lazuliangel

Alright, guys--it's time to talk turkey again. Best Friend and I are going on our annual spring break trip, this year, to Hawai'i! (It's a mutual graduation gift; she's finishing an MA in Accountancy and I, an MS in Secondary Education.) In a later post, I'll be asking about Kualoa ranch and other O'ahu activities and places to eat but for now, I have some questions about the Big Island! We're renting a car so we can do a self-drive tour of Volcanoes National Park. The guided tours were too expensive. The tour is estimated to take us about three hours by car, but we've got a little over ten hours total on the island. We're already planning to visit the black sand beach. Any other recommendations?

Caveat: to drive to the far side of the island (we're flying in Kona) would take half of the time we have, so we're really thinking of sticking to the east and north shores.

wbpiii

Well, you could drive to the Waipio overlook, go to the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Garden, lunch in hilo, walk to coconut island. Go to the arts center at VNP. Have lunch in Hawi.

lazuliangel

wbpiii, I remember seeing something about the Waipio in our guide books and making a note about that. Haven't heard of Coconut Island, but it sounds interesting. Any recommendations on places to eat in Hawi or Hilo?

lazuliangel

TTT

starrs

My best tip is to join the frequent renter plan of the rental car agency - so you don't lose one of those hours waiting in line. I did something similar a few years ago and spent a very frustrating long wait in the line of the agency that offered "the deal". I was used to the fast track line at Hertz and instead found myself cooling my heels, waiting behind a plane full of people who had just disembarked from our plane. Actually, the "discount" renter was off site and that took even more time. Never again.

lazuliangel

Thanks, Starrs. I hadn't heard about that before, but I'll check that out. I think we went with Budget or Hertz. I'll have to check the reservation.

Should we visit VNP in the afternoon instead of the morning?

Elainee

You are right to keep to one side of the island. It would eat up all your time to drive that far. I remember a lovely park with beautiful waterfall not too far from the volcano. Don't worry, you will find lots to do to enjoy your day.

china_cat

I'm a little confused by your post..
you say you are going to stick to north and east, and you are flying into Kona. Kona is on the west shore of the Big Island. And the black sand beach is on the south shore (at least the famous one, with all the turtles). To get to Volcano from Kona you either have to go all the way around the north coast, and through Hilo, or around the south coast, without ever hitting Waipio or the north shore, or across the saddle road, which also takes you through Hilo.

Did you actually mean you are flying into Hilo? because that would make a lot more sense.

wbpiii

In Hawi, Bamboo is a fun stop. The food is generally good. The wait staff is well, let me say patience is required.

In Hilo, Cafe Pesto is an old standby. If you like sushi then Ocean's Deli. they make some great sushi rolls.

Coconut Island is a little island off Hilo (100 yards). It's a park with a great view of Hilo and the bay.

emalloy

There is a beautiful botanical garden just a little above Hilo, well worth the visit.

lazuliangel

china_cat, you're right--my mistake. I'm not sure what I was thinking yesterday when I posted that. Yes, we are flying into Hilo and picking up the car there. That's why we wanted to stay towards the north and east portions of the island. The black sand beach--yes, the one you mentioned--isn't too far from Hilo, is it? That was a definite 'must-see' for us.

wbpiii, thank you for the suggestions! All three are going on the list (we'll have two meals to cover, so we can certainly make two of the three).

emalloy, is the botanical garden well marked? We are suckers for botanical gardens--go to one each place we visit--so we'd like to see this if we can.

wbpiii

The garden is as I mentioned in my first post, the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Garden. It's about seven miles north or hilo. You can do a net search for the exact directions. It is extremely beautiful and a fun walk.

Bill

china_cat

There is a black sand beach in Kehana is not too far from Hilo, maybe an hour. It's on the way to Kalapana which is where the current lava viewing area is. Not sure if you are staying late enough for the evening display, but you could go to the beach on the way if you were planning this.

The Hawaii Tropical Botanical garden is fabulous and I would put that ahead of the beach on my list of things to see, personally. The drive up there is very pretty too.

I'm glad you are flying into Hilo, it makes much more sense given your priorities. I really think the east side of the Big Island is underrated. We spent 4 days there and loved it.

Agree with Bill about Cafe Pesto in downtown Hilo as being a great place to get lunch, their pizzas are wonderful. I also like Hilo Bay Cafe which is a bit south of downtown Hilo, in a mall near Walmart. Less atmosphere, but wonderful food.

You have 10 hours...not enough I don't think you should try to drive all the way to Waipio though it is gorgeous. It won't leave you much time for VNP. I'd go to the garden, then maybe make the side trip to see Akaka Falls. Then head into Hilo for lunch. Then drive to Volcano. You can drive the rim road as far as Jagger museum to see the crater overlook and the vents (the rim drive is closed the rest of the way around), then go back around the other side of the rim drive to see Thurston Lava tube, and the other overlooks. That's probably a couple hours. If you have more time you may have to choose between driving down Chain of Craters road, or heading towards Puna to see the black sand beach. Personally, we just went a short distance down Chain of Craters, saw one or two fo the craters and decided that was enough. I'd then head to Kehana and see the beach. There's also an spot along the road there where you can see the steam plume from the lava entry even without going to the actual viewing area).

wbpiii

If you are flying in and out of Hilo, Waipio and Hawi should not be on your list.

lazuliangel

Okay, we'll reconfigure the route and leave out Waipio--there has to be a reason to return! china_cat, I think the suggestion to do a portion of the Chain of Craters road makes perfect sense. We'll get a bit of a view and still have time to do other things. We're not ones to linger, so a sampling is much better for us.

Thanks, everyone!