Hawaii - A place of Contrasts

[UKCraig]

Arriving on the Island of Maui just before lunch I decided to forego the undoubted delights of nearby Kahului and head straight out to the small town of Pa'ia; just along the coast. The Big Island isn't the only Island in the state of Hawaii to have a National Park and I‘d booked myself on to a tour to Haleakala National Park the following morning to watch the sun rise from the top of the 10,023ft high volcano before making my way back down again on a mountain bike. I quickly found the office of Maui Sunriders - where we were instructed to meet at 3am the following morning - and was reassured to discover the guys in the shop were friendly and helpful. Pa'ia started off as a plantation town but soon went into decline before word got out to the international surfing community about the potential of nearby beaches. It is now world-renowned as the ‘Surf Capital of the World' and there is a real buzz around the place. I spent some time checking out the town and, I have to say, I liked Pa'ia a lot.

Afterwards I decided to take the opportunity to drive the 68-mile Hana Highway which was an awe-inspiring experience. People rave about the Pacific Coast Highway through Big Sur and, having driven that route just days before, I was in the perfect position to compare the two: let me tell you that the route through what locals refer to as ‘the jungle' is a hundred times more spectacular. No matter what you class as important in a good drive - be it challenging switchbacks, interesting places along the way, fantastic scenery or good roadside food - you will not be disappointed.

I'd learned that the town of Kahului boasted two hotels and a hostel but, with me needing to be in Pa'ia at 3am, I decided one more night in the car was on the cards. I found a suitable side road near the beach and settled in for the few hours sleep that were available to me but soon discovered that a Camry is nowhere near as comfortable as the one in the Sebring but, before there was time to worry about it, my alarm went off to wake me again!

I made my way back to the Maui Sunriders shop where I met up with our tour guide, Remi. One-by-one the other people on the tour arrived and, after filling out the obligatory disclaimers (at least one person a year is killed on the descent), we climbed aboard the van and headed off towards Haleakala. As we drove we received an amusing commentary which kept us all awake but, just to be sure, I necked a can of Red Bull!

We soon arrived at the entrance to the national park and started the ascent to the summit. The road from Paia to the summit took us from sea level to 10,023ft in just 37 miles - the greatest elevation rise in the shortest distance to be found anywhere in the world - so there were switchback galore and a couple of the passengers in the van looked a little off-colour by the time that we reached the summit. But reach the summit we did and, having swept through the parking lot, Remi announced that we weren't gonna stop and drove us back out again. We all looked at each other - we'dnot come this far to just turn around - but, of course, we weren't gonna be doing that. He just had a better location in mind: as he announced as we arrived at the Kalahaku Overlook, ‘Haleakala's best-kept secret'.

It was still only 5am and there was an hour to go until sunrise. Most of us had arrived in shorts and t-shirts but, feeling rather clever with myself, I had worn two t-shirts and a jacket. Thirty seconds outside of the van and it was blindingly obvious that this wasn't gonna be enough to keep the bitter screaming wind from the bones. I had waterproofs in my bag so I pulled those on, and added a pair of gloves for good measure, and found myself a wall to hide behind in a vain attempt to keep out of the wind whilst we awaited the sun.

Thankfully, as it always does, it finally appeared on the horizon and, having each snapped a few photos, we made a dash for the van which was sat waiting for us with the engine running and the heater cranked up to max. When we reached the park boundary we pulled over and were each issued with a mountain bike on which we would return to the shop. We had the bike for the entire day if we wanted it but I couldn't help but speed down the switchbacks as fast as I could. On one curve I ran out of brakes (and skill!) and was lucky not to tonk the Armco but, miraculously, I covered the 26-miles back to the shop in around 90 minutes.

Having returned the bike, and driven back to the park for a proper look around, I decided that a nice relaxed day was in order so I headed back into Kahului to find a hotel for the night. I bowled up to the first hotel and requested a room but was given the news that they were full up so I made my way to the other hotel in town only to discover they had no vacancies either. I had been looking forward to a bit of luxury for the rest of the day so I disappointedly made my way across town to the thoroughly iffy looking hostel. Hardly able to keep my eyes open through lack of sleep, I was shocked to hear that same reply. The entire town was full-up!

Not for the first time since I arrived on the islands I had no idea what to do or where to go but, rather than get stressed about it, I just kept in mind that old saying that everything happens for a reason and headed off towards the resort town of Lahaina where I hoped to find accommodation. When I arrived it became apparent that, whilst there were plenty of hotels, they didn't accept walk-in customers! Frustrated, I headed out of town. After a couple of miles, as I passed a particularly beautiful looking beach, I decided to pull over to contemplate the situation. A couple of hours later, after a refreshing swim in the warm ocean, I felt a lot happier and more with it. I decided to push on and see what happened.

I'd heard that the route looping round the western end of the island was worth a drive out so I headed off in that direction. Several hours later I was back in Kahului and ready for sleep. Not wanting to spend another night in the car I decided to head for the only campground that I had seen on the island - back, once again, at the national park. It seemed to take an age to make my way through the rush-hour traffic and out to the park but I finally made it; only to discover that it was full and I was sleeping in the car once again! After a long and tiring day I slept for a full 12 hours before the pitter-patter of rain on the roof finally woke me up.

I still had half a day to kill before my flight on to Honolulu so I headed back up to the summit area of the national park in an attempt to get a photograph across the crater - my attempt yesterday had been thwarted by heavy cloud - but, to my surprise, I found myself in the middle of a cycle race. Having driven from Pa'ia up to the summit of Haleakala twice in two days - each time it took 1½ hours to climb the 10,023ft - I was amazed to discover that once a year there is a race along the same tortuous route. The competitors must be insane!

Once I left the park I drove to the south of the island and took the other road to Hana. That really is one route you'll not find in any tourist guide and it would be a really really bad idea to mention it to your car rental company should you decide to ignore all the signs and go for it!

Originally published on - and Copyright retained by - Boogity, Boogity, Boogity

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