Waimoku Falls and Seven Sacred Pools

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.

Read More

Hana Revisited

I was thrilled to make it back to Hana only three weeks after my last visit.  Hana twice in one month.  How lucky am I?

This time around I went with my all-out explorer-adventurer friend, Shaina and her out-of-town guest, Nina.  We drove out from Lahaina on Sunday and headed to Hana.  On our way there, we stopped for a quick dip at Ching's Pond.  It's a freshwater swimming pond fed by a waterfall that flows under the Hana Highway.

Once we made it to Hana, we stopped at Waianapanapa State Park to check out the caves and the Black Sand Beach, but it was crawling with Memorial Day tourists.  We moved on down the road to try checking in at the Hotel Hana, but were rebuffed--we were too early.  So, we moved on to our next adventure, the Venus Pool--something in Hana that I've never done before.

We parked Shaina's "Red Dragon" on the side of the road, jumped a fence and cut through a cow field to make our down to the water.

{abandoned outdoor stone oven next to a sign warning visitors to be respectful of the land}

{Paige-sized oven}

{Nina and Shaina at the top of the Venus Pool}

The Venus Pool is a natural formed swimming pool on the Hana coast.  The pool is a mix of fresh and salt water as the ocean tides wash water into the pool while a spring feeds the pool from the mountainside.

{Shaina photographing the pool}

The Venus Pool is a great spot for swimming, but it's famous for cliff jumping.

{Here I am taking a running leap from 25 feet up}

{Almost touchdown.  Note to amateur cliff jumpers: keep arms tucked in close to body to avoid angry red slap marks on arms.  I followed this advice on my second go}

{swimmers enjoying the Venus Pool}

{a hiker contemplating making the big jump from 50 feet up}

{A larger crowd peering over the edge}

After jumping and swimming at the Venus Pool, we went to Hamoa Beach to catch some rays, watch bodysurfers and play in the pounding surf.

{Hamoa Beach}

{beach reading}

When we finished our afternoon adventures, we went back to Hotel Hana to check into our bungalow.

{entrance of Hotel Hana}

{famous weather stone}

{living room of our hotel bungalow}

{huge bathroom}

{Shaina and Nina enjoying Spam Musubi on the lanai}

{the pool at Hotel Hana}

After washing off a pound of sand from Hamoa Beach (man, that surf was mean) we relaxed on the lanai with some wine before grabbing dinner at the Hana Ranch Restaurant.

Later that night, we fell asleep to the rain.

And we woke up the next morning to rain.  We relaxed in the hotel room, reading our books to the sound of pounding rain until checkout at noon.  As we were gathering our things, the rain slowed and died completely.

Perfect timing for us to venture further along the Hana Highway to do our hike at Waimoku Falls.  This is the same hike that Bryan and I did with Carolyn earlier this month.

{Shaina at the "Banyan" Tree--Shaina told us that this is not a real Banyan tree, but it is part of the Ficus family which is why it's similar in appearance}

{taking a small break on a tree branch bench}

{Jump!}

{look at that wall of bamboo!}

{waterfalls along the way}

{into the bamboo we go}

{we made it to Waimoku Falls!}

{perfect trail snack: wild raspberries--found by Shaina}

{once again, must learn how to keep my eyes open for pictures}

{crossing the stream on our way back from Waimoku Falls}

{second and last stream crossing}

{grasshopper friend spotted by Shaina}

After our hike, we drove back home the back way.  So, instead of doubling back and driving home the way we came, we continued forward along the Hana Highway to drive along the bottom of Maui island.

{very different landscape from the lush rainforest of Hana}

{the road behind us}

{our fearless driver, Shaina, and her Red Dragon}

{the island of Kahoolawe}

We made it just in time to do a quick wine tasting at the Maui Winery (can't turn down pineapple wine) before making it back to Lahaina.

{fireworks blossom at the winery}

When I got home, Bryan and I went to dinner at Kimo's (prime rib and coconut crusted swordfish) before watching Mad Men and passing out.  It's been quite the weekend!

Read More

Hana Hiking: Pipiwai Trail

On Thursday morning, we woke up to the light smattering of rain.  We waited out the rain, and by the time we had finished breakfast and packed our hiking packs, the weather had cleared and the sun was lighting up the whole yard around the house.

We took the Green Monster past Hana and into the Haleakala National Park.  At the visitor's center there you pay $10 per car.  The entry fee is good for access to the park at the summit as well.  We probably won't be making it up into the crater within the next few days--but if you can when you visit, make sure to hang onto that receipt.

{Wailua Falls on the way to Oheo Gulch aka Seven Sacred Pools}

{our route from the park's visitor center to Waimoku Falls}

{look up!}

The Pipiwai Trail above the Seven Sacred Pools at Oheo Gulch is about 2 miles each way.  The beginning of the hike has the steepest grade, but the hike doesn't feel all that strenuous since there is so much to take in.

The first major diversion is the Makahiku Falls overlook about a half mile into the hike.

{The Makahiku Falls is about a 200 foot drop}

There's a side trail leading off to the right that brings you closer to the waterfall--much closer.  It has been blocked off by the park, but hikers before us have gone and blazed the trail--and bent back the wire fence.

{Bryan and Carolyn adventuring}

{at the top}

{the photos don't give this waterfall enough justice, but the video does a little better}

You have to do a small amount of rock scrambling to get down to the waterfall's edge.  On calmer days, I've been told that you can safely get in and lounge in the natural "infinity pool" at the top of the 200 foot waterfall.  On the side closest to the trail, a thick rock edge would keep you safely inside...supposedly.

{another video at the top of Makahiku Falls.  Sorry, Mom and Dad.  I know this looks scary!}

{Bryan and Carolyn at the Infinity Pool on top of Makahiku Falls--the waterfall is behind me}

After our diversion at the Infinity Pool, we continued along the designated trail until we reached this small gate:

{the gate prevents the travel of wild pigs and domesticated animals into the park}

Shortly after we passed through the gate and climbed a little further uphill, we came into a clearing dominated by this huge banyan tree.

A little later, a sign pointing out a stream overlook took us down to this waterfall:

We crossed Pipiwai Stream via two metal bridges, both of which had some awesome views of small waterfalls below us and groves of bamboo all around us.

{starting to climb into the bamboo}

At this point, we took another small diversion trail to hike up along the stream bed so Bryan could play explorer:

After playing by the water, we began to hike into the bamboo in earnest.

The boardwalk begins when the ground gets marshy from never completely drying out from the regular rainfall this side of Haleakala receives.  Hint: bug spray is a great ally here.

{a not-so great quality video of the bamboo boardwalk, but worth viewing to get some scope of what we were hiking through}

{Carolyn in the jungle of bamboo}

Once we exit the bamboo, you have to pass through two major stream crossings.  I was determined not to get my sneakers wet, so I tip toed and leapt across the rocks to reach the other side.

{stream crossing traffic jam}

This is your reward for crossing the streams and not breaking your neck:

{the 400 foot drop of Waimoku Falls}

{made it!}

As you can see from the video, there is water sluicing down the entire rock face, although the main waterfall is the most impressive detail of the entire scene.  It's amazing to stand at the bottom of this bowl and watch water cascade down from an astonishing height.

{a trio of happy hikers}

Waimoku Falls is your turnaround point.  As far as I know, it's the end of the trail and there are no further diversions.  

The three of us got our photos, took photos of others and then hightailed it back down the trail.  The hike back was swift and easy.  We didn't stop often, so our hike down took us about an hour while the hike up took us about two.

Once we arrived back at the Visitor Center, we took a snack break (almonds and beef jerky), drank water (from my new dearly beloved stainless steel insulated water bottle I had bought the day before at Mana Foods grocery store in Paia) and then went down through Oheo Gulch along a half mile loop.

The rangers had closed the Seven Sacred Pools to swimmers because of a high water advisory, so we could only look longingly at all the gorgeous pools from afar.

{The bottom of the falls cascading under the highway and down through Oheo Gulch where the Pipiwai Stream finally reaches the ocean}

After our epic hike, we piled back into the Green Monster and headed back towards Hana town to check out Hamoa Beach.  More on that to come.

Stay tuned for photos and more Hana stories soon!

Read More