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Kaupo And Beyond Hana

Once you get to the Kaupo area, the tropical vegetation stops and the landscape is barren and dry. Here Haleakala's rain shadow creates an environment of yellow grassland dotted with volcanic rock. Just after Kaupo village, the dirt road becomes a beat up pothole patchwork that wheels along with the ocean far below. This is completely opposite to the journey to Hana along the northern coast.

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Kaupo Store

The Kaupo store is found on the south end of Kaupo along the road towards Kula. The store has a variety of little snacks, drinks and antiques. The locals invite you to sit on the porch and listen to them talk story. Here you can feel time slowing down and the Paniolo past comes alive when locals ride up and hitch their horse to the post out front of the store.

Kaupo Trail & Gap

The Kaupo Gap is seen high up on Haleakala. Many people believe it was caused by a volcanic eruption similar to what happened at Mount St. Helens in Washington but really this was mother nature at work using wind and rain. Erosion caused this gap in the crater wall.

The area has a long history and that story is told in Hawaiian mythology. The plants and trees all have a story similar to those of ancient Greece. Legends have it among the old Hawaiians living in Kaupo that throwing umbilical cords of babies into the Bottomless pit up in Haleakala crater would make the child strong. Others say that not doing would make the child prone to thievery. To get to this pit one must follow the steep Kaupo trail up through the gap and into the center of Haleakala crater.

The bottomless pit is said to drop down to ocean level but it seems to be only 60 to 70 feet deep. In times of volcanic activity this would be a vent for gas and possibly lava, similar to vents on Mauna Loa or Kilauea.

The Kaupo trail is very different then the Oheo Gulch hike. This very steep trail does not have the same lushness, waterfalls or swimming spots like at the seven pools in the Oheo gulch. The trail meets up with other trails once in the crater and is quite exposed. Going up into the gap is a tough climb so most people choose to start at the summit and travel their way down. It takes a good two days to complete the full hike. There are cabins available in the crater but you need to book those well in advance. The hike takes you through a Koa forest and has spectacular views towards the big island.

The Kaupo gap is also home to a small moth which only lives up in the gap at about the 3400 foot level. They feed and live lichens growing on rocks.

Kaupo, Maui section of our island tour shows that Maui is also very desert like and similar to the some western regions of the mainland USA. This area has and is still in use today as cattle farms. Often you need to be careful, especially driving at night of cattle being on the road. This is unspoiled Paniolo, cowboy country, in it's original state. You can easily imagine the Paniolos roaming these wild and windy ranges.

The wind is some of the strongest felt on the island of Maui as it's exposed to the trade winds coming out of the north east. While on your tour be sure to stop and get out to feel the wind and experience the raw environment of the east slopes of Haleakala.

Take a Tour And See Kaupo Maui

Valley Isle Excursions, Inc. takes you on one of the most breathtaking drives on earth through Maui's tropical rainforest. 52 miles, 617 curves, 56 one lane bridges, pineapple fields, spectacular cliffs, bamboo jungles, maui waterfalls, tropical streams and seven pools, colorful and fragrant island flowers and rain forest vegetation are all to be enjoyed on your way to "Heavenly Hana".