We got off the boat early and started the scenic drive called "The Road to Hana." It's literally the road that takes you to Hana. The path is extremely winding with over six hundred curves in total and over fifty single-lane bridges that force you to yield to oncoming traffic. They weren't as inconvenient as they sound as the road wasn't that crowded.
There wasn't as much along the trail as we had hoped, hiking wise, but our first stop was at Waianapanapa Caves. There is a legend about a princess who was driven to hide there and then killed by the villain in the story. There is a red stream from the soil or the plants that comes through at times and is supposed to be the blood of the slain princess.
The stairs leading to the caves were cool alone, and the walk down was covered with tropical trees and only let in a little bit of light.
It was really hard to photograph but the caves are in a secluded part of the forest on a small trail covered by foliage. There was a small pool of water which sat as still as the air seemed. It was completely tranquil in that spot. I just stood on the edge of the water for a while and enjoyed the silence.
Not far from the caves was the black sand beach that I had heard about many times before. It was basically what the name suggests; a beach with black sand. Except it was more rocky than sandy. The cove in which it resided was the coolest part about the beach.
There was a lava tube on the edge of the beach that people could walk into. The ocean water came right up into it and washed up on the smooth black rocks that covered the floor of the tube. It was pretty nice in there as well besides all the people that kept walking up to the front to take a picture.
We got back on the road and saw the sign welcoming us to Hana. There was nothing besides the sign to really alert us that we had entered a different area. The drive remained the same and we continued weaving along.
There was a roadside stop where we had a chance to view a beautiful waterfall. It was a nice view but I prefer the sights that reveal themselves after a long hike. It feels more fulfilling than a long drive.
The road became rocky and rough as we began to round the large Haleakala Crater. The sights along the way were beautiful though as we passed around the large volcano along the coast. We could see another island to the south as we came to the end of Hana Road just before we started heading back towards our ship.
We returned the rental car and took a shuttle back to the boat to get dinner at the Cadillac Diner. It's a fifties themed restaurant, which is a little hokey, but the grilled cheese and tomato soup was good. I was really hungry since I didn't have any lunch.
We found the air hockey table on the ship- it was located in the Teen Center. There was no one else there anyway, but who decided that teens were the only ones who would like to play air hockey?? We played three games and I lost two.
I walked around the deck for a while and watched as we began to depart Maui.
The late afternoon clouds looked awesome over the island as we sailed away. I would have enjoyed it more if it weren't for all the rocking..
I just can't seem to stay awake without feeling a little sick while the boat is moving so I just end up laying down and falling asleep.
Total distance is about one hundred miles on the boat from Kahului, Maui to Hilo, Hawai'i, the big island.
We got off the boat early and started the scenic drive called "The Road to Hana." It's literally the road that takes you to Hana. The path is extremely winding with over six hundred curves in total and over fifty single-lane bridges that force you to yield to oncoming traffic. They weren't as inconvenient as they sound as the road wasn't that crowded. 
There wasn't as much along the trail as we had hoped, hiking wise, but our first stop was at Waianapanapa Caves. There is a legend about a princess who was driven to hide there and then killed by the villain in the story. There is a red stream from the soil or the plants that comes through at times and is supposed to be the blood of the slain princess.
The stairs leading to the caves were cool alone, and the walk down was covered with tropical trees and only let in a little bit of light.
It was really hard to photograph but the caves are in a secluded part of the forest on a small trail covered by foliage. There was a small pool of water which sat as still as the air seemed. It was completely tranquil in that spot. I just stood on the edge of the water for a while and enjoyed the silence.
Not far from the caves was the black sand beach that I had heard about many times before. It was basically what the name suggests; a beach with black sand. Except it was more rocky than sandy. The cove in which it resided was the coolest part about the beach.
There was a lava tube on the edge of the beach that people could walk into. The ocean water came right up into it and washed up on the smooth black rocks that covered the floor of the tube. It was pretty nice in there as well besides all the people that kept walking up to the front to take a picture.
We got back on the road and saw the sign welcoming us to Hana. There was nothing besides the sign to really alert us that we had entered a different area. The drive remained the same and we continued weaving along.
There was a roadside stop where we had a chance to view a beautiful waterfall. It was a nice view but I prefer the sights that reveal themselves after a long hike. It feels more fulfilling than a long drive.
The road became rocky and rough as we began to round the large Haleakala Crater. The sights along the way were beautiful though as we passed around the large volcano along the coast. We could see another island to the south as we came to the end of Hana Road just before we started heading back towards our ship.
We returned the rental car and took a shuttle back to the boat to get dinner at the Cadillac Diner. It's a fifties themed restaurant, which is a little hokey, but the grilled cheese and tomato soup was good. I was really hungry since I didn't have any lunch.
We found the air hockey table on the ship- it was located in the Teen Center. There was no one else there anyway, but who decided that teens were the only ones who would like to play air hockey?? We played three games and I lost two.
I walked around the deck for a while and watched as we began to depart Maui. 
The late afternoon clouds looked awesome over the island as we sailed away. I would have enjoyed it more if it weren't for all the rocking..
I just can't seem to stay awake without feeling a little sick while the boat is moving so I just end up laying down and falling asleep.
Total distance is about one hundred miles on the boat from Kahului, Maui to Hilo, Hawai'i, the big island.
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