Aria's Adventures #7 - The Seven Sacred Pools of 'Ohe'o

Located in the southern portion of Maui, a little ways past Hana on the Hana Highway, lies the Seven Sacred Pools. This is actually just one of the monikers associated with this area, and is also referred to as 'Ohe'o Gulch, the Pools of 'Ohe'o, or the Kipahulu District of Haleakalā National Park. The latter name is probably the most accurate, as the land was donated to Haleakalā National Park in 1969 and was thus renamed to reflect that.

There are many hiking options in this area, the two most popular being the Kuloa Point Trail and the Pipiwai Trail. Because of this, we will be exploring both of them today!

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Kuloa Point

The Kuloa Point trail is a well-maintained loop that provides you with a great view of the cascades (above), takes you through an area dedicated to Hawaiian culture, and brings you point where you can look out over the ocean.

If you look closely in the photo above, you can see a woman in blue under the lower cascade. This was a really popular thing to do here, but as of January 2017, you are not allowed to do this. There was a bad rockslide, and park rangers believe that the ground is too unstable to safely let people go into the pools.

This house above is referred to as hale kuai, which was a place where Hawaiians could store or display items, as well as conduct trades.

Here we have finally reached the ocean! This is where all of the water from the pools eventually meets the sea. You are not allowed to enter the ocean here, though, because the currents are so strong. It is best to admire the beauty from afar!

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Pipiwai Trail to Waimoku Falls

The Pipiwai Trail is known as one of the best hikes in Maui - it's well-maintained, has beautiful flora, and gives you great views of two waterfalls. What more could you want?

The photo above was taken at the Makahiku Falls lookout. The 200 ft. waterfall is the first site you see on the hike, but unfortunately for me, it seemed to be dried up that day. That's nature for you - very unpredictable!

Further along the trail, I reached this giant Banyan tree (above). The sheer size of it was awe-inspiring. Each year, the tree will send out more roots, which mean it will only keep getting larger!

Passing the banyan tree, I came upon two bridges that cross over the Pipiwai Stream. From here, you can view more of the cascades that make up the 'Ohe'o Pools.

The path eventually leads you into a bamboo forest, which feels so magical. As the wind blew, the bamboo started hitting each other. This created a very interesting atmosphere, as you could hear the rustling of the leaves, the creaking of the bamboo, and a hollowed clanging as they collided together.

Continuing on the trail, you eventually see your end destination - the 400 ft. Waimoku Falls! Just a little further to go.

As a side note, I believe that park rangers recently decided to make this the end of the trail; however, when I went, that was not the case. So let's keep going!

In order to reach the bottom of the falls, I had to cross Pipiwai Stream. When I went, the current was pretty strong and the water fairly deep. I was a little hesitant, as there have been incidences of people being carried away!

Luckily, there were many people here at the time and everyone was helping each other cross.

After finally making it safely through the stream, I reached the bottom of the falls! After hiking here, it was very refreshing to feel the mist that was coming from it. Up close, you can really appreciate how tall and powerful Waimoku Falls is.

I am a little saddened that I may not get to come this close to it again, but I completely understand that safety does come first. I am just glad that I was able to come here once!

Even though you may not be able to go into the 'Ohe'o Pools, or walk up to the edge of Waimoku Falls, I still believe that this is a worthwhile place to visit. I couldn't recommend it more! Just the sheer beauty of the area is reason enough to come!

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Thank you for taking the time to join me in my adventure! Like always, if you enjoyed this post, please feel free to comment, upvote, resteem, and/or follow me. All are greatly appreciated! I look forward to seeing you in the next one!