It is our suggestion that visitors now skip Nahiku Road as a stop along the Hana Highway.
Nahiku Road isn't meant to cater to the masses, and its popularity amongst visitors has exploded in recent years. Like Helele'ike'oha Falls (Blue Pool) on 'Ula'ino Road, this spot has become a victim of too much publicity.
Just a few yards past mile marker 25 on the Hana Highway, around the bend from the previous stop, you should see a steep downhill turn off for Nahiku Road makai. The road is lush and surrounded by a jungle setting - even the trees have plants growing on them. With 300 inches of rain a year, no wonder Nahiku is a paradise for all things green. The road is lined with rubber trees, remnants from a plantation that went defunct nearly a hundred years ago. You'll barely noticed passing Nahiku village except for the occasional house and a variety of abandoned vehicles, now property of the jungle around them. At the end of the road (about 2.5 miles down) you'll come to the gorgeous scenic bay at Opuhano Point. Looking to your left over Honolulunui Bay, the coastal views are some of the very best on the entire road to Hana, you can see all the way back to Wailua. As you visually try to absorb all of the scenery, take a moment to listen too. Off to the right, near the small ledge where the waves pound the shore you'll find thousands of pebbles being rolled back and forth in the surf. The harmonic sound of the rolling rocks is quite unique, mother nature's own rock tumbler in action.
Update: Starting in late 2008, we have been hearing numerous reports about access being restricted to the Bay at the end of the road. You may encounter "Closed - Kapu" signs before the bridge or even further up the road.
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2023 Maui Visitor Guides
If you're visiting Maui soon, be sure to download your copy of one of our updated 2023 Maui Visitor Guides. We've updated both travel guides with a lot of new great information for potential visitors (and those who've been a time or two as well).
From this point forward much of the enclosed feel of the highway starts to open up a bit as you get closer and closer to Hana Town. You'll also start to pass more houses and developed areas. Here's a quick synopsis of what you'll see between Nahiku Landing and our next stop at Ula'ino Road. Just beyond mile marker 26 you'll pass some houses, garden and floral stands, and eventually you'll pass by some run-down looking areas right beyond mile marker 27. The heavy rain makes everything look 10-20 years older than it really is here. You'll also start to get some pretty good views of Haleakala's north east face. Closer to mile marker 30 the road begins to open up to the fantastic scenery of the Pacific Ocean. At mile marker 31 you'll officially be welcomed to Hana Town with a sign mauka side, and shortly thereafter you'll see the turn off for the small Hana airport.
2023 Maui Visitor Guides
If you're visiting Maui soon, be sure to download your copy of one of our updated 2023 Maui Visitor Guides. We've updated both travel guides with a lot of new great information for potential visitors (and those who've been a time or two as well).
