3 Day Hana Trip: Day 1

  One of the reasons I have always been so fond of Maui is the fact that it has a place like Hana where you can get unplugged in the lush rainforest. My Hana adventure team included my girlfriend Heidi, her mom Susie, and her grandmother Deedee. We planned a two night-three day laid back but still adventurous Hana mini-vacation. We booked a nice two bedroom cottage thru Tropical Tradewinds Vacation Rentals located just up the road from the Hana airport. I had camped overnight once in Hana but other than that I always rushed through on day trips.
  Knowing that we had plenty of time allowed my group to make certain stops that I don't usually do. We stocked up on groceries for the cottage and then continued to the Keanae Peninsula. This beautiful community sits on the north coast of Maui and is a small taro farming community.

  After a lot of windy curves and one lane bridges on the road to Hana, we next stopped at Wainapanapa with its famous black sand beach. This is a must stop. It is just off the main road, and not only does it have the black sand beach but it also boasts a lava tube, fresh water caves, a huge natural rock arch, and a blowhole.

The black sand is some of the purest you will find and the fresh water caves all connect underwater. If you have an underwater light and some snorkel gear you can swim from air pocket to air pocket until you come out a separate cave entrance. Definitely not for the faint of heart or the claustrophobic.

  We ended day one by finding our cottage. It was perfect. The view was like a tropical rainforest post card with misty mountains in the background. Not to mention there was a hot tub on the lanai to enjoy the view from. All of this while enjoying some of the fruit also found on the premises (passion fruit and papaya) made for a very relaxing, perfect Hana day.