Now that I've finished the Vegas Chronicles..
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3 - Part I
Day 3 - Part II
Day 4 - Part I
Day 4 - Part II
Day 5
..Shall we continue the Maui Chronicles?
Remember these:
E Ku'u Aloha ~ My Love
Aloha Kakahiaka ~ Good Morning!
Hana Part I
Yes, let's continue with our Hana Adventure...
Our Tuesday began just after 5AM because the boyfriend had this romantic idea of watching the sunrise together. So
we I put on a sweatshirt and grabbed our beach chairs.
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Totally worth it |
After waking up with the sun, we were energized to explore our surroundings. We were staying at Wai'ānapanapa State Park, which is a large remote, wild, volcanic camp area along Hāna's coastline offering solitude and respite from urban life. There is tons to do here, with cabin lodging, tent camping, picnicking, shore fishing, and hiking along ancient Hawaiian coastal trails leading all over Hāna... We saw seabirds everywhere and beautiful anchialine pools throughout, including native hala forest leading to the legendary cave(s), a large and sacred heiau, natural stone arch, sea stacks, blow holes, and Pailoa Bay with a small black sand beach...
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Read it |
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Stone paths |
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Native hala |
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View of Bay & some of the Black Sand Beach |
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We hiked every trail! |
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Another cave |
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Hawaiian Black Sand:) |
I want to share more about the Wai'ānapanapa Caves... First and foremost, the Hawaiian meaning for Wai'ānapanapa is "glistening waters". The serenity and solitude of the caves, and it's "glistening clear waters" appear to give the illusion of safety. The serenity was once broken in ancient times by King Ka'akea when he brutally murdered his wife. King Ka'akea was a great warrior, but a cruel and jealous husband. His wife Popu'alaea, was a beautiful woman who had grown to hate the King's constrictive lifestyle. One day she fled, hoping to find refuge in the caves of Wai'ānapanapa. The King was furious. He searched relentlessly through the hills and valleys surrounding the Hāna area.
One day while searching the coastline, he decided to refresh himself in the cool water of the caves. As he peered into the clear glistening waters, he noticed a reflection of his wife. She had been hiding in a secret cavern in the back of the cave! Overcome by anger, he brutally murdered her.
Every year during Spring... millions of red shrimp appear in the cave. The glistening waters of Wai'ānapanapa are said to turn red as testimony to the tragic event.
Ohh, and they do.
After walking
all over Wai'ānapanapa with the bf, and explaining all the Native Hawaiian History, rituals, beliefs, legends, and other cultural funfacts we went back to our cabin to take a well deserved nap.
When we woke up, we decided to hike up to Waimoku Falls above Seven Sacred Pools...
Before bee-lining it to the mountains, we stopped at Hāna Bay for some ice cream!
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Haupia Ice Cream | Mahalo Auntie Tutu!! |
Here's some pictures of our fabulous hike..
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First part of the trail |
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One of MANY waterfalls along this hike | Top of Makahiku Falls |
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Keep going! This gate is just to keep the wild pigs from getting out! |
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HUGE tree in the middle of the trail |
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This is the pool to the waterfall pictured below -- Due to heavy rainfall the night before the water looked a little dirty, otherwise the water would have been clean and clear ready for you to jump in! |
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Perfect spot to have a picnic! |
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To get to Waimoku Falls you have to go through the Bamboo Forest, but to get to the Bamboo Forest, you have to cross several bridges first! |
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Due to unpredictable weather & safety reasons a weather resistance almost rubbery path was build, elevated about two feet off the ground... |
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It's pretty cool and results in a faster pace |
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Gorgeous Bamboo -- the music they make when the wind blows is incredible! |
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Once you're out of the Bamboo Forest, you know you're close... |
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When you finally look up after focusing on your feet work for about an hour--this is what you see!! It takes your breath away! |
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Isn't it interesting how something so beautiful can also be so deadly? |
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Waimoku Falls ~ 400 feet of breathtaking Beauty |
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When we hiked back down to the top of Seven Sacred Pools, we were greeted with this beautiful Rainbow! |
If you would like to know more about this hike in further detail, please read my
'Alau Island Race ~ Hana, Maui post:)
After this AMAZING afternoon hike we cruised it back to Hāna town. We were really getting used to this Old Hawai'i scene--unspoiled, serene, and mystical beauty we were surrounded by!
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Hasegawa General Store |
No trip to Hāna should be without a stop at the famed Hasegawa General Store... Established in 1910, this fourth generation family owned business has been written up in numerous magazines, newspapers, and travel guides. The store became famous in 1961, when composer Paul Weston was so impressed with the variety of merchandise carried in this little store that he wrote a song entitled "Hasegawa General Store". The song became an instant hit on local radio and since then has been recorded by several musicians!
We picked up a few essentials for dinner and went back to our campsite to BBQ some ono grinds..
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Veggies & Seared Ahi |
We CRASHED after dinner we were SO exhausted! Tomorrow -- our last day in Hāna... come back for details:)
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3 love notes:
Such beautiful pictures Jenn! Definitely somewhere I hope to visit one day!
Loved the pics! I have a pic of my husband and I in front of that large banyan in the middle of the trail that you also photographed - was kind of cool to see a tree so large just sitting there like that! :)
And that story about the princess and Waianapanapa is sooo sad :(
Suz - If you ever make it out here, we will *definitely* go to Hana so you can experience the marvelous, mystical, magical East side of Maui:)
Sheralyn - Isn't that tree something?! It totally reminds me of something out of that book, The Bridge to Terabithia (I never saw the movie, tho!) Hawai'i is filled with so many stories--especially Maui.. they are all amazing, even if heartbreaking, huh -- Hawaiian History -- very special!
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