On an island in the sun.

Wai'anapanapa Park- Just past mile marker 32

This park is home to both a fresh water cave suitable for swimming, as well as a black sand beach! Unfortunately, there were TONS of people in the freshwater cave, most of them locals, and I just felt kind of in the way....lol. The cave was awesome, though not very big, so the 7 people that were already in there were pretty close together. So no swimming for us.

The black sand beach on the other hand was awesome! Interesting fact: black sand beaches tell you that the beach itself is actually quite new (in terms of thousands of years, that is). The beach was probably created in less than a week or two from lava flowing into the ocean and shattering on contact with the water. Older islands like Oahu and Kauai do not have black sand beaches because its been too long since lava flow has occurred there. According to the guidebook, the Big Island is still creating black sand beaches to this day. How cool!

Waves rushing out over the black sand

Digging my toes in! :)

Justin at the entrance to the cave

Right next to the black sand beach, there was a cave that you could climb into. The water rushed in on one side! :) There were two adorable little kids who would run to the edge, and then run back when the water came rushing into the cave. The tide was pretty low, so it was safe to be in there. :)

Standing in the light! :)

Where the ocean came rushing in

Red Sand Beach- Park on Uakea & Havoli, walk past the second lamppost on the lawn
We were able to see the red sand beach, but there seemed to be a giant cliff between us and the actual beach. So we stood there and looked at it for a second, and then headed back to the car. lol.

We were also in Hana at this point. It was small, cute, and very hippy-ish. We stopped at the General Store and bought a coffee since I was starting to fall asleep in the car, and my favorite things were still to come! Other than that, there wasn't a lot in Hana. There were a couple of places to eat, but we had had lunch just a few hours before.

~~Venus Pool- Just past mile 48~~
We skipped the Venus Pool stop, because we were afraid we were going to run out of time, and Justin still had a long way to drive. :)

The last pool spilling into the ocean

The Seven Sacred Pools- Parking lot past mile marker 42
These pools/waterfalls are actually called 'Ohe'o Gulch. But back when no one came to Hana or knew it was there, an owner of one of the hotels there needed to ramp up hype about this side of the island. So he renamed these beautiful spot "The Seven Sacred Pools," even though there is nothing sacred about them, nor are there actually 7 of them...lol.

Unfortunately, because of the rain, the pools were closed to swimming because of high, fast water. :(

One of the smallest falls

The biggest pool, great for swimming!

Makahiku Falls

Infinity Pool + Pipiwai Trail- Above 7 Sacred Pools
The infinity pool is something I've wanted to see and swim in since I bought the guidebook. I remember sitting in Les Schawb in Burien thinking, "That's where I'm going!" From the 7 Sacred Pools, you hike up the Pipiwai Trail and veer off. The Infinity Pool is at the top of a 200 foot water. So off we went up the trail. The first waterfall you can see from the trail is Makahiku Falls, which is an 800 foot waterfall. Along the trail, there are various look-outs. All with warning signs--and all signs that Justin liked to walk past....lol.

Next, we got to the spot where we were supposed to be able to veer off the trail and see the Infinity Pool. And we ran into this:

NOOOOOOO! There was a giant wire fence put up. I was so bummed. I guess last year, a couple of people got in the pool when the falls were RUSHING (ahh..duh!), and ended up going over the edge of the falls. SO BUMMED. But then my husband, well, he decided to climb over the fence! lol. He walked down to check it out, and then came back to get me, because he said I had to see it. Even though I'm terrified of climbing fences (I don't know why!), I managed to fall over the fence and see the infinity pool. Though yes, it wasn't much of a pool and more the top of a rushing water fall. :) But it was still beautiful nonetheless. And no, we didn't swim in it, because we're smart people!
We just have to figure out when the water isn't so high, and go back again! Maybe when my sissy visits? :)

The Infinity Pool

The rushing water

Man-made path through the bamboo forest

After the (slightly disappointing) Infinity Pool, we continued on up the Pipiwai Trail, as there was supposed to be a bamboo forest that you can hike through towards the end. There was also a pretty large banyon tree that we got to take pictures in front of! :)

Giant Banyon Tree! :)

At the end of the path, we turned around and headed back. From here, it was time to head home! Most people turn back and take the road back through Hana. We decided to keep on going!

The road back was unpaved for a portion, as well as one-way for other portions. Sometimes, the unpaved parts were better than the paved portions...lol. The views were beautiful though!

Hello ocean!

Unpaved road!

Hello rainbow!

Double!

The coastline

The sun setting behind the mountains

Another rainbow!

A view from the road--between the rocky mountains

Sunset!

Hello random cow!

Hunters Road- Wailua Iki- 2/10 mile past mile maker 21

Wailua Falls

I found this stop in the guidebook. It's completely hidden from the road, which made it that much more amazing when we finally stumbled upon it. We had to park on the side of the Hana Highway, then walk 10 minutes up a "hunter's road." It started lightly misting as soon as we got out of the car. The road veered to the right, and then ta-da!

The Wailua Valley

Hello baby waterfall!

Walking around the Valley opening to stand on top of the big waterfall! :)

This waterfall was a baby one--we walked across it to get to the bigger one.

Standing on the bridge, looking down at the big waterfall

The mini-falls behind the big one.

Justin said, "I told you to wear shoes!

"Let me take a picture of the mist in your hair." What is that face?!

That's better! :)

"Now you take a picture of the mist in my hair. Not of my boobs!"

~~Lava Caves- 2 turnouts after mile marker 23~~
Never found them. :)

Makapipi Falls

Makapipi Falls- Far side of bridge past mile marker 25

At this point, we'd obviously seen a lot of water falls. This one was cool because it was just a tiny bit different than the others we'd seen. When you stand in the middle of the bridge and look down, you are standing right on top of the water fall as it breaks! It was a little tricky since you had to stand in the lane of traffic to look down--no one thought to incorporate a foot lane on the bridge. :)

The view from under the bridge

The pool below the falls

Makapipi falls from under the bridge. Courtesy of Justin. :)

Next stop was actually a diversion...we turned off the Hana Highway and onto
Nahiku Road- left off the highway, 2.5 miles

Standing next to the car.

Nakihu is a tiny little village just off the Highway. There's one road--can you guess the name? :) I wish I would've taken pictures from the car, but I didn't. The road on both sides were surrounded by the prettiest plants and trees I've ever seen. And so dense! There were little huts and houses scattered sporadically on both sides of the 2.5 mile road. Justin is convinced we will buy a little shack there when we retired. :) The real treat for me was when we got to the bottom of the road. There is a tiny state park with a tiny parking lot, and then, its just ocean! Lots and lots of beautiful ocean. I couldn't believe how gorgeous the views were, and how close the road was to the water.

It was so great we decided to stop and have our lunch here. :)