The Road to Hana

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The Road to Hana was definitely one of the highlights of our recent trip to Hawaii.  I plan to do an entire travel post next week, but I felt this adventure deserved its own post!

We started by waking up at 3AM Hawaii time (6AM PST) to drive up to the top of Haleakala National Park to watch the sunrise from the top of a volcano. I’ve seen pretty amazing sunsets through the window of a plane, but never a sunrise over the clouds like this.  It was honestly the most spiritual moment of our trip. The beauty of God’s creation continues to humble me in the most incredible way.

After a few cups of coffee – we drove down the volcano and began the 64.4 miles of the beautiful tropical rainforest of Hana.  Honestly, if we didn’t have this app we wouldn’t have experienced the day to it’s fullest, so if you’re thinking of doing this in the future, I highly recommend downloading the app and letting a narrator tell you all of the history of Hawaii.

Along our drive (in our Camaro convertible that was so much fun – a huge thank you to one of Christian’s coworker’s wives for recommending we get a convertible!) we saw a black sand beach, a Banyan tree, so many insanely delicious food tents and trucks (fish tacos, Kalua pork, Hawaiian shaved ice, coconut chips, banana bread, coconut pineapple bread… the list goes on) and some of the most beautiful beaches and waterfalls we’ve ever seen.

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crochet-maxi-skirt

tank – old, similar here | skirt c/o | sandals | hat | sunnies

 

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swimsuit – Target last year, similar here and here | coverup | hat | sandals | sunnies 

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Have any of you driven the Road to Hana?  I’d love to hear your favorite parts of the experience.  Or if you have any questions about this journey – ask away!  A full review/recommendations post about Maui is to come, so stay tuned.

Thanks for reading and virtually traveling with me! I can’t thank y’all enough for all of your incredible tips, seriously we used them! XO –

 

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25 thoughts on “The Road to Hana”

  2. These are gorgeous. What a trip!! I really hope I can go one day. God’s creation is overwhelmingly humbling. I feel that way every time I am in the alps or rockies. Takes my breath away.

    On a less spiritual note, what’s the fingernail polish you’re wearing here? Love it!

  3. Such beautiful photos!!! We did the road to hana two years ago and it was amazing – black sand beach was one of the highlights for sure – did you see the man with like 20 parrots at the start of the road – we got a fun picture will all of them! xo, Biana – BlovedBoston

    1. Thanks for asking! I just linked my beach and casual outfit above in the post, but the tank is an old one from Target. I linked a similar one for you! XO

  5. We did the Road to Hana on our honeymoon in 2013 and it was one of my favorite days EVER! I loved re-living it through these pictures 🙂 So glad you had a great trip!

    1. Aw that makes me so happy!! I honestly felt like I was on another honeymoon – so incredible!

  7. So jealous. Makes me think of Heaven. (and also the tv show Lost, if I’m being honest) Already making mental notes for a trip one day.

      1. If you haven’t, it would certainly be a good one to add to your Netflix list. It’s good! It’s one you have to watch from the beginning though.

  8. I always LOVE your photos! Which makes me so curious – what kind of camera do you use? You’ve got talent girl!

    1. Thank you Jill! I share all the deets of the camera and lens we use in the FAQ page of my tab. Hope this helps!

  9. These photos are so beautiful! I currently have a few friends vacationing in Hawaii and their posts are making me uber envious. You’re so lucky to live in a place that looks like this – and that provides that tasty lookin’ drink!

  11. love these photos! jealous and can’t wait for a vacation…..love your style, too. looks effortless and so chic!
    ~Susan
    ~www.fivedresses.net~

  12. So beautiful, Kathleen! My husband and I will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary this year and really wanted to do Hawaii, but with two little ones it’s hard to make that kind of a trip. We’re thinking of saving for another year and maybe going next year- we’ll see. The photos are amazing!

    A funny story- when I used to work outside of the home (before my design business :)) I was flying back from Northern California and was so overcome by the beauty of God’s creation with our gorgeous mountain range. I decided right then and there that I was missing out on seeing so much- so I somehow thought going backpacking with my husband and in-laws was the answer. We hiked 4,000 feet in 4 miles to the most beautiful, clear lake- Eagle Lake- and then slept on the ground, no tent. Seriously though, I thought I was going to die! I don’t know what made me think I was in shape for that! My husband and SIL carried by pack the last mile up the mountain and I couldn’t walk for almost a week after we returned. God’s creation is beautiful- yes, but I think I would rather see it in a convertible!

  13. Take me baaaack! I traveled to Maui for my honeymoon 2 years ago. Loved everything about that trip, especially the road to Hana. I found myself inspecting all of your photos to see if I recognized the stops! The black sand beach was truly incredible.

  14. I spent two weeks in Hawaii in college. The trip from Hilo to Hana was one of my favorite parts – the contrast between the volcano and the rainforest was amazing! Such a unique island!

  15. The Road to Hana was definitely the highlight of our trip to Maui. AMAZING!!! We did the drive ourselves and Pipiwai trail at the very end was the highlight. I would never have been able to do it in flip flops though!! It was miles to the waterfall and our tennis shoes got so muddy we actually had to throw them away.

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