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EXCERPTED from MAUI TRAILBLAZERWhere to hike, snorkel, paddle, surf, driveISBN 0967007240, 240 pages, 6x9, $15.95by Jerry and Janine Sprout, ©2002

Diamond Valley Company, Publishers89 Lower Manzanita Dr., Markleeville, CA 96120e-mail: trailblazer@gbis.com

to order visit our website: http://www.trailblazertravelbooks.com

1. KALALAU H, SN

Best for: On-foot looks at notorious Napali Coast, a picture-perfectsnorkeling pool, and short a walk to Hawai‘i’s sacred hula site.

Parking: Take Hwy. 560 CC to its end, which is 10 mi. from the HanaleiRiver bridge. Overflow parking is at Haena State Park, on rightjust before mm. 10/560.

H: Kauluolaka Hula Heiau (.5-mi.); Ke‘e to Haena Beach (up to 2.5 mi.);Kalalau Trail hikes: Napali view (1 mi.), Hanakapiai Beach (4 mi.),Hanakapiai Falls (8 mi.), Napali high point (6 mi.);Limahuli Garden (.75-mi.)

To the Kauluolaka Hula Heiau, begin at Ke‘e Beach and pick up a trail that skirts theshoreline to your left as you face the beach—this is not the Kalalau Trail. Curl aroundat the edge of the black rocks, losing sight of Ke‘e, and then climb muddy steps, keep-ing left all the way. You reach the top of a series of grassy terraces, about 80 feet abovethe sea. Cliffs rise steeply inland and big swells crash the shore. This spot today, as itwas in antiquity, is where the ancient hula and chants are performed. Below the topplatform are the ruins of Kaulupaoa Heiau, which guarded the hula site.

For Ke‘e to Haena Beach—which is the shortcut to getting a long view down theNapali Coast—start at Ke‘e Beach, and walk to your right as you face the water. Shortlyinto the walk, look back to see the Napali Coast, its buttresses receding in the distance.About midway on this walk you cross Limahuli Stream, inland from which was the siteof Taylor Camp. Back in the hippie days—which aren’t so far back on the north shore—Taylor Camp was a well-known commune. After crossing the stream, you need to

TH TrailheadOS Ocean-sideMS Mountain-side

CW ClockwiseCC Counterclockwisemm. Mile marker

Note: All hikingdistances are roundtripunless otherwise noted.

T R A I L H E A D SH HikingSN Snorkeling and swimmingMB Mountain or road bikingP Kayaking, canoeingSF Surfing, boogie boarding

NAPALI

negotiate the black rock shoreline around the point, or, if the surf is high, you mayhave to cut inland through ironwood and heliotrope trees. Some hikers may wish toturn around here.

For Kalalau Trail hikes, begin at the trailhead kiosk on your left as you drive into theparking area. The Kalalau is a tough trail, even for seasoned hikers. Start on a sunnyday, the earlier the better, as many people head up this trail, many of them ill-prepared.For hikes longer than those described here, think about backpacking. The trail beginssteeply, climbing rocks and packed dirt, over a section that lets you know right awaywhat you’re in for. The first Napali viewpoint comes after just .5-mile, as the traillevels out and several wave-battered cliffs can be seen down the coast.

On the way from the viewpoint to Hanakapiai Beach, you’ll get another good viewdown Napali, before dropping about 500 feet through lush foliage to the beach. Youneed to cross the stream at beach level, over rocks, which is not easy without gettingyour feet wet. A rope handrail to aid hikers is sometimes available. Watch Out: Beaware that people drown frequently at Hanakapiai—don’t go near the water except on thecalmest of summer days.Waves knock people down even at the shoreline.

To Hanakapiai Falls, cross the stream and look for the trail about 50 feet after thecrossing. The first mile of the trail, to a rain shelter in a bamboo grove, is not as hard asthe rest of this trail, although often very mucky. You then pick your way over rocks—those with a healthy fear of heights will be uneasy at times—and under branches,crossing the stream several times, before reaching the falls, a 300-foot ribbon fallinginto a pool. The walk to Hanakapiai Falls is a fatiguing two miles.

To Napali high point—800 feet above sea level—continue past the trail to the falls,beginning switchbacks immediately. After a mile of climbing, affording some spec-tacular seaward and inland views toward the falls, you reach the high point. The traildoesn’t come back down to sea level until reaching the Kalalau Valley. Watch Out:Bring water, sturdy mud shoes and a hiking pole on the Kalalau Trail.

Parking for Limahuli Garden is .25-mile before reaching road’s end at Ke‘e Beach;turn uphill at a signed entry. Now a National Tropical Botanical Garden, the groundsextend up lava rock terraces built by the valley’s ancient dwellers. This garden is knownfor its native Hawaiian vegetation, as well as for plants brought here by voyagingPolynesians. The valley sits under Bali Hai. Note: Admission is charged for self-guidedtours, which includes an informative booklet—one of the best plant books available.

SN: Ke‘e Beach, when surf is breaking gently on its reef, is an ideal snorkeling pool.Keep to your right as you enter a sandy shore, swimming out along the reef, where youcan take a break and sit on the ledge. The view of the cliffs is a keeper. Watch Out:Water escapes this cove on the cliff side, so be mindful of the current. Avoid swimming herewhen surf is high.

Ke‘e Beach

napali trailheads |31

2. HAENA H, SN, SF

Best for: Snorkeling, surfing and beach strolling with drop-dead views ofBali Hai.

Parking: At Haena City Beach Park, .75-mi. CC of mm. 8/560, about7 mi. from Hanalei Bay.

H: Haena Point (2 mi.)

To Haena Point, start up the beach to your right as you face the surf. You’ll walk byTunnels Beach, a popular snorkeling and surfing spot, on the same strip of sand fromthe beach park. Just beyond Tunnels is sandy Haena Point. When the surf is fairlycalm, you can walk a hundred yards or so offshore in ankle-deep water; a good vantagepoint for photography buffs. Watch Out: You may want a surf shoe to protect againstsharp rocks if venturing onto the shallow reef.

SN: At Haena City Beach are sandy places to get in and flipper around, but the realaction is up the beach at Tunnels. For Tunnels Beach parking—as you are driving infrom the Hanalei direction—look for a dirt drive .25-mile CC of mm. 8/560, pastHaena Street at telephone pole #144R. A second Tunnels Beach parking spot is .25-mile beyond the first—a dirt drive with a green chain-link fence running along bothsides—across from telephone pole #14. If these areas are full, park at Haena CityBeach and walk up to Tunnels.

Tunnels has a generous swath of sand and a deep-water coral reef near shore that at-tracts a multitude of fish, as well as tourists and the occasional snorkeling tour group.A bonus for Tunnels is the perfect view of Bali Hai—the name for Makana Ridge thatoriginated from the movie, South Pacific.

SF: Surfers paddle the channel at Tunnels Beach to the reef break. This is a shallowbreak with tricky currents; ask the locals. Cannons Beach is on the other end of HaenaCity Beach Park. Scope the break—usually a left slide—from the unimproved turn-outs as you leave the park headed for Ke‘e. Like Tunnels, this is a reef break; watch thelocals. If they’re out there, consider surfing here, but it they’re not, don’t try it. Neitherof these spots is for beginners.

3. KEPHUI POINT H

Best for: A beach walk with Bali Hai views and solitude, even on busy daysalong this popular stretch of coast.

Parking: Take the Hwy. 560 CC of Hanalei to .5-mi. CC of mm. 7/560.Patrons and shoppers may park in the lot for the Hanalei ColonyResort. Parking also just past the lot; turn OS on dirt Oneone Rd.

H: Haena Point (2.5 mi.)

To Haena Point, walk through the parking lot to a short access path between therestaurants and the resort. Head to your left when you get on the sand. Palms minglewith ironwoods among a few low-key vacation homes inland. After about .5-mile, thehomes give way to open space—part of a YMCA camp—and the reef encroaches up tothe sandy shore. Watch Out: Surf and reef here combine for dangerous swimming.

As you continue, the reef protrudes from the water, just as you reach a wide cove,noted by the half-dozen black rocks at its shore. At the far end of this cove is HaenaPoint, where, if conditions permit, you can walk a surprisingly far distance on a coralshoal. A Bali Hai view draws you along the last part of the walk. On the way back,you’re looking across Hanalei Bay to the bluff at Princeville. Note: This hike connectswith TH2, continuing along the beach to Tunnels and Haena City Beach Park.

4. WAINIHA MB, P

Best for: A non-tourist bike ride or paddle up one of Hawai‘i’s mostmysterious valleys.

Parking: At Wainiha, a small outpost just CC of Lumahai Beach onHwy. 560 at mm. 6/560. Park off road near the store.

MB: Starting in town and heading toward Haena, you immediately come to the firstof two wooden, one-lane bridges, slung low across the Wainiha River. Between the first

Haena Beach

and second bridge is a dirt road upriver that you can bike about a mile, giving you alook at some dank tropical gardens and old homestead cottages. This neighborhoodhas been home to certain families for three centuries.

Then backtrack and cross the second bridge and head up paved Powerhouse Road, onyour left. It’s two miles and about a 500-foot climb to the end of the road, with mostelevation gained at the beginning. Jungle flora and birds are at hand. The road opens toridge views after about one mile. At 1.5 miles, as the road levels out, you come to aparklike homestead—palms, lawn, pond and stream cascade, all the work of a retireewho made this beautiful garden his second career.

A half-mile past the homestead, the pavement ends and the dirt road is blocked by alocked gate and an assortment of “keep out” signs. As you look up the mountain,toward your right, is Wainiha Pali, the 4,000-foot cliffs which are the border of theAlakai Swamp, sitting on a plateau behind the pali. Up this river valley until the late1800s lived a 65-person colony, the descendents of the folkloric Menehune. Locals tellof caves deep in the valley leading into the base of Mount Waialeale.

P: Put in at Wainiha, in town, where the river parallels the road and a shoal sepa-rates it from the bay. The Wainiha River forks upstream from the bay, at the twobridges, and comes together again about a mile upstream, making a narrow island.Both forks can be paddled along a short stretch of navigable water, where commercialtours are not allowed, but individuals are permitted. Extend your time on the waterwith a trip onto the bay, on calmer days.