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Maui – Driving on Hana Highway with kids

We were a bit apprehensive driving the infamous Hana Highway with our 8 and 5 year old kids during our Maui visit.  To be honest, I was a bit nervous too with the idea of going through 54 bridges and 600 curves for over 50 miles.

After a motion sickness incident a couple of days before on the way down from Haleakala and not really having a full day to devote to the long drive, we decided we’d only go as far as Mile Marker 7 to see the rainbow eucalyptus trees.

So, we can (for now) say we traveled a little bit on the Hana Highway.  The long drive to the town of Hana and adventures along the highway would have to wait until the kids are a little bit older.

Twin Falls bamboo

We made a quick stop at Hokopoi before the mile markers.  It was hard to miss all the windsurfers from the road. We turned into a lookout to get a better view of all the daredevils in the ocean.  They really were a sight to behold.  There was a stand selling hotdogs and water as well as port-o-potties for restroom breaks.  It was a pretty popular spot for the Hana highway travelers.

Hokopoi windsurfers
Hokopoi windsurfers

Our first stop was on Mile Marker 2 which was Twin Falls.  There was a small dirt parking lot with a fruit stand selling fruit and smoothies.  As we walked into the farm, there was a bamboo grove which was pretty colorful and served for some great photo background.

There were many tropical fruits here and since it was a working farm and private property, they strongly prohibit anyone picking anything.  There were a couple of port-o-pottys by the entrance which we didn’t bother to use.

The unpaved trail just kept going and there were many times when we wanted to go back.  There were no signs telling tourists how far the waterfall was from any area.  We were told it was a 15 minute walk.  We relied on other tourists subjective reference of time asking how much farther it was.

On the way back, we got asked the same question –  ‘How much farther is it?’  But, since we kept walking, we decided we might as well see the waterfall and the kids were fine with the hike.  The trail eventually led us to a river crossing and with some bugs kept us company.  We had to pass a huge boulder with a big beehive too.

Twin Falls trail - Hana Highway Mile Marker 2
Twin Falls trail

There was a narrow walkway leading into the waterfalls.  Not hearing the waterfall’s gushing water should have been an indication we weren’t supposed to expect a big one.  But, seeing it from afar and then coming closer, it really was a big disappointment.  The picture they used on the Hana Highway brochure had to be after a rainstorm because what we saw was not very impressive.

There were a few tourists who ventured into the pool of water which was a relief from the heat.  Go here if you want a good hike through tropical trees and flowers and want a good swim afterwards. But, don’t bother if you’re going further down the highway since it looks like there were better and bigger waterfalls along the way.

Twin Falls - Hana Highway Mile Marker 2
Twin Falls – Hana Highway Mile Marker 2

Driving onward, we did see a few of the one-lane, narrow bridges, the winding roads and glimpses of the ocean this road is known for.  Our turn around point was Mile Marker 7 which was a group of eucalyptus trees on the side of the road.  There were no stops and we had to do a rather quick turn along the road.  The tree barks looked like they had been painted with varying shades of red, purple and green.   We wanted to see some unique trees and this was a fitting way to end our short drive on the Hana Highway.

Rainbow Eucalyptus Hana highway Mile Marker 7
Rainbow Eucalyptus on Hana Highway

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