At last we have arrived at Ohe'o Gulch, part of Haleakala NP only to find it's closed! We've been pretty lucky up to this point given all the recent rain, but it's caused a safety issue here at the park. Given all the flooding we witnessed driving up to the park it's not even entirely unexpected.
We're still free to wander around and take pictures and hike the trails so in the end it really doesn't affect our visit too much. I would've liked a lazy swim in the Seven Sacred Pools, but what can you do?! The roiling mass of white water at the mouth of the gulch is enough to dissuade even the most foolhardy swimmers.
I would be remiss not to at least post a picture of the Ohe'o Gulch
Grabbing a few walking sticks from the trail head across the road we set off to conquer the famous Pipiwai trail.
We pass the Makahiku overlook, where I shoot this crappy picture of the Falls at Makahiku. It has an impressive 200ft drop, but it didn't really do much for me (also known as RTH-WFS: Road to Hana waterfall fatigue syndrome)
I loved this giant banyan tree
We continue to follow the trail, but the sound of rushing water at an unmarked turn off gets my attention and after clambering down a steep, rocky ledge I'm rewarded with this free falling waterfall. It's hard to tell from this picture but the force of water has eroded a large cave-like opening into the rock draped with brilliant greens and vines touching down to the water.
We pass another set of smaller unnamed waterfalls as we cross over a bridge.
On the other side of the bridge, the bamboo forest awaits. Having spent countless hours playing in the shade of the bamboo tree in my parents' backyard as a child I've always kept a soft spot for bamboo.
It starts off sparse and bright ....
Are you getting tired of these waterfalls yet?
The longer we walk, the denser the bamboo becomes; it's so tall now that most of the light is blocked from reaching the forest floor and the wind knocks the hollow stems together creating eerie monotonous arrangement.
As strange as it sounds, it's actually a really far-out experience.
Eventually the trail moves onto a series of raised boardwalks to avoid the mud, before opening up again, crossing a stream on foot and finally terminating at the foot of 400 ft Waimoku Falls ... so enormous that I couldn't even fit it all into one picture!
Jane of the Jungle crossing the stream
Close to three hours later we are back at the car and ready to tackle the backside of the Road to Hana. If you're the typical tourist day-tripping the Road to Hana you should be getting ready to head back towards Pa'ia at this time as you've just reached the furthest point in your journey. It can be done, but if at all possible I strongly recommend spending that extra day (or two).
There is a fair amount of controversy regarding driving the backside of Hana in a rental vehicle as parts of the road are unpaved, without guard rails and with blind curves, and could potentially be dangerous depending on the condition of the road. Whether insurance will cover damage and/or towing is frequently unclear and it's no surprise this is always a hotly debated issue on message boards.
Towards the end the Road to Hana became hairier than we'd expected, making us leery of setting off for one of the most controversial drives in all of Maui following a period of heavy rain. But -- there's always a but -- it would likely be faster and we'd get to drive on the mountain side the entire way. Hmmm ... what to do?
The fine folks at the park were quick to reassure us that the road was in great condition despite the rain so we decide to hope for the best and go on another adventure.
Better yet, we get to check out more stuff, like the boulders at Haukini Bay
The road is a pleasant surprise: graded gravel in good condition easily manageable in our rental. A little bumpy at times, but we found it a more relaxing drive than yesterday's.
Some ruts and small boulders but nothing worth stressing about.
And out of this world views of the Mokulau islets
Saint Joseph Church - est. 1862
With a beautiful little rainbow on the other side of the road
More rugged seascapes
The church is a great place to view the Kaupo Gap, here pictured a few miles down the road (left 1/3 of picture).
As we pass into another yet climate zone we find ourselves surrounding by rolling pastures dotted with Maui cows!
Clearly we were running out of light and out of time, but I stood rooted to the spot for several minutes transfixed by the wind rippling through the grass and the timelessness of it all.
See we're back on a paved road already? Patchwork, but paved nonetheless.
The glare of the setting sun was a pain, but as you can tell the blacktop was silky smooth at this point and the looming darkness no longer worried us.
We found Daddy!
Sunset over the uninhabited island of Kaho'olawe
Facing western Maui
Our journey to and through Hana has come to an end ...
It's dark when we drive into Kahulu'i. Hungry and tired we pull into Carey & Eddie's Hideaway buffet restaurant for a quick meal. The food isn't bad, but somewhat limited for a buffet and although perfect for tonight it's not a place I'd like to come back to.
We stop at Walgreens before setting off on the hour long drive back to the hotel. Yawn.
Rth-wfs. What can I say.
ReplyDeleteEvery school yard should have it's own banyan tree.
Next picture gives me the notion that the holy Bernadette or some other saint could emerge from the watherfall. It has a very high Lourdes quality!!!!
I love bamboo too.But I didn't plant it in our new garden. The problem is, you can put it in your garden, but you can never get it out anymore (we even tried an axe).
What I love about bamboo is the Alice in Wonderland effect it has on me. As if I've shrunk to ant like proportions, walking in giant grass.
It looks like Jane is enjoying herself.
Daddy has very big.....horns. You know what they say... Big horns, big hat.
What a spectacular sunset!!
xxxxx'
Joeve