Planning your Big Island Vacation
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 To give you some idea of the location of places you might wish to visit, visualize a clock face on the map of the island. Kailua-Kona is at 9 -10 o’clock. Up close to noon is Waipio Canyon, which requires four-wheel access, a willingness to hike all day, or a horseback tour. From about noon to 2 is the Hamakua coast, a spectacular area north of Hilo. Between 2 and 3 is the Honomu area. Hawaiian Botanical Gardens and Akaka Falls, as well as the enticing art galleries of Honomu are there. Punalu’u Black Sand Beach is at 5 o’clock, Hilo at 3, and Volcano National Park at about 4, and inland, on Highway 11. Waikoloa is at about 11, and inland a bit.
The road across the face of the island (Saddle Road) requires a four wheel drive and is
closed to rental vehicles other than those from Harper. This is the road
to the Mauna Kea Observatory. Most distant locations are 2 – 3 hours
apart, but with stops, it’s longer. | |
| If you plan to go into Waipio Canyon, allow a full day for that
excursion, and consider dinner at Tex Drive In, a local hangout with
impressive “local kine grinds”. Kalapana St and Highway 19 – you’ll see it
from the road. | |
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Travel times are about half an hour from Hilo to Volcano National Park, about a bit over an hour from Hilo up the coast to Waipio if you do not stop. Stops are recommended at the Botanical Garden and Akaka Falls, as well as a jaunt through Honomu’s galleries. A full day can be used just to explore back roads along with these three stops, with dinner back in Hilo before heading back to Volcano. We suggest Café Pesto. 308 Kamehameha 808-969-6640. | |
