Should we change our car rental to a 4WD for the Big Island?
 

Hello,

We have booked a basic economy car for our month vacation to the Big Island of Hawaii. The more reading I do, the more places I discover that require a 4WD.

From what I have read, it sounds like Waipio Valley is not a good place to drive yourself in a 4WD anyways. What about Mauna Kea summit and the black sand beach of Kalapana. Will we have to pay for a tour to these areas? Are there many more places we will not be able to access without a 4WD?

My fear is we will have spent money on the car rental and regret that we can't access many parts of the island.

Any comments to first timers to the Big Island please.
Thanks

How %%-lucky %%- you are to spend a month in ((R))Hawaii!

Personally, would rent an SUV with 4WD or AWD, mainly for the increased ground clearance to access some off the beaten path beaches.

:?Recall that not many rental companies permit driving to MK summit or Waipio.

We were impressed with the black sand beach at Punalu`u which is easily accessible by any means, see ((P)):
http://tinyurl.com/2mepjj

We rented a convertible & loved it. The only time we really could have used the 4WD was at the Green Sand Beach, but I wanted the hiking experience anyway.

DO include the GSB in your plans - it was the most beautiful place of all the islands IMO.

Is it possible to rent a convertible for most of the time but switch to 4WD for the days you really feel like you will need it?

How off the beaten track do you wanna get?? I wouldn't be w/o 4wd w/ my boys on the BI. It's an adventure, if you make it one! ((R))

Can you rent the basic economy car for three weeks & a 4WD for the last week?

You can probably do 95% of the things on the island with a regular car.

We don't want to be doing any major off road adventures where we have chances of getting a vehicle stuck, or massive 4X4ing. We just don't want to be limited by having only a car. Not being to the Big Island before, I have no idea of what the road conditions are like. I guess it all depends how much of the island is accesible by car. If a large percentage of view points, beaches etc. require a 4X4, could someone please let me know?
Thanks

Hi travelbug,

We toured the island in September, travelling on the highways and byways in a small rented four-door sedan, a Ford Focus. Fuel economy and small-space parking a definite plus. For us it was perfect. Like you, did a lot of research on roads/driving/areas/conditions and local kapu, and we had an amazing adventure driving in a circle ;) in geological contrasts that seem improbable and are breath-taking.

Although the Saddle Road (to Mauna Kea) was forbidden territory on our rental agreement, most locals advise not to drive that road, even in a 4WD. It's not so much the surface condition of the road that's the danger, but the number of inexperienced drivers, going too fast, that are the hazard. They advise using one of the local tours instead. The very active Island of Hawaii forum on TripAdvisor was a great info resource and extremely helpful http://tinyurl.com/38kw6w

Actually, during all of our driving we saw very few 4WDs - and those domesticated tanks tend to stand out, lol - so you can be confident of having road access to nearly all the places of interest.

Also, 4WDing in the Waipio Valley is a bone of contention with the locals, as this is apparently private land and un-guided tourists are less and less welcome.

But whatever your ultimate choice of wheels, am sure you will have an amazing vacation.

Aloha!
Jackie

We have been to the BI twice and returning again this Feb. We have rented both types of vehicle and prefer the SUV for the height and viewing of scenery as we drive. You can see whales breaching from the SUV but definitely not from the low economy car. Also, I agree with the other posters that the Green Sand Beach is not to be missed and you can get to a closer parking area with the higher clearance SUV. Have a great time.

Wow, renting a 4WD + insurance for a month will be really, really, really expensive.

IMO, you will be fine with a regular car.