Our three islands in two weeks trip to Hawaii!!!
May 22nd, 2014, 05:33 AM
#21
I feel like I'm enjoying your trip with you. I had to laugh when you were surprised at how "inexpensive" gas was. Hawaii has the most expensive gas in the U.S. It's 20 - 25% higher than on the mainland. So you can imagine my sticker shock when I fill up for $80 in NZ.
I loved the Painted Church, too. Wish you had better weather, though.
I loved the Painted Church, too. Wish you had better weather, though.
May 22nd, 2014, 09:03 AM
#23
Songdoc when I was asking for rental car advice a lot of Fodors people said to get a compact as gas was so expensive in Hawaii. The things we are finding expensive is food like bread, milk, cheese etc.
DH and I think a lot of the scenery is very similar to NZ, especially the Hilo side of the Big Island.
DH and I think a lot of the scenery is very similar to NZ, especially the Hilo side of the Big Island.
May 22nd, 2014, 11:31 AM
#25
Day 3 Kona/Hilo (Day 7 Hawaii)
Today we were driving from Kona to Hilo. As we weren’t able to check in until 4pm we were planning on spending the day meandering, stopping and looking at some of the many scenic places shown on the map. We were doing the Northern route and thought we would go to the end of the 270, and then take the 250 through Waimea to Hilo.
Our first stop was the Honokohau Marina and small boat harbour. We had to stop here to take a photo of the boats for my brother who loves visiting marinas. We carried on then until we got to Kolokaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park. We walked to the various plaques, which gave information as to who lived in this area, and how the original Hawaiian people grew their crops etc. Very interesting.
Next stop the beautiful tourist resort Waikola. What a beautiful place, with lovely beaches. We wandered down to the beach to have a look, a lot of people swimming, paddle boarding, and boating. We were struck by the contrast between the very rocky desolate looking car-parking area, and the green grass, and sandy beaches down on the coastline. I am assuming they have been purpose built for the tourist industry. It was about 11.30 by this time so went into the shopping area close to the car park and had a coffee and muffin.
We then travelled further along the Coast and stopped at Lapakahi State Historical Park. The coastline here was very rugged again with lots of volcanic rock. We did a part of the walking trail here, and saw some examples of the traditional buildings, sacred places, and saw our first banana trees. We took lots of photos of them!! (Yes we are tourists). It was very interesting to read how the indigenous people arrived in Hawaii, and the crops that were grown, and how they caught fish in big fish ponds/traps. The Maoris arrived in New Zealand are from the same Polynesian family and have many of the same traditions, carvings etc. We spent quite a bit of time here just wandering around, taking lots of photos.
By this time we were getting towards the top of Big Island and travelled on until we got to the end of Route 270. We noticed how the landscape changed from the barren, black volcanic rock to lush green foliage. We had to stop (could go no further) at the Pololu Valley lookout. Wow this was fantastic, what a view looking over the cliffs and sea. We headed back along 270 and stopped at Kohala/Kapa’au to look at the statute of King Kamehameha. I loved the story about this statute how it was bronzed in Paris and got lost when the ship was wrecked taking it back to the US. The insurance covered the cost of a new statue, which is now in Honolulu. However the first one was salvaged, found in a junk yard in the Falkland Islands. It was bought for $ 500.00 repaired, and set up near the birthplace of the King.
We decided to have some lunch at Hawi a quaint little town. Loved all the shops. We went into a music shop which had lots of ukuleles, guitars etc. (DH is a music buff). It had a poster advertising the Big Island Jazz and Blues Festival, which was on at the beginning of June. We would have loved to have been there for that. Instead of lunch we opted for a gelato ice-cream, it sure hit the spot. We went into a few of the gift shops, a bit different to the norm.
It was time to get on our way again. We proceeded down Route 250 to Waimea. We didn’t actually stop anywhere for very long, just pulled over now and again to take photos of the landscape. We were climbing up at this stage. We did notice there were lots of ranches, but never saw any cattle, or any other livestock. We passed through Waimea, (we live in the Waimea district in Nelson, our children went to Waimea Intermediate School and Waimea College). We did a diversion on the 240 from Honoka’a back to the Waipi’o Valley lookout. What an incredible view. It was fascinating to read how the original settlements had been wiped out by the 1946 tidal wave destroying temples, houses, and many sacred sights. We didn’t realize how much this side of Big Island had been affected by tsunami’s in the past.
Our last stop on the way to our Hilo accommodation was the ‘Akaka Falls. These are definitely worth a stop. Very high, narrow falls, it took about 20 minutes or so to walk the trail. The bush/rainforest reminded us so much of the West Coast of the South Island of NZ. This was a great place to visit.
By this time it was getting on to 5.30pm, it had been a long day. There was still one other place we wanted to see today, but decided we would do it tomorrow instead. We headed to our condo, which was about 3 miles out of Hilo not far from the Boiling Pots.
http://www.vrbo.com/372652
This is an excellent place to stay. Spacious, with a lovely view, you can hear all the birds, frogs etc at night. It is right next door to the owner who is very friendly and helpful.
Today we were driving from Kona to Hilo. As we weren’t able to check in until 4pm we were planning on spending the day meandering, stopping and looking at some of the many scenic places shown on the map. We were doing the Northern route and thought we would go to the end of the 270, and then take the 250 through Waimea to Hilo.
Our first stop was the Honokohau Marina and small boat harbour. We had to stop here to take a photo of the boats for my brother who loves visiting marinas. We carried on then until we got to Kolokaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park. We walked to the various plaques, which gave information as to who lived in this area, and how the original Hawaiian people grew their crops etc. Very interesting.
Next stop the beautiful tourist resort Waikola. What a beautiful place, with lovely beaches. We wandered down to the beach to have a look, a lot of people swimming, paddle boarding, and boating. We were struck by the contrast between the very rocky desolate looking car-parking area, and the green grass, and sandy beaches down on the coastline. I am assuming they have been purpose built for the tourist industry. It was about 11.30 by this time so went into the shopping area close to the car park and had a coffee and muffin.
We then travelled further along the Coast and stopped at Lapakahi State Historical Park. The coastline here was very rugged again with lots of volcanic rock. We did a part of the walking trail here, and saw some examples of the traditional buildings, sacred places, and saw our first banana trees. We took lots of photos of them!! (Yes we are tourists). It was very interesting to read how the indigenous people arrived in Hawaii, and the crops that were grown, and how they caught fish in big fish ponds/traps. The Maoris arrived in New Zealand are from the same Polynesian family and have many of the same traditions, carvings etc. We spent quite a bit of time here just wandering around, taking lots of photos.
By this time we were getting towards the top of Big Island and travelled on until we got to the end of Route 270. We noticed how the landscape changed from the barren, black volcanic rock to lush green foliage. We had to stop (could go no further) at the Pololu Valley lookout. Wow this was fantastic, what a view looking over the cliffs and sea. We headed back along 270 and stopped at Kohala/Kapa’au to look at the statute of King Kamehameha. I loved the story about this statute how it was bronzed in Paris and got lost when the ship was wrecked taking it back to the US. The insurance covered the cost of a new statue, which is now in Honolulu. However the first one was salvaged, found in a junk yard in the Falkland Islands. It was bought for $ 500.00 repaired, and set up near the birthplace of the King.
We decided to have some lunch at Hawi a quaint little town. Loved all the shops. We went into a music shop which had lots of ukuleles, guitars etc. (DH is a music buff). It had a poster advertising the Big Island Jazz and Blues Festival, which was on at the beginning of June. We would have loved to have been there for that. Instead of lunch we opted for a gelato ice-cream, it sure hit the spot. We went into a few of the gift shops, a bit different to the norm.
It was time to get on our way again. We proceeded down Route 250 to Waimea. We didn’t actually stop anywhere for very long, just pulled over now and again to take photos of the landscape. We were climbing up at this stage. We did notice there were lots of ranches, but never saw any cattle, or any other livestock. We passed through Waimea, (we live in the Waimea district in Nelson, our children went to Waimea Intermediate School and Waimea College). We did a diversion on the 240 from Honoka’a back to the Waipi’o Valley lookout. What an incredible view. It was fascinating to read how the original settlements had been wiped out by the 1946 tidal wave destroying temples, houses, and many sacred sights. We didn’t realize how much this side of Big Island had been affected by tsunami’s in the past.
Our last stop on the way to our Hilo accommodation was the ‘Akaka Falls. These are definitely worth a stop. Very high, narrow falls, it took about 20 minutes or so to walk the trail. The bush/rainforest reminded us so much of the West Coast of the South Island of NZ. This was a great place to visit.
By this time it was getting on to 5.30pm, it had been a long day. There was still one other place we wanted to see today, but decided we would do it tomorrow instead. We headed to our condo, which was about 3 miles out of Hilo not far from the Boiling Pots.
http://www.vrbo.com/372652
This is an excellent place to stay. Spacious, with a lovely view, you can hear all the birds, frogs etc at night. It is right next door to the owner who is very friendly and helpful.
May 22nd, 2014, 12:09 PM
#26
Forgot to add that we decided to go to the Hilo Bay Café for dinner. It was dark, again challenging for DH to found his way even with the GPS. We eventually found the restaurant. Had a 45 minute wait as it was super busy, lots of graduation parties happening. As DH said we are on holiday it doesn’t matter if we have to wait. It was raining too, the only time it rained during our visit. We were eventually seated and had a nice meal. It would have been a great view if we had been there during the day. We decided to come back and check it out tomorrow morning.
May 22nd, 2014, 06:03 PM
#29
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I think NZ might even be greener, particularly on the West Coast of the South Island.
Interesting that you found milk and cheese expensive in Hawaii nelsonian - not long ago we had a chat with a NZer who was complaining about the high price of NZ made dairy products sold within NZ, as so much of it is exported these days.
I think NZ might even be greener, particularly on the West Coast of the South Island.
Interesting that you found milk and cheese expensive in Hawaii nelsonian - not long ago we had a chat with a NZer who was complaining about the high price of NZ made dairy products sold within NZ, as so much of it is exported these days.
May 23rd, 2014, 07:47 AM
#33
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Great report, Sharon. I am so glad your trip is working out so well after all your hard work planning it 
I too think it is funny you mention that gas/petrol prices are cheaper. I cringe when I have to pay for the gas/petrol in Hawaii.
I too think it is funny you mention that gas/petrol prices are cheaper. I cringe when I have to pay for the gas/petrol in Hawaii.
May 26th, 2014, 01:39 AM
#36
Day 4 Hilo (day 8 Hawaii)
Today we were meeting a Fodorite, Matnikstym J. Von Snauzer for a mini GTG at 4pm in Pahoa. DH and I were looking forward to it. In the meantime we decided to visit the Farmers Market in downtown Hilo. This was huge, produce and flowers on one side of the road, and crafts, souvenirs on the other side of the road. We spent quite a lot time just looking at the crafts mostly and got talked into buying the inevitable Hawaiian shirt and T shirts. Also found that there is a lot more things available for a little girl than there is for a 7 year old boy. This was the same in every souvenir shop we visited.
The range of produce was varied, and some of the fruit we hadn’t seen before. If I lived in Hilo this would be where I would buy my fruit and vegetables all the time. It is held from Wednesday through to Sunday and has a lot of patronage. I would say a significant proportion would be tourists like us.
We then decided to do the 4 mile scenic route that we didn’t get time for the previous day. The highlight of this little drive was the Hawaii Tropical Botanic Garden. What a beautiful place, developed in the late 1990’s by a couple from mainland US who bought 40 acres of neglected, overgrown land and designed and built a magnificent garden with tropical plants from all over the world. We didn’t look at everything, we chose some specific spots from the map, and had a great time wandering around looking at the gorgeous flowers. We ended up on the rugged coastline at Onamea Bay. Here is the website for the gardens, well worth a visit. http://www.htbg.com
We also had a look around the Hilo beaches, and spent some time on Coconut Island. Here there were plaques showing how the area we were looking at across from Coconut Island was wiped out during the 1946, and 1960 tsunamis. It was decided not to rebuild there because of the danger and now there are a lot of parks and green space where towns used to be. One of the coconut trees was marked with the height of the water level of the tsunamis that had hit the area over many years. It is hard to imagine the water reaching as high as 26 feet.
In the afternoon we visited Rainbow Falls on the way back to our condo. Apparently you need to visit at sunrise to see the rainbows in the waterfall, we didn’t see any!!
It was time for our mini GTG. Pahoa where Mat lives is about a 35-minute drive from Hilo. We met up with him and he drove us around showing us many of the sightseeing spots in the Pahoa area. He drove us to areas where the lava had been flowing in the not too distant past and had literally wiped out settlements. There were places where houses had been sitting on the edge of a picturesque bay and then the lava came and completely changed the landscape. No more sea, just acres of lava and rock. Fascinating stuff. We also stopped at Lava Lava Park where lava had flowed down and had burnt down the trees and all that was left was the lava surrounding the hole where the trees had been. A very unusual sight, that’s for sure.
We thoroughly enjoyed meeting Mat, we had been Fodor and Facebook friends since 2007 and it was great to actually meet in person. I love how a lot of Fodorites have GTG’s with other Fodorites when they travel. The three of us then went to a Mexican restaurant in Pahoa for a nice meal and conversation. A wonderful, mini GTG. Hopefully Mat will come to New Zealand in the future and we can meet again.
Today we were meeting a Fodorite, Matnikstym J. Von Snauzer for a mini GTG at 4pm in Pahoa. DH and I were looking forward to it. In the meantime we decided to visit the Farmers Market in downtown Hilo. This was huge, produce and flowers on one side of the road, and crafts, souvenirs on the other side of the road. We spent quite a lot time just looking at the crafts mostly and got talked into buying the inevitable Hawaiian shirt and T shirts. Also found that there is a lot more things available for a little girl than there is for a 7 year old boy. This was the same in every souvenir shop we visited.
The range of produce was varied, and some of the fruit we hadn’t seen before. If I lived in Hilo this would be where I would buy my fruit and vegetables all the time. It is held from Wednesday through to Sunday and has a lot of patronage. I would say a significant proportion would be tourists like us.
We then decided to do the 4 mile scenic route that we didn’t get time for the previous day. The highlight of this little drive was the Hawaii Tropical Botanic Garden. What a beautiful place, developed in the late 1990’s by a couple from mainland US who bought 40 acres of neglected, overgrown land and designed and built a magnificent garden with tropical plants from all over the world. We didn’t look at everything, we chose some specific spots from the map, and had a great time wandering around looking at the gorgeous flowers. We ended up on the rugged coastline at Onamea Bay. Here is the website for the gardens, well worth a visit. http://www.htbg.com
We also had a look around the Hilo beaches, and spent some time on Coconut Island. Here there were plaques showing how the area we were looking at across from Coconut Island was wiped out during the 1946, and 1960 tsunamis. It was decided not to rebuild there because of the danger and now there are a lot of parks and green space where towns used to be. One of the coconut trees was marked with the height of the water level of the tsunamis that had hit the area over many years. It is hard to imagine the water reaching as high as 26 feet.
In the afternoon we visited Rainbow Falls on the way back to our condo. Apparently you need to visit at sunrise to see the rainbows in the waterfall, we didn’t see any!!
It was time for our mini GTG. Pahoa where Mat lives is about a 35-minute drive from Hilo. We met up with him and he drove us around showing us many of the sightseeing spots in the Pahoa area. He drove us to areas where the lava had been flowing in the not too distant past and had literally wiped out settlements. There were places where houses had been sitting on the edge of a picturesque bay and then the lava came and completely changed the landscape. No more sea, just acres of lava and rock. Fascinating stuff. We also stopped at Lava Lava Park where lava had flowed down and had burnt down the trees and all that was left was the lava surrounding the hole where the trees had been. A very unusual sight, that’s for sure.
We thoroughly enjoyed meeting Mat, we had been Fodor and Facebook friends since 2007 and it was great to actually meet in person. I love how a lot of Fodorites have GTG’s with other Fodorites when they travel. The three of us then went to a Mexican restaurant in Pahoa for a nice meal and conversation. A wonderful, mini GTG. Hopefully Mat will come to New Zealand in the future and we can meet again.
May 27th, 2014, 02:06 AM
#39
Day 5 Hilo (Day 9 Hawaii)
Our plan for today was to visit the Volcano National Park, which was about 45 minutes away from Hilo. DH and I are both fascinated by the vast amount of volcanic rock and lava that is all over the Big Island and were keen to see the Kilauea volcano up close. We arrived at the Visitor Centre about 1 minute after 10am. Mat had suggested we watch the movie before we saw anything else, and it had just started when we got there. It was very informative and explained a lot of things about how the Islands of Hawaii were formed from volcanic activity under the sea. There is a new island in the process of being made, it will only take about 250,000 years or so before it breaks through the surface of the sea and becomes a landmass similar to the other islands. Mat said we should also make sure we walk through Thurston Lava Tube, this was definitely a must do, it was a fun thing to do, walking through this 500 year old tube created by lava.
We then toured the rest of the park by car, doing the Crater Rim Drive, and the Chain of Craters road trip.The Chain of Craters road is an interesting drive, descending from high elevation to sea level where the lava stopped flowing. The changing landscape is amazing from rain forest to barren volcanic rock. The road ends where it reaches the sea. As you drive along there are signs showing you the different lava flows that have occurred over many years. All in all, an interesting and fascinating place to visit.
We headed out of the park mid-afternoon and went to find somewhere to eat. We ended up at a small café as your turned down the road to the Volcano Village. It was located behind the General Store, a tiny place where you eat outside once you have placed your order. I had a roast beef sandwich, DH had turkey. We were told they were very large so we each ordered half sandwiches. They were delicious. We had a bit of a wait as it was popular, but that wasn’t a problem.
That evening we decided to go to Café Pesto for dinner. Another suggestion from Mat who said it was the best place to eat in Hilo. I booked through Open Table and managed to get a booking for 6pm. This was a very busy place; we ordered a pizza, with different toppings on each half. I also had to try another Mai tai, I had never had one before I came to Hawaii. I was doing comparison testing!!! I found them to be very strong tasting with the two different types of rum. The more you drank them though the more I liked them.
Tomorrow was a very early start flying to Maui at 8am. Had to drop off the rental car by 6.45am so needed to get up before 6am. Hmm a bit too early.
Our plan for today was to visit the Volcano National Park, which was about 45 minutes away from Hilo. DH and I are both fascinated by the vast amount of volcanic rock and lava that is all over the Big Island and were keen to see the Kilauea volcano up close. We arrived at the Visitor Centre about 1 minute after 10am. Mat had suggested we watch the movie before we saw anything else, and it had just started when we got there. It was very informative and explained a lot of things about how the Islands of Hawaii were formed from volcanic activity under the sea. There is a new island in the process of being made, it will only take about 250,000 years or so before it breaks through the surface of the sea and becomes a landmass similar to the other islands. Mat said we should also make sure we walk through Thurston Lava Tube, this was definitely a must do, it was a fun thing to do, walking through this 500 year old tube created by lava.
We then toured the rest of the park by car, doing the Crater Rim Drive, and the Chain of Craters road trip.The Chain of Craters road is an interesting drive, descending from high elevation to sea level where the lava stopped flowing. The changing landscape is amazing from rain forest to barren volcanic rock. The road ends where it reaches the sea. As you drive along there are signs showing you the different lava flows that have occurred over many years. All in all, an interesting and fascinating place to visit.
We headed out of the park mid-afternoon and went to find somewhere to eat. We ended up at a small café as your turned down the road to the Volcano Village. It was located behind the General Store, a tiny place where you eat outside once you have placed your order. I had a roast beef sandwich, DH had turkey. We were told they were very large so we each ordered half sandwiches. They were delicious. We had a bit of a wait as it was popular, but that wasn’t a problem.
That evening we decided to go to Café Pesto for dinner. Another suggestion from Mat who said it was the best place to eat in Hilo. I booked through Open Table and managed to get a booking for 6pm. This was a very busy place; we ordered a pizza, with different toppings on each half. I also had to try another Mai tai, I had never had one before I came to Hawaii. I was doing comparison testing!!! I found them to be very strong tasting with the two different types of rum. The more you drank them though the more I liked them.
Tomorrow was a very early start flying to Maui at 8am. Had to drop off the rental car by 6.45am so needed to get up before 6am. Hmm a bit too early.
