A few hours in Hana and its essence seeped into my pores. The days following the hike I experienced a sense of serenity that I have not felt after any of the other hikes I have gone on so far.
If you are unable to view the video, click HERE
The song on the video is my new anthem! Thank you Jason Mraz; Living in the Moment, is available on iTunes.
My friend Rayne and I did the Wai`anapanapa Coast Hike (pronounced, why-a-nah-pah-nah-pah). I just looked the word up in my Hawaiian language dictionary and it means “glistening water” which is the perfect name for it.
From my house it is about an hours drive east (depending on how many waterfalls you stop to admire along the way). It was the perfect day for the hike, sunny, light trade winds, and with all of the rain we have had, the waterfalls were going off.
The park is just before you enter Hana, you turn into it at the 32-mile marker. We parked at the Black Sands beach parking lot, walked the paved pathway which transitions into a dirt trail, which changes into a lava rock trail. I do want to mention that if you decide to do this hike, you need to look for the “hikers” sign (see photo); or you’ll end up on a loop that only takes you on a 10-minute walk. We thought it rather funny that starting out there are two hikers shown on the sign, but coming back, after a strenuous hike, from the other direction only one is shown on the sign…and it’s right before the cemetery. (OK, guess you had to be there.)
If you see this sign you are hiking in the right direction
The hikers sign is up near a small cemetery where a very hefty mongoose lives. Have to admit, the mongooses on our side of the island appear to be malnourished in comparison.
Mongoose
I’m very happy that I recently bought hiking boots. The trail reminded me of the King’s Highway Steven and I hiked last winter; on that one I wore tennis shoes and it was hard on my ankles.
This hike was fantastic. The scenery is absolutely beautiful, with a small Hala tree grove, dramatic sea cliffs, and a view of a side of Haleakala that I rarely get to see. Round trip it is about 7 miles, so take water and a snack.
Even if you aren’t into as intense of a hike as we went on, the Wai`anapanapa State Park offers the Black Sand beach, a freshwater cave (which we didn’t take the time to venture into) restrooms, showers, picnic facilities, camping area as well as cabins (the cabins need to be booked well in advance), and you are only a short drive from Hana.
Looking forward to my next Hana adventure!
Reminder – EARTH DAY is this Sunday, the 22nd of April. We only have one Earth; lets respect her! http://www.earthday.org/programs
For more info on Wai’anapanapa and other Hawaii State Parks click here - http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/maui/waianapanapa.cfm
For info on Heavenly Hana http://www.hanamaui.com
A bit of info about my friend Rayne:
Tav Rayne has been an Integrated Healing practitioner with great success for over 10 years. Most recently Rayne has founded OpenSource Healing <http://www.opensourcehealing.com/blog> , an online resource for those interested in learning about and receiving a heart-centred approach to integrated healing. enlightenarts.com <http://enlightenarts.com>
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