POA - Rental Car companies forbid driving Road to Hana?

[Dd3thomas]

On a different site, someone said the car rental companies forbid you from driving the Road to Hana on your own?  Does anyone know if this is true? We have a Jeep rental with Hertz and we’re planning to do this the first day in Maui. Are we going to have an issue?

[Shellbelle28]

41 minutes ago, Dd3thomas said:

On a different site, someone said the car rental companies forbid you from driving the Road to Hana on your own?  Does anyone know if this is true? We have a Jeep rental with Hertz and we’re planning to do this the first day in Maui. Are we going to have an issue?

I don't think it's the primary road to Hana that is not allowed, it's the unpaved road that extends past Hana. 

I highly recommend downloading the app gyPSy Guide Drive Tour for the road to Hana. For only $5.99 it has loads of INVALUABLE pre-drive advice and descriptions of points of interest triggered by phone's GPS location. We got the whole island version when we were in Maui and loved it. 

[Aesop081]

We're frequent vacationers to Maui, at least once a year and as previously stated, it is only the road after Hana that they forbid you to travel on.  Some people like to circumnavigate Haleakala and that's how you do it.  Remember most vehicles now have GPS tracking through ONSTAR or similar on board programs.  They'll know if they want to find out if you've damaged the car.  So go ahead rent from anyone and enjoy the road to Hana.  Just allow at LEAST 6 hours for the trip.  It's only 30 something miles once you're on it but it'll take that long +/- an hour depending on traffic and getting from Kahalui.   If you're anchoring in Lahaina add another 1 1/2 hrs just to get to Kahalui and back.

Edited October 22, 2018 by Aesop081
spelling mistake

[Budget Queen]

Correct with statements above.  The gravel section is not allowed.   I’ll warn you. Jeeps, I avoid like the plague. They are quite exposed if you leave anything in the Jeep.  Worse they eat gas, budget twice what you expect.   😀

[EllieinNJ]

When we did the Road to Hana, we got lost exploring the area.  Back then we brought our own GPS and it told us to go back by the gravel and forest roads, which took forever.  It wasn't even really scenic.  Wouldn't recommend it.

[Lazz]

Years ago, we went all the way around in a van.  Looking back, it was a foolish and dangerous thing to do (although beautiful).  There was a escorted tour that went all the way around, but I do not know if they still do it.  I would keep going past Hana to see Pools of ‘Ohe’o (aka Seven Sacred Pools) and Charles Lindbergh's grave. 

Edited October 22, 2018 by Lazz

[newty25]

Try to leave as early as humanly possible. Beating the traffic is always key.

 

Get the the Hawaii Revealed Maui edition. It tells you which falls are worth stopping at and a few hidden ones that are worth a short hike.

 

If you're going as a couple, try to work out any issues you might have before you leave. Every couple I know that has been on the road to Hana has fought for at least a portion of the journey. I think it may be some sort of curse.

 

We laugh about it now, but at the time we were not happy with one another.

 

One thing about being forbidden to drive past Hana and I believe it's in the Hawaii Revealed book is that it simply invalidates the insurance you buy from the rental company. It's not like they'll put you in jail or anything. I believe you're still covered through American Express or your own car insurance though. So it's really not a big deal.

 

I know many people who have done it and those who have say it's nothing you need to experience. 

 

One more plug for Hawaii Revealed... best investment we made prior to our trip to Maui.

Edited October 22, 2018 by newty25

[shorefolks]

Some years ago we went in search of Lindbergh's grave and found it in a church cemetery a bit beyond Hana. We later realized that we had gone beyond the rental-car "forbidden" line. The next day, we decided to retrace our steps and continue around the island. While the gravel road was not at all bad (and we were in a sedan), part of the road was a one-lane path around blind curves and over the water. Even though there was a short barrier at the edge of the road, it was one of those experiences that are better to have behind you than ahead. In that the sights were not all that interesting, I would advise against going beyond Lindbergh's grave site.

[cruiser123!]

We were able to do the back half past Hana but only in a Jeep.   

[Dd3thomas]

Thanks everyone, I feel better now.  Looking forward to the trip.

[zqvol]

On 10/21/2018 at 10:56 PM, Dd3thomas said:

On a different site, someone said the car rental companies forbid you from driving the Road to Hana on your own?  Does anyone know if this is true? We have a Jeep rental with Hertz and we’re planning to do this the first day in Maui. Are we going to have an issue?

 

Completely untrue. They don't want you to go the back way, but there is no issue with the main road to Hana.

[tallyho8]

I road the road to Hana twice and all the way around. The rental company I rented from did not forbid it and many don't and the ones that do only mean that their insurance will not cover it. In spots your cell phone will not work so if you break down you may be stuck for a while.

 I feel that going all the way around is safer than going to the Sacred Pools or Lindberg's grave and then turning around because when you are going clockwise around the island you are on the inside of the road not on the outer lane next to the cliffs. When going around a blind curve and meeting someone head on who is on the outer lane it is much safer and easier for you to back up to a safe, wide passing area than it is for them to do so. People coming back from those areas are going counterclockwise around the island and riding on the edge of the cliffs in much more danger if a collision occurs in a blind curve.

 

I found the roads in much better condition than those in the City of New Orleans and the drivers much more aware in the risky areas and will be quite content driving them the next time I am in Hawaii. I found the scenery to be amazing and well worth the trip. If you like playing games on your phone more than sight-seeing, you should probably stay on the ship. 

[zqvol]

4 minutes ago, tallyho8 said:

I road the road to Hana twice and all the way around. The rental company I rented from did not forbid it and many don't and the ones that do only mean that their insurance will not cover it. In spots your cell phone will not work so if you break down you may be stuck for a while.

 I feel that going all the way around is safer than going to the Sacred Pools or Lindberg's grave and then turning around because when you are going clockwise around the island you are on the inside of the road not on the outer lane next to the cliffs. When going around a blind curve and meeting someone head on who is on the outer lane it is much safer and easier for you to back up to a safe, wide passing area than it is for them to do so. People coming back from those areas are going counterclockwise around the island and riding on the edge of the cliffs in much more danger if a collision occurs in a blind curve.

 

I found the roads in much better condition than those in the City of New Orleans and the drivers much more aware in the risky areas and will be quite content driving them the next time I am in Hawaii. I found the scenery to be amazing and well worth the trip. If you like playing games on your phone more than sight-seeing, you should probably stay on the ship. 

 

My experience in HI is that the roads they tell you to stay off of turn out to be fine for driving, they are just out of the way, and it is difficult to get emergency services on them.

[Dreamer115]

On ‎10‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 6:05 AM, newty25 said:

Try to leave as early as humanly possible. Beating the traffic is always key.

 

Get the the Hawaii Revealed Maui edition. It tells you which falls are worth stopping at and a few hidden ones that are worth a short hike.

 

If you're going as a couple, try to work out any issues you might have before you leave. Every couple I know that has been on the road to Hana has fought for at least a portion of the journey. I think it may be some sort of curse.

 

We laugh about it now, but at the time we were not happy with one another.

 

One thing about being forbidden to drive past Hana and I believe it's in the Hawaii Revealed book is that it simply invalidates the insurance you buy from the rental company. It's not like they'll put you in jail or anything. I believe you're still covered through American Express or your own car insurance though. So it's really not a big deal.

 

I know many people who have done it and those who have say it's nothing you need to experience. 

 

One more plug for Hawaii Revealed... best investment we made prior to our trip to Maui.

 

They do call it the divorce highway.  We took a bus tour and am grateful that we did.

[pspercy]

4 hours ago, zqvol said:

 

My experience in HI is that the roads they tell you to stay off of turn out to be fine for driving, they are just out of the way, and it is difficult to get emergency services on them.

 

...as well as expen$$$ive 🙂

 

In 2000 we went all the way around in a tour van, it was fine. I've looked at rental "small print" and never seen anything about a route being forbidden. I think that's a hangover from the days when parts of some highways weren't properly paved.

 

To me the only white knuckle driving on Maui is going north from Kapalua on the Kahekili highway to Wailuku/Kahului. This is of course the only other option to get to the airport from west Maui if there's been a bad wreck blocking hwy 30.

 

https://www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/643-kahekili-highway-usa.html

Edited November 3, 2018 by pspercy

[Shellbelle28]

On 11/2/2018 at 11:09 PM, pspercy said:

To me the only white knuckle driving on Maui is going north from Kapalua on the Kahekili highway to Wailuku/Kahului.

We drove that road! Eeek!  

[NLH Arizona]

Many, many years ago I did the entire road to Hana alone.  Back then (not sure how it is now) once you pass Hana, the road was not paved, sometimes only one lane and pretty scary.  I bottomed out a few times, cried a little and when I finally got to a gas station on the other side, this very nice lady came over and asked me where I had driven from.  When I said Hana, she gave me a big hug and said "God bless you" and invited me in for a cup of tea.  The rental company did not forbid driving all the way around, but they make it very plain that if you get stuck, you pay for the tow out (not sure how I would have notified anyone, as there were no cell phones back then and I didn't see anyone on the road until I hit blacktop) and if you damage the car, you pay for it.  Thankfully none of those things happened to me.  I love the road up to Hana and have done that a number of times since my harrowing drive all the way around and it is truly a beautiful drive, but I've never driven all the way around again. 

Edited November 4, 2018 by NLH Arizona