Road to HANA with teens? Not sure....

[ngapeach]

Would the road to Hana be boring with 3 teens and an 8 year old? Our other choice is Haleakala (can't bicycle down because of age restrictions) or relax at the beach. Any suggestions welcome! We are in port 2 days. THANKS! We are already planning:

Kauai-sunset NaPali cruise with Holoholo/ helicopter 2nd day

Kona-Fair Wind snorkel (we have never snorkeled before)

Oahu- Pearl Harbor first day /Beach second day

[spleen93]

I don't think that it'd be boring. Lots of great sites to see and some nice short hikes along the way.

 

Spleen

[Steamboatin]

We have made the trip to Hana and the volcano national park on Maui and enjoyed both.

 

Also consider the Iao State Park. It has beautiful high steeply sloped lushly vegetated mountain sides. It also is worthy of a trip and is a safe drive.

 

For teenagers they may enjoy the road to Hana with its many waterfalls, hairpin curves, many cliffs, deep gorges, lush vegetation, and mountain streams. If they are into nature they should enjoy it, if not than they probably will be bored.

 

There is a national park along the road to Hana that is safe to walk up along a stream bed to one of the more beautiful waterfalls along the way.

 

Our mini bus tour guide said that if you are in a rental car the road to Hana is a restricted area where you cannot take a rental car. Additionally, if your car breaks down and you need a wrecker the minimum charge to come to your aid at that time was $700!! Now that is something to consider as if you have any car trouble you will be finanically on your own and at the mercy of the rental car company and whom ever comes out to assist you.

 

If you have not seen a volcano than the national park at the top of the mountain as you suggested is a possibility. However, after you look at it for a few minutes there is nothing else up there to do or see. It is certainly a sight that is beautiful and massive and is a must see but can be boring also depending on how the teenager thinks.

 

Which ever on you choose please drive safely as both are a major challange to the driver. Many hair pin and cut back curves.

 

Best way to go is on a tour bus and not drive it. I love to drive, however on those two trips I was glad that I was a passenger in a tour bus. Both bus drivers certainly earned their money for those two trips.

[breeding]

We just got home our 12 & 14 year old thought it was a highlight of the trip. If yours are adventersome go to the right fork at Twin Falls and have them jump off the cliff into the pool. It is not very high but high enough mine wouldn't do it. We enjoyed watching. Also they were having fun doing that at 7 sacred pools.

[ngapeach]

Thanks for information. I think we will try it...I guess we can always turn back and not go the entire way to Hana. We have a fairly hectic excursion schedule and I just didn't want to overdo it. I have a tendency to want to do it all and over-plan...I'm trying to break myself of this tendency and relax.....:)

[Hawaiian Eye]

Haleakala is best seen at sunrise, which means getting up at 03:30 in the morning and driving 3 hours in the dark up to the summit. I've done it twice and it's bitter cold up there. Teens wouldn't like it and would just stay in the car with the heater going.

 

Getting to Hana is half the fun. Lots of views, waterfalls, beautiful coastlines and black sand beaches. Past Hana is the Seven Sacred Pools. It's a long, long drive tho.

 

You can't just hang out in Lahaina and take some boat cruise? Too bad it's not winter when the whales are there. Plenty of fun cruising Front Street.

 

Get some food to go, hit a beach park and enjoy a picnic while the kids watch some surfers or kitesurfers. :cool:

[breeding]

Any suggestions welcome! We are in port 2 days. THANKS! We are already planning:

Kauai-sunset NaPali cruise with Holoholo/ helicopter 2nd day

Kona-Fair Wind snorkel (we have never snorkeled before)

Oahu- Pearl Harbor first day /Beach second day

 

Our girls loved snorkeling so it might be good to find the best beach to snorkel and do it again on Maui if you don't do the road to Hana. We loved it because it was so cool to see the difference from one side of the island to the other.

 

If your kids are hikers/walkers go to the lava viewing adventure. You walk for 2 hours across lava but you actually get to see running red hot lava. Very awsome!

[daWoods]

 

Our mini bus tour guide said that if you are in a rental car the road to Hana is a restricted area where you cannot take a rental car. Additionally, if your car breaks down and you need a wrecker the minimum charge to come to your aid at that time was $700!! Now that is something to consider as if you have any car trouble you will be finanically on your own and at the mercy of the rental car company and whom ever comes out to assist you.

 

.

 

I think your guide was having you on. The road to Hana is not restricted for rental cars, and if your rental car breaks down, that's the company's problem, not yours. At one time the road around the back of Haleakala was a restricted area, but our contract earlier this year did not indicate that.

[breeding]

At one time the road around the back of Haleakala was a restricted area, but our contract earlier this year did not indicate that.

 

We just got back last week our rental company (Hertz) said it was a do not drive area and they would not come and get us.

[spleen93]

Depends on the rental car company, I think.

 

Spleen

[cinnywoo]

If you are interested in snorkeling, book a trip to Molikini. It is a submerged volcano and is protected from the larger waves. Great if anyone is a big chicken, like me. The trip usually lasts half-a-day.

[bug_dan]

Alamo in 2003 said the road past Hana was off limits. Their rental contract would be declared void if one of their cars was driven there. That could potentially put you at risk financially in the event of an accident or damage to the car. Even the collision insurance obtained from using a Platinum Visa card would be declared void if the rental contract were to be violated. I don't know about using your own car insurance, but given most insurer's desire to get out of paying claims, it might be just the excuse they are looking for.

[Middleager]

I think your guide was having you on. The road to Hana is not restricted for rental cars, and if your rental car breaks down, that's the company's problem, not yours. At one time the road around the back of Haleakala was a restricted area, but our contract earlier this year did not indicate that.

 

Aloha. What rental company was that, that did not restrict driving around? Would you know any other company that also allows that/

 

Thanks.

[daWoods]

We've had Thrifty the last two times there. The first time (2 years ago) they did have a warning, and pointed it out when you picked up the car. This year there were no such warnings and no mention of it.

 

My original posting may have been misunderstood. I said the road to Hana was not a restricted area for rentals, not the road beyond. In fact, part of the Haleakala National Park, the 7 sacred pools, is beyond Hana. It's past that that the road deteriorates. If the road to Hana was restricted there would be far fewer cars on it, and businesses in Hana would be really ticked off.

[bug_dan]

Our first trip to Hana was in 1988 and I seem to remember that the road from Hana to Oheo Gulch was off limits to rental cars then. That road although paved looked like someone just put macadam down on the ground with no grading or anything else done to the road bed. It was only a short stretch just outside Hana, but speed was limited to about 5 mph. I'm not sure if they just improved the road or did they move it? Hasegawa General Store then was on the right side of the road traveling to Oheo Gulch. The original store burned down in the 90's but I don't know if they rebuilt it in the same location????

[beachguy]

(This is beachchick)

 

ARGH! I wrote a reply, but tried to post it at approx 12:30 am EDT. EVERY time I try to do something at that time, I get that stupid "Database Error" message. I assume the system is updating....

 

Anyway, to summarize:

 

Haleakala: Don't discount it if you don't go at sunrise. NO WAY we would get up that early. It's well worth it to arrive mid-morning. The views are amazing, particularly if you are not going to Volcanoes National Park on the BI.

 

Hana: Gorgeous and amazing. Whomever drives will be exhausted. The road from Kahului to Hana is not (as far as I know) off limits to rentals. The road past Hana around and through upcountry back to Kahului has been (and probably is) for many. However, recently (very recently--we just got back a few days ago) our Avis contract didn't mention any off-limits roads (not even around the northeast, which is why I read the contract in detail; now that's a beautiful drive). If your contract doesn't say you can't go past 'Ohe'o Gulch (wrongly called Seven Sacred Pools; sorry, I know that's a petty quibble; okay, my other quibble is that Haleakala National Park is not Volcanoes National Park, that's on the BI) then you should be okay driving the circle if you want. Do be aware that Hana is an all-day thing, particularly if you stop at all and for the driver, who will need copious "tranquilizers" (read: Mai Tais or the equivalent) afterward.

 

For teens on Maui: Hana and/or Haleakala would be good. There is so much to see and many places to stop and look or wander a bit. As has been mentioned, Lahaina is great to just hang loose. Ka'anapali and Kihei areas both have some terrific beaches for relaxing, swimming, etc. Since you're doing Fair Wind on the BI, I won't suggest a snorkel trip to Molokini (unless you just love the snorkeling and want more; in which case Molokini is good--but go in the morning and know that it's probably not going to be as great as your BI one. OTOH, we just went again and had great visibility, good variety, and 2 sharks, plus many sea turtles on our second stop).

 

Aloha and have a great time.

 

beachchick

[wmwmarmstrong]

We did the Road to Hana in the 90's and I always said I had to do it again. I was terrified at first but then wondered what all the fuss was about. A couple spots were very narrow but well worth doing the drive and being able to stop when you want. When we stopped and pulled over we hardly ever saw another person. I can't imagine doing this trip in a bus and I am a school bus driver and my husband is a truck driver!

But one thing I might warn you about, we went way off the beaten path and I got a bad case of Poison Ivy or Oak!

[wmwmarmstrong]

Hasegawa General Store then was on the right side of the road traveling to Oheo Gulch. The original store burned down in the 90's but I don't know if they rebuilt it in the same location????

 

Tell me it isn't so!! I loved that store. Does anyone know if it was rebuilt?

[bug_dan]

Sorry if I misled you:( The store has been rebuilt and is on the left hand side of the road as you head toward Oheo Gulch:)