Paia to Hana drive 🌴 What stops are there?

ALOHA!

 

So you are thinking about making a drive from Paia to Hana!

This is the popular way to do the popular Road to Hana.

Start the Road to Hana from the unofficial Road to Hana start (aka PAIA!), and then drive to the town of Hana as your destination!

Many people will also drive past Hana and go to Kipahulu and turn around there instead.

Driving directly from Paia to Hana is around a 2 hour drive. (map)

You will be driving the Hana Highway.

 

Top things to do between Paia and Hana

1. Keanae Peninsula
2. Waianapanapa State Park
3. Hookipa Beach (for sunset on your way back… if you want a chance to see turtles and seals!)

 

 

Here are some of the quick lists if you’re looking for something specific to do on your drive from Paia to Hana:

• Road to Hana waterfalls
• Road to Hana beaches
• Road to Hana food
• Road to Hana hikes
• Things to do in Hana
• Things to do in Waianapanapa State Park
• Things to do in Haleakala National Park past Hana
• Road to Hana map (google maps)

Below is the list of things to do between Paia and Hana with these different activities!

 

Can you take a bus from Paia to Hana?

No, you can’t go from Paia to Hana by public bus.

There is a bus that goes to some places on Maui, including Paia.

But it doesn’t go much further than Paia, so it won’t take you to Hana.

The furthest along the bus goes on the Hana Highway is the bus stop at the intersection of Pauwela Road and Hana Highway on the Haiku Islander bus route, which is a little past Paia.

This is as far along on the Hana Highway as you can go by bus, and Hana is around 40 miles away from the bus stop.

While there is no public bus that will allow you to truly experience the Road to Hana, there are Road to Hana tours that you can join if you will be without a car.

 

More below on what to see between Paia and Hana!

 

 

🌴

 

 

 

Now…

What is there to see between Paia and Hana?

 

1. Waikamoi Nature Trail

 

This is a hike through a forest where you’ll get to see different kinds of trees, including bamboo trees.

 

 

You’ll also find picnic tables along this trail for what can feel like a private picnic spot! (As long as no one else is hiking this trail and has taken the picnic spot!)

 

 

 

2. Kaumahina State Wayside

 

This can be a bathroom break or a short stop at a small overlook.

 

 

3. Waikamoi Falls

 

You can get a glimpse of Waikamoi Falls as you’re driving by on the bridge in front of the waterfalls. So you don’t even need to get out of the car to see them.

But to truly appreciate these waterfalls, you’ll want to make a stop here.

There’s a trail that leads to the base of the waterfalls.

And there’s also a trail that leads to the top of the waterfalls so you can see the waterfalls from the top, as well as the Waikamoi Stream that feeds the waterfalls.

 

 

4. Honomanu Bay

 

This is a kind of hidden beach in the sense that it’s not located right off the main road.

It requires a walk or drive on a kind of rough road to get to the beach once you turn off the Hana Highway.

Your destination will be what’s considered to be a black sand beach on Maui, although the black sand may not initially be obvious when you get there.

But there’s a small patch of black sand off to the right of the bay as you’re facing the ocean.

You can park right off the Hana Highway and then walk 5-10 minutes, or you can drive straight down to the beach.

It might be better if you have a jeep or 4wd, but normal cars do the drive all the way down too.

 

 

 

5. Keanae Peninsula

 

This is a great scenic lookout area.

You can drive down to the end of Keanae Road directly off the Hana Highway.

You’ll come across the first lookout.

 

 

And then you can keep driving further down where you’ll pass a famous banana bread stand.

Then drive further to the end of the Keanae Peninsula where you’ll find another lookout.

 

 

You can see old lava flows along the coast at Keanae Point.

You’ll also find a cute Hawaiian church on the Keanae Peninsula.

 

 

 

For a minimal Road to Hana day trip, I think you need to at least make it to the Keanae Peninsula.

Going to Keanae won’t get you all the way to the town of Hana, but it will give you a sense of what the Road to Hana is about!

That said, there are some Road to Hana waterfalls coming up past the Keanae Peninsula that require minimal effort to see, so you might want to keep driving a little further!

With no stops, Paia to Keanae Peninsula is about a 1.5 hour drive.

Keanae to Hana is about a 1 hour drive.

So if you want to only do part of the Road to Hana, then you want to drive a little beyond the Keanae Peninsula. You can make Makapipi Falls your turnaround point.

 

 

6. Upper Waikani Falls

 

These are waterfalls that you can see as you’re driving across the bridge.

 

 

7. Wailuaiki Stream

 

I’m not sure of the name of these falls as it’s not on google maps, but it seems that this might be Wailuaiki Falls.

This is just before mile marker 21 when you’re driving in the direction of Hana.

 

 

You could see the upper level of the waterfalls without getting out of the car, and if you get out of the car, then you can see the lower level waterfalls too.

 

 

 

8. Puaa Kaa State Wayside

 

You can make this a bathroom stop or another waterfalls stop. (Or both!) This is a Hawaii state park site.

 

 

9. Hanawi Falls

 

More waterfalls!

You can see these from the bridge as you’re driving by, or you can get out of the car and take a short trail to get a little closer to them too.

 

 

10. Makapipi Falls

 

 

More waterfalls, but these are waterfalls to view from above!

 

 

11. Nahiku viewpoint

 

This is another little side trip on the Hana Highway in the sense that you drive down a road off the highway to get there.

First you’ll drive around 10 minutes down the narrow Nahiku Road.

You can park in front of a cute Hawaiian church and then walk around 10 minutes the rest of the way there.

 

 

 

And you’ll continue driving to arrive in… HANA!!!

To get you started, you’ll want to look at Waianapanapa State Park and the Hana lava tube!

 

Waianapanapa State Park in Hana

 

Waianapanapa State Park is where you go to see THE famous black sand beach of Maui.

This is one of the best Hawaii state parks in Maui!

There’s the black sand beach overlook where you can see the black sand beach from above, then you can take the stairs down to the black sand beach where you can walk across it.

And then, you can start off on the Waianapanapa Coastal Trail!

 

 

 

 

Also while you are at the black sand beach, right after you get to the bottom of the stairs that takes you to the black sand beach, look directly to the right as you’re facing the ocean.

There’s a lava tube there that you can enter, and it opens up at the other end too! You can watch the waves crash into this lava tube cave.

It’s easy to miss, so don’t forget about it!

 

 

IMPORTANT!!! This is NEW as of March 2021. You must now make a reservation in order to visit Waianapanapa State Park, which means you must have a reservation in order to visit the black sand beach! There is a fee for this.

 

 

There are also the Waianapanapa State park cabins for a cost of around $100 per night available here. Cabins do book up in advance so it might require a little bit more planning and/or luck!

 

 

Hana lava tube

 

The Hana lava tube is the only lava tube in Hawaii that’s listed as a part of the National Caves Association. (Although certainly not the only worthy lava cave to visit in Hawaii! There’s a great lava cave hike you can do on the Big Island!)

One of the things that makes the Hana lava tube stop worth it is the educational value.

It’s a self-guided tour through a cave formed by lava flows and there are informational signs along the way.

If you are interested in learning about Maui’s volcanic landscape, then you are sure to find this interesting!

There is an entry fee to the Hana lava tube, and the cost is around $12 and flashlights are provided.

 

And that’s a bit about driving from Paia to Hana!

See the list of more things to do in Hana.

You also may want to drive past Hana and go to the Kipahulu District of Haleakala National Park.

 

See more for your trip to Maui:

• Best of West Maui
• Best of South Maui
• Best of Haleakala National Park
• Things to do in Maui

 

HAPPY DRIVING FROM PAIA TO HANA!