Here you'll find a rain forest dotted with cascading waterfalls and sparkling blue pools, skirted by red- and black-sand beaches. Beautiful Hana enjoys more than 90 inches of rain a year--more than enough to keep the scenery lush. Banyans, bamboo, breadfruit trees--everything seems larger than life in this small town, especially the flowers, such as wild ginger and plumeria. Several roadside stands offer exotic blooms for $1 a bunch. Just "put money in box." It's the Hana honor system.

A Look At The Past

The Hana coast is rich in Hawaiian history and the scene of many turning points in Hawaiian culture. The ancient chants tell of rulers like the 15th-century Piilani, who united the island of Maui and built fish ponds, irrigation fields, paved roads, and the massive Piilanihale Heiau, which still stands today. It was Piilani's sons and grandson who finished the heiau and built the first road to Hana from West Maui, not only along the coast, but also up the Kaupo Gap and through the Haleakala Crater.

In 1849, the cantankerous sea captain George Wilfong brought commerce to this isolated village when he started the first sugar plantation on some 60 acres. Because his harsh personality and set demands for plantation work did not sit well with the Hawaiians, Wilfong brought in the first Chinese immigrants to work his fields. In 1864, two Danish brothers, August and Oscar Unna, contributed to the growth of the local sugar industry when they established the Hana Plantation. Four years later, they brought in Japanese immigrants to labor in the fields.

By the turn of the century, sugar wasn't the only crop booming in Hana (there were some six plantations in the area): Rubber was being commercially grown in Nahiku, wheat in Kaupo, pineapple in Kipahulu, and tobacco in Ulupalakua. In the 1920s and 1930s, several self-sufficient towns lined the coast, each with its own general store, school, and churches; some had movie theaters as well. Hana has all of the above plus some 15 stores, a pool hall, and several restaurants.

We can only guess what those towns would have been like today if tragedy hadn't struck. On April 1, 1946, a huge tidal wave hit the state. The damage along the Hana coast was catastrophic: The Keanae Peninsula was swept clear (only the stone church remained), Hamoa was totally wiped out, and entire villages completely disappeared.

After World War II, the labor movement became a powerful force in Hawaii. C. Brewer, owner of the largest sugar plantation in Hana, decided to shut down his operation instead of fighting the labor union. The closure of the plantation meant not only the loss of thousands of jobs, but also the loss of plantation-supplied homes and the entire plantation lifestyle. Thankfully, Paul I. Fagan, an entrepreneur from San Francisco who had purchased the Hana Sugar Co. from the Unna Brothers in the 1930s, became the town's guardian angel.

Fagan wanted to retire here, so he focused his business acumen on the tiny town with big problems. Recognizing that sugar in isolated Hana was no longer economically feasible, he looked at the community and saw other opportunities. He bought 14,000 acres of land in Hana, stripped it of sugarcane, planted grass, and shipped in cattle from his ranch on Molokai.

Next, he did something that was years ahead of his time: He thought tourism might have a future in Hana, so he established an inn in 1946 that later became the Hotel Hana-Maui. Fagan also pulled off a public-relations coup: He brought the entire San Francisco Seals baseball team (which he happened to own) to Hana for spring training, and, more important, he brought out the sportswriters as well. The writers loved Hana and wrote glowing reports about the town; one even gave the town a nickname that stuck: "Heavenly Hana."

In 1962, the state paved the Hana Highway. By the 1970s, tourists had not only "discovered" Maui, but they also were willing to make the long trek out to Hana. The biggest change to the local lifestyle came in December 1977, when television finally arrived--after a local cable operator spent 6 months laying cable over cinder cones, mountain streams, and cavernous gulches from one side of the island to the other. Some 125 homes tuned in to the tube--and the rural Hawaiian community was never the same. Today, Hana is inhabited by 2,500 people, many part Hawaiian.

Seeing The Sights

Most visitors will zip through Hana, perhaps taking a quick look out their car windows at a few sights before buzzing on down the road. They might think they've "seen" Hana, but they definitely haven't "experienced" Hana. Allow at least 2 or 3 days to really let this land of legends show you its breathtaking beauty and quiet serenity.

As you enter Hana, the road splits about a half mile past mile marker 33, at the police station. Both roads will take you to Hana, but the lower road, Uakea Road, is more scenic. Just before you get to Hana Bay, you'll see the old wood-frame Hana District Police Station and Courthouse. Next door is the Hana Museum Cultural Center, on Uakea Road (tel. 808/248-8622; fax 808/248-8620; www.planet-hawaii.com/hana), open daily from 10am to 4pm (most of the time). This small building has an excellent collection of Hawaiian quilts, artifacts, books, and photos. Also on the grounds are Kauhala O Hana, composed of four hale (houses) for living, meeting, cooking, and canoe building or canoe storage

Catercorner from the cultural center is the entrance to Hana Bay. You can drive right down to the pier and park. There are rest rooms, showers, picnic tables, barbecue areas, and even a snack bar here. The 386-foot, red-faced cinder cone beside the bay is Kauiki Hill, the scene of numerous fierce battles in ancient Hawaii and the birthplace of Queen Kaahumanu in 1768. A short, 5-minute walk will take you to the spot. Look for the trail along the hill on the wharf side, and follow the path through the ironwood trees; the lighthouse on the point will come into view, and you'll see pocket beaches of red cinder below. Grab onto the ironwood trees for support, because the trail has eroded in some areas. This is a perfect place for a secluded picnic, or you can continue on the path out to the lighthouse. To get to the lighthouse, which sits on a small island, watch the water for about 10 minutes to get a sense of how often and from which direction the waves are coming. Between wave sets, either swim or wade in the shallow, sandy bottom channel or hop across the rocks to the island.

To get to the center of town, leave Hana Bay, cross Uakea Road, and drive up Keawa Place; turn left on Hana Highway, and on the corner will be the Hotel Hana-Maui, the luxurious hotel established by Paul Fagan in 1946. On the green hills above Hotel Hana-Maui stands a 30-foot-high white cross made of lava rock. Citizens erected the cross in memory of Paul Fagan, who founded the Hana Ranch as well as the hotel, and helped keep the town alive. The hike up to Fagan's Cross provides a gorgeous view of the Hana coast, especially at sunset, when Fagan himself liked to climb this hill.

Back on the Hana Highway, just past Hauoli Road, is the majestic Wananalua Congregation Church. It's on the National Historic Register not only because of its age (it was built from 1838 to 1842 from coral stones), but also because of its location, atop an old Hawaiian heiau.

Just past the church on the right side of the Hana Highway is the turnoff to the Hana Ranch Center, the commercial center for Hana, with a post office, bank, general store, the Hana Ranch Stables, and a restaurant and snack bar. But the real shopping experience is across the Hana Highway at the Hasegawa General Store, a Maui institution, which carries oodles of merchandise from soda and fine French wines to fishing line to name-brand clothing, plus everything you need for a picnic or a gourmet meal. This is also the place to find out what's going on in Hana: The bulletin board at the entrance has fliers and hand-written notes advertising everything from fund-raising activities to classes to community-wide activities. You cannot make a trip to Hana without a stop at this unique store.

If you need gas before heading back, note that the two service stations, Chevron and Hasegawa's Hana Geko Gas, sit nearly side by side on the right side of the Hana Highway as you leave town.