Although not as well-storied as Maui’s scenic drive to Hana, the 45-mile Hamakua Coast road trip from Hilo to Honoka‘a is no less stunning. Highway 19 rises above high, erosional cliffs that drop to the foaming surf below. Above the highway, the mountainside is blanketed in green and interlaced by rushing streams. Two volcanoes –… Continue »
Mother Nature has dealt the Islands a few fierce blows in recorded history. Big Island residents are especially wary of tsunamis, due to two devastating incidents that still reside in memory. On April 1, 1946, tsunami waves, generated by an earthquake in the Aleutian Islands, raced 2,300 miles across the ocean in 5 hours and… Continue »
Coming face-to-face with a 450-pound white Bengal tiger is a humbling experience, particularly in Hawai‘i, where strict regulations have banned most wild creatures. If you take a stroll through Hilo’s Pana‘ewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens, be sure to meet a Bengal named Namaste. Known as the only tropical rainforest zoo in the United States, this… Continue »
Hilo, curving gracefully around the rim of Hilo Bay, is nestled on the slopes of three volcanoes. It houses the island’s government officials and nearly 41,000 residents. One of the wettest towns in the United States, Hilo’s rainfall averages about 128 inches a year. The rain creates gushing waterfalls and waters a myriad of exotic… Continue »
There’s a pot of gold at the end of one of Hilo’s major thoroughfares. It’s called Rainbow Falls, named for the rainbows that appear when the morning sun shines through the mist. Take Wai‘anuenue Drive through Hilo and bear right on Rainbow Drive. A parking lot will be on your right. Make the short walk… Continue »
The Wailuku River is an 18-mile path of churning, bubbling, cascading water that is particularly fearsome during heavy rains. Wailuku means “waters of destruction” – an apt moniker for this dangerous river, where concealed lava tubes are known to suck up surface water and create hazardous swimming conditions. Despite the tumult, Wailuku River’s Boiling Pots… Continue »
The village of Honomu, 11 miles north of Hilo on the Hamakua Coast, was once a bustling community that catered to the sugar industry. It was populated with saloons, a hotel-bordello, stores and several churches. Today, Honomu is better known as the gateway to Akaka Falls, a scenic attraction that draws an estimated 1 million… Continue »
You are traveling along Highway 19 on the Hilo-Hamakua Heritage Coast about halfway from Hilo to Honoka‘a and watching for mile marker 25. If you’re paying attention, you’ll notice a large concrete sidewalk. This sidewalk was once the loading platform for the old Laupahoehoe Train Station. The Laupahoehoe Train Museum and Visitors Center takes you… Continue »
Saddle Road (Route 200) cuts across the high valley, or saddle, between the island’s two massive volcanic mountains, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. Once considered a treacherous route, a series of road improvements have made most of the trip safer and smoother. It is the shortest route from Kailua-Kona to Hilo, accessible from Route 190… Continue »
What do you do when your husband has scheduled his third tee time in as many days? Pack up your just-captured Big Island photos and go scrapbooking! If you haven’t tried it, here’s the deal. Scrapbooking is a hobby that involves mounting pages of memorabilia, photos and journaling carefully on fancy background paper and embellishing… Continue »
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