as we connected back to the upper reaches of Kula before dropping back onto the main highway in Kahului.
It was a welcome relief to pull back into our driveway at home in Lahaina after several hour in the car. We loved our zippy getaway to Hana. You always come home feeling so relaxed and rejuvenated. You can feel it in your bones. It almost feels as if someone has taken out your spine, you feel so loose and jelly-like.
After unpacking at home, cleaning off, and kicking back with a cold beer, Bryan and I got Thai food with Jess and her guest, Roland. We drank the leftover bottle of wine that we didn't drink in Hana, and celebrated Valentine's Day with friends.
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