Haleakala Volcano and Rain Forest

Our tour of Haleakala National Park was accomplished on two different days. Sharp, switchback turns took us up a steep, 37-mile drive to the 10,023-foot summit. The view of the crater was surprisingly different from what we had seen on the Big Island. Haleakala has not erupted for 800,000 years; erosion has caused a unique, breathtaking, panorama of myriad colors caused by the layering of many kinds of minerals. One can hike down to the bottom or take a mule/horse ride. From the crater rim, we could see snow-capped Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes a few hundred miles away on the Big Island.

The next day we took the Hana Road to the Park entrance from Kipahulu on the east side. The cane fields lined the road as we drove away from the water and wound into the rain forest, complete with many different types of trees, vines, lovely flowers, and waterfalls. We met some barebacked, tattooed, young men who, with the help of their five dogs, had stabbed a feral hog, which they will eat. This is a popular sport in Hawaii, as the hogs are unfriendly to the environment. The seven rock pools in the Park were filled with bathers who had waded through the sharp rocky pass to get in them. We visited the Village of Hana, stopping at a charming resort on the water. The old Congregational church is still in use and is well maintained. Colorful flowers and foliage are abundant everywhere. There are many nurseries that advertise shipping to the mainland. On our return home, we drove into the historic Village of Paia. We enjoyed a huge dinner of fish and chips in the local pub with two other couples, who invited us to join them, as seating was scarce.