Maui: Surviving The Road To Hana With Kids {video}

Well our Maui spring break vacation is officially over {insert sad face}. Actually, it’s been over for quite some time now, and I still daydream about it.

It’s bitter sweet because while it is always nice to be back in the comfort of your own home, we really wished we had 3 more days to explore that beautiful island.

We made the trip with the kids and whenever anyone hears that they they immediately fearfully ask… “How were the kids?”

So while I’ve already shared our experience with Maui Romance, and our 8 family fun Maui adventures, today I thought I would share with our story of “survival”.

Taking the kids was a decision that surprised a lot of people, and very honestly it was a decision that James and I had to carefully weigh.  Maui, in all of its beauty is amazing but it certainly is not Disney.

We wondered– Would there be enough on the island to keep the kids occupied? Would the kids be up for the long plane and car rides?

Ultimately we decided to take the trip, and also take along my teenage sister for extra hands (and date night babysitting).

Together we survived 24 hours of round trip flying, 4 hours of lay-overs, luggage/car seat juggling that would probably qualify us for an act in the circus and yes, even illness’ that landed us in the doctors office (details about that later)… but possibly our biggest survival was the famous Road To Hana.

We had heard a lot about the road before our trip, and James being a Jurassic Park fanatic (seriously, it manages to find its way on the TV in this house at least once a month.) was really looking forward to it. The road is a 50 mile scenic drive to an old Hawaiian town, Hana.

On the drive there are trails, and waterfalls, black beaches and caves which all sounded fun, but we had heard that the trip could take up to 8 hours to get there! So “to take the the drive or not to take the drive?” was a constant debate in this house leading up to the trip.

But if it’s one thing I learned from this trip, it is that when you are traveling with kids, it is best to let curiosity be your guide.

On day 5 of our trip, it was clear that we all (kids included) were taken in by the spirit of Maui and feeling a bit adventurous. We popped in our Road 2 Hana Tour Guide CD

(***UPDATED 2016: The R2H guide is now also available in iBooks!) and decided to take the road as far as the kids could handle.

{Be sure to check out the video at the end of this post to laugh at my expense.}

The R2H CD is a MUST- espeically if you are traveling with kids. What I liked is that they don’t just tell you what to stop and see- they also tell you about what you could see, but might not be worth the stop- which is invaluable advice when you have little ones in toe.

Here are some of the things that my kids loved along the road–

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1. Exploring the forest in the WaiKaMoi Natural Trail-

There are steps leading up the trail but nothing too much that my 3 year old couldn’t handle. She energetically ran up the steps and looked around with my 7 year old- who as you can see below, felt like he was Tarzan.

2. Funny signs and random props in the Garden Of Eden

The Garden Of Eden is where the overlook is for Jurassic Park Rock, which as I mentioned earlier was a must-see for James. What the kids enjoyed most here was finding the random props and funny signs along the trails. It was almost like a treasure hunt of “look what I found”.

3. Stopping at Aunt Sandy’s For Roadside Snacks.

The kids loved the ginormous shaved ice but WOW, did James and I love that chili dog! (a tip from the Road To Hana CD!)

4. Checking out real live LAVA!

My son was amazed that this beach was created entirely from a volcano. As cool as it is though, don’t think of taking a small lava rock home- they’re rumored to be bad luck if they leave the island.

5. The legendary caves of Waianapanapa

Though a little eerie (bordering on spooky) after you read the big sign with the story of the princess who hid out in the caves, this trail was fun for thrills.

6. Swimming in the waterfalls

The Road To Hana is actually much “rainer” & chillier than pictures would make it appear (Parent tip- bring a sweater!). Ryan was very eager to see swim in the waterfalls (with the hubby) but unfortunately weather did not permit. That being said, he still enjoyed looking at waterfalls up close! 🙂

All of these things made the trip a lot of fun for the kids and we actually made it to Hana in just under 4 hours.

But the real highlight of the trip (possibly of the vacation) –

7. Scaring Mom On The Way Back From Hana

I am an anxious mama by nature. I gasp at everything, I can’t help it. The road to Hana has 56 narrow one way bridges and 617 curves… cliffside. I don’t know why this didn’t bother me on the way to Hana, but the way back? I was a nervous wreck. The kids thought this was HILARIOUS.

Have you ever successfully took an adventurous trip with the kids? Do you have tips to share?