As we approached Hana, we stopped at Waianapanapa State Park (yeah, say that three times quickly!) to enjoy the black sand beach. The sand is made of volcanic rock that’s been relentlessly ground down by the waves, and it’s really cool to walk on it.
We walked through a lava tube to come out to a beach filled with rocks and black crabs. Oh, and waves.
The view from the beach is, not surprisingly, stunning.
Like most of Maui, everything is green… including the rock walls, which have been overgrown.
After some time at Waianapanapa, we went to our rental place in Hana. It was advertised as a “bungalow” and it definitely was.
There was no air conditioning, no cell service, no internet… just a little house nearly buried in tropical plants.
I found a pretty flower for my pretty wife.
The lanai was screened in, and included the dining table and a bed. Kyra wisely chose this place to sleep, and was probably in the coolest room in the house because of all the airflow through the open screens.
It was a charming place, although at $450 per night it was without question the most expensive place we’ve slept in our lives! There are very few places to stay in Hana, and no other big towns for fifty miles, so accommodations command a premium. Totally worth it.
Later we went down to a red sand beach, which was nestled in a protected cove area:
Looking more closely at the sand, it was probably half red (note the color of the rocks above) and half black lava rock. Pretty cool.
After a couple of days in Hana and the area, we headed south. On our way out of town we stopped by a nice area called the Venus Pools. Although it looks kind of pretty, the water was filled with a lot of flotsam that would’ve made swimming kind of questionable.
Hana is definitely a cool place, and I think its relative inaccessibility adds to the charm somehow.