longtail

Couple of questions for Big Island experts. I'm beginning to work out what we want to do and where to stay for our Big Island portion of our anniversary trip for next June. We were originally planning on 5 nights, but are now considering an extra night or two at the Kilauea Lodge to see the VNP and Hilo area more easily (based on some of the VNP posts). Here's our rough plan:

June 18th - Arrive VNP in evening after very long flight from the East Coast. Stay at Kilauea Lodge. Eat and sleep to get rid of that jet lag.

June 19th - Tour Volcano National Park. Stay at Kilauea Lodge.

June 20th - Tour Akaka Falls National Park and National Botanical Gardens on way to Kona/Kohala. Arrive at Four Seasons resort and relax.

June 21st - Kohala Coast and Resort Relaxation (Mauna Kea beach and maybe a massage at the resort)

June 22nd - Waipio Valley (morning horseback rise) and Waimea

June 23rd - Kealakekua Bay kayaking, Captain Cook, Puuhonua National Park and Black Sand Beach

June 24th - Beach Day or tour Kona/Kohala area/shopping. Anniversary dinner in evening

June 25th - Fly to Kauai in a.m.

This is a very rough itinerary of things we want to see and do and is completely flexible. We don't want to spend all our time driving, so we've added in some time for rest and beach relaxation (if the weather permits). I'd like to trim one day off the Big Island itinerary if possible, but not sure where. My questions are as follows:

1. Is 2 days (actually 1 1/2) too much for the Volcano/Hilo area?
2. Can we see the Hilo area after our trip to the Waipio Valley, or is too long of a drive? Horseback ride begins around 10 and ends at 12:30. We have the rest of the afternoon to see something else. Is Waimea worth exploring?

Any comments, hints would be greatly appreciated.

GloriaE

If you are planning to stay in the Volcano area your first night, you will probably want to fly into Hilo not Kona, as the drive to Volcano is considerably shorter from Hilo. The volcano is about 2 1/2 - 3 hours from Kona and only about 45 minutes from Hilo. You may have already planned your trip this way, but I thought I would mention it just in case, especially as you have a long trip to the island. It's hard for me to help trim off any time for you on the Big Island, as I love it and there is SOOOO much to see and do there. Have a wonderful trip!

longtail

Thanks Gloria. So many things to see and do on the Big Island - so little time.

Any suggestions of what to see and do after our excursion in the Waipio Valley? Is Waimea worth exploring or should we see something else?

Gardyloo

I wasn't aware that Akaka Falls was a National Park. Hmm...

Unless you want to dig deep, I think you can probably get a feel for Hilo on your way from VNP to Akaka and on to Kohala. Note that the Hilo side can be extremely wet, so you might want to play it by ear either way, but see below. I do have to plug the Ocean Sushi Deli in Hilo for the best sushi we've had anywhere, at half the cost.

One of the great attractions of the BI in our opinion is the space and variety. So in answering your question about Waimea/Kamuela, I'd only say that driving up into the hills of the Parker Ranch is a not-to-be-missed excursion - the way the landscape and climate changes as you climb, from desert at the base of the mountain, up through climate zones to pine trees - amazing. And gorgeous. Spend your afternoon after the horseback ride for general poking around on the north end of the island - very rewarding. Don't miss the malasadas at the Tex drive-in, and/or the smoothies from a smoothie place I can't remember the name of for the life of me, but I bet you'll see it.

Also plan on blunch at Sam Choy's cafe in the industrial park between Kona airport and town. Come hungry and ready to mix it with the locals.

Happy anniversary, too.

longtail

Gardyloo:

Thanks for your advice. I guess it's Akaka Falls State Park, not National Park - too much research on my part. Looks like there's lots of things to see and do around the Waipio/Waimea area.

pb_and_j

Your itinerary looks pretty good.

If the weather's nice on the Hilo side, I suggest doing more exploring on your way to Akaka/Kohala. I spent a WONDERFUL morning driving through the Puna district - stopped at a beach, the Kapoho tidepools, Ahalanui volcanically heated pool, and the new balck sand beach at Kaimu (had it all to ourselves for a while!). The "highways" in this area are absolutely gorgeous too.
There are also other waterfalls near Hilo worth a brief stop, and the 4 mile scenic road.

I don't even know what the Puuhonua N.P. is or which black sand beach you're referring to! Still so much left to do...

Other fun things south of Kona: Place of Refuge, coffee farm tour, Painted Church. All are close to each other and don't take too long.

longtail

pb_and_i:

Thanks for the ideas. The Park I was referring to is the Puuhonua O Honaunau National Park (Place of Refuge). Everyone has given me lots of great ideas. It's just a matter of trying to fit it all in.

GloriaE

I noticed that June 20th is a Sunday, the day you have scheduled to leave VNP and drive to Kohala. Before you leave the Puna District, you might want to stop at the Maku'u Farmers Market between Pahoa and Hilo. It's a wonderful, colorful outdoor farmers market held on Sundays. Also, the four mile sceanic drive just north of Hilo is lovely. The "smoothie place" mentioned above is at the end of this drive and is called "What's Shakin'" It's a great place to stop. We always like to eat our lunch in their banana grove. The little town of Honomu on the way to Akaka Falls is fun, with a couple of interesting shops and a good ice cream shop with great sandwiches. If you do stop at Tex's for masaladas, they have a lovely little garden on one side of the parking lots with lots of interesting plants. I know you don't have it in your plans, but the "red road" drive to the newly forming black sand beach in the Puna District is one of the most beautiful drives on the Big Island. Have a wonderful trip!

longtail

Thanks to everyone who offered comments and ideas on our rough itinerary for the Big Island. Here's what we've decided: We just booked our 5 nights at the Four Seasons. It was a bit more expensive than we thought, so we had to eliminate the 2 overnights in the Volcano area, but we just cant do everything. Heres a rough idea of what we're looking at:

June 20th - Arrive in Kona late afternoon. Rent car and drive to Four Seasons. Quick dinner and sleep.

June 21st - Relax. Beach and resort day. Tour the Kohala Coast.

June 22nd -Horseback ride in Waipio Valley in morning. Drive to Tropical Botanical Gardens outside Hilo. Question: what's the quickest route home from Hilo to the Four Seasons? Can we take Saddle Road? If so, how much would this reduce our drive instead of taking the North route back to the hotel?

June 23rd: Drive to Volcano National Park via the South route. Stop at South Kona shops and Black Sand Beach on the way. Hike to the lava in the afternoon. Suggestions for dinner on the route back to the resort?

June 24th: Kayaking at Kealakekua Bay. Place of Refuge. Kona Museum and shops. Anniversary dinner at Four Seasons.

June 25th: Leave for Kauai. Drop car off in Kona. Stop at Kona Coffee Farm on the way. Anyone have any favorites for Kona Coffee Farms? Is the living history museum worth a stop?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read and respond. Kauai questions posted under sep. post.

longtail

I'd love some input on the above questions if anyone has a moment.

Pumpy

FYI- I'd skip Saddle Back road. While it might save you 30 -45 minutes, you will miss some of the best scenery on the island.

travelinandgolfin

Check with your rental car company. Most don't allow their cars on Saddleback road. If they do, be careful. Lots of turns, dips, hills, etc.

If they don't allow that, the northern route is definitely faster from Hilo back to Kohala Coast.

Also, don't forget the MAC PIE from Rocky's Pizza. Best pie ever! You can buy the pies seperately if you want. DELICIOUS!!!!

fdecarlo

6/22: Stick with the northern route back to the Four Seasons and forget about Saddle Road. Not only will you probably violate your car rental contract, you might wind up behind a convoy of tanks and other army vehicles.. The western part of Saddle Road, which goes through an army base is royally chewed up and is never maintained or repaired. They're working on a new road that will bypass the army base, but it won't be completed until sometime in 2006.

I also suspect the Hawaii Botanical Gardens might seem a bit anti-climactic to you after horseback riding in Waipio Valley. And in any case you really should allow one full morning/afternoon for Waipio (just the journey into and out of the valley is an adventure in itself)..

6/23: You didn't mention whether you'll be taking the southern or northern route back from VNP; I'd recommend taking the northern route as it's shorter, and there won't be anything to see anyway if you'll be driving back after dark. Nice dinner options would include Merriman's or Koa House in Waimea.

6/24: If you'll be kayaking in Kealakekua Bay, be sure to snorkel there too! It's the best snorkeling on the island, and many would say anywhere in Hawaii.

longtail

Thanks for the information on Saddle Road. That gives me a much better idea of what routes to take.

fdecarlo: Thanks so much for the wealth of information! We're really looking forward to seeing the Waipio Valley, but also don't want to miss the Botanical Gardens. Hubby and I are avid gardeners and from what we've read on this forum, it's something we shouldn't miss.

bonniebroad

Longtail, one of our very favorite spots on the Big Island is the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens. My husband went crazy with his camera! I have never been down into the Waipio Valley but I'm sure that's going to be amazing, too. Happy planning......

kmpordagee

We also enjoyed a side trip to Laupahoehoe Point (north of Hilo I believe.) The day we were there, we were the only ones at the park. It is at the site of a school that was destroyed by a tidal wave in 1946. The shoreline was spectacular, the waves were huge and it was just a lovely spot.