Monday 30 January 2012

Nakalele Hobbitland Labyrinth, Part 1


Nakalele on the northwest coast of Maui is reputed to be the windiest spot on the island. Getting there requires a rather harrowing drive via an extremely narrow road on the edge of sheer cliffs. Meeting an oncoming car means you must stop and pull over as far as possible on the non-existent shoulder to let it pass. The road has endless switchbacks but often no guardrail between the edge and plummeting to certain death. My Rare One loved driving it. "Why aren't you looking out the window at the incredible view?" she asked as I clutched the dashboard, closed my eyes and turned green.

We were headed to Nakalele Hobbitland Labyrinth, using the rather sparse and cryptic directions provided by the World-Wide Labyrinth Locator.

"From historic Lahaina town take HW 30 north to 'Hobbitland.' At mile marker 38 . . .
. . . park seaside near the orange gate . . .

. . . walk down toward the ocean and voila!"

It's true about the wind at Nakalele. It damn near blew me over a few times!

Tomorrow: walking the labyrinth.

[All photos by Debra She Who Seeks]

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like your Rare One's style,, thats a beautiful place, worth the drive I'm sure, remember, no guts no glory!

Snap said...

I remember the drive on THAT side of Maui. Yeooowww! Gorgeous. Maui has such a spiritual feel to the whole island .. once you are away from touristland. !!!! :D :D

DEZMOND said...

seems lovely, Debs! Put rocks in your pockets next time the wind blows....

Plowing Through Life (Martha) said...

Looks and sounds beautiful, but I might have been turning green, too.

Wendy said...

What an amazing place! Not sure I could handle the drive though!

mxtodis123 said...

It's such a beautiful place, but I don't know about the drive to get there. I think I would have been putting on the back seat breaks and holding my breath until I got there.
Mary

SUZY8-TRACK said...

Very pretty!

Jane said...

Hobbitland :) I'd be in heaven, non-existent shoulder and all, lol! How cool is it that there's a world-wide labyrinth locator!

My Grama's Soul said...

Oh my...what a lovely spot you are visiting. I haven't been to Hawaii in years...I had forgotten how breathtaking it is.

Jo

Laeli said...

Ohhh lovely!
That rusty gate is really appealing to me.

Suzanne said...

Oh how wonderful!

Bird said...

Hi Debra,
Wow... it's gorgeous. Never been to Maui or anywhere near it for that matter. ;-) I'm with you with closing my eyes and gripping the dashboard for dear life. I'm not big on heights, cliffs, tight turns... you get the idea.

Can't wait to see you walk the labyrinth.

Wendy S. said...

Between the wind and the ocean, this sounds like one of the most beautiful places ever for a labyrinth. Wish I could tag along with you and the Rare one for this magic : )

Copyboy said...

It's amazing how you think certain things will look and then be totally wrong. haha

Yvonne said...

Beautiful! I use the labyrinth locator all the time when I travel, to find ones to walk. I designed one here in south Texas, have walked them all over the state and one in AZ. If I'm ever in HA I will surely find this one too. Thanks for a lovely post and will follow to continue the adventure with you.

The Dancing Crone said...

What a sense of raw-ness I get from those shots. Can't wait to read about the walk!

brandi said...

~your rare one and my love would get along great!!! thank you for taking us on this gorgeous adventure...i look forward to seeing more tomorrow...much love light and blessings~

Ashling said...

Your rare one is a braver soul than I! What a magical looking--and sounding--place...worth the travails to get there! Can't wait to see/hear more...

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

It is beautiful even though windy

Miss Robyn said...

its like following a treasure map. did I tell you that there is a labyrinth in Katoomba?

Blueberry said...

Hobbitland? Really need to visit that place someday!

Jim said...

Me and your 'Rare One' would be great travel companions! Tell her I LOVE driving in snowy conditions!
Looks like it WAS an adventure just getting there.....nobody around either. Love it!

Southpaw said...

I would have been clutching the seats too! The place looks cool though. Was it worth it?

laughingwolf said...

reminds me of the fun [not] driving some places in bc... solid mountain on one side, death, after dropping a sheer few thousand feet, on the other

even with my weight, i've been bowled over by some wind gusts

ab fab place you found!