Edward and Jennifer's trip to the Islands
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Day 3 12/6
More drizzle. We drove north to
Akaka Falls State Park.
You have
to take a narrow road through sugar cane to get to it. There is a short
loop hike that goes by it and several others. It is more impressive if
you go toward Kahuna Falls first then around to Akaka. Akaka Falls is a
420 foot drop. It is the longest waterfall that is easily accessable in
Hawaii. The lush vegetation and thick vines make for an interesting walk.
There was such a variety of flowers and a profusion of colors. There are
also stands of huge yellow bamboo. This bamboo is close to six inches in
diameter and 30 feet tall. Past Akaka Falls there are many small falls
right near the trail. Akaka Falls isn't far from Hilo and it is an easy
hike. This makes for a good afternoon jaunt.
There are many
gardens in Hawaii so if you like flowers, be sure to go to one. If you
don't, it's a waste of time. We went to (Name here), 26 acres of orchids,
orchards and flowers. I liked the orchard part best. It had lots of
different fruit trees, macadamia, breadfruit, papaya, pineapple, banana
and more. (I realize that not all of the above are fruit, or even trees,
but I think you get the idea of what is there.)
The Mauna Loa plantation
is nearby and was our next stop. After driving a few miles
through macadamia nut trees and lanes with whimsical names, we got to the
factory and visitors center. The factory was between shifts so we didn't
get to see them working, but we were able to look through glass windows
onto the factory floor. They also have a bus which gives a tour around
the plantation. The gift shop is the main draw. They have shirts and lots
of macademia products, including some you can't get other places, like
macadamia nut oil. The prices are pretty good, but nuts are cheaper in
the Wal*Mart in Kona.
Lava Tree State Park is a small park
with an interesting reason for existing. Once, long ago, a lava flow
covered a forest. Above the lava the trees burned, but below the lava
there was no oxygen so they burned very slowly. When the lava receded, it
left pillars of lava where the trees were. The lava cooled around the
trunk, but the trunk kept burning, so these pillars are hollow. Don't go
expecting too much or you'll be disappointed; its like the petrified
forest in Arizona, you're not going to see trees with branches and stuff,
just stumps.
Since we still had a bit of time we went back to
Rainbow Falls.
This time we got to see it. I am continually amazed at how close to
Hilo this is.
There aren't any hiking trails
there, it is basically a driveby place. It was cloudy so we didn't see a
rainbow; there usually is one when it is sunny. A few miles up the road
is Pee Pee Falls and Boiling Pots. Boiling Pots is named
because of how turbulent the river is downstream of the falls. I don't
know how Pee Pee falls got its name. You can walk a little bit below the
overlook and get a much better angle, and that is where I took the picture
of the falls.
Day 4 12/7
For a change of scenery we flew to Kahului, Maui. We had planned
on going to our hotel right away and then the next day driving to Hana and
back. After looking closer at the map and reading a bit, we decided to
try and stay in Hana. Both of the hotels there are very expensive so we
decided to try Aloha Cottages, a much more reasonable $80 a night.
View Medium or Large image.
Black Sand Beach at Walanapanapa State Park.
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Fodor's describes it as a run by a retired woman who has 5 cabins she
rents out. We got the last one, it was really a house a couple of blocks
away from the main cabins. We had a living room, dining room, full
kitchen, much bigger than the hotel rooms we had been in. She even gave
us some home grown bananas for breakfast. I think doing the whole trip to
Hana and back wouldn't give you enough time to see everything, you should
stay the night. The road to Hana can be described as a winding
road, but that doesn't do it justice. It is fifty miles of narrow,
nail-biting winding road with sharp turns and 56 one lane bridges. At
most of the bridges, there is a waterfall. I heard from someone who went
in the dry season that there were very few waterfalls so it wasn't
impressive. Good thing for us it was the rainy season. It rained most of
the way there, but that made the waterfalls beautiful. Near the beginning
of the trip, past the town of Paia, there is Twin Falls, we drove right by
it without stopping, but after seeing it from the heliocopter, I wish we
had stopped. As you get near Hana, you'll go by
Walanapanapa State Park.
They have a black sand beach there so stop and take a look.
This beach was formed by the erosion of the lava rock, and it isn't as
fine a grain sand as you see on most beaches. Furthest away from the
water, it is pebbles and as you get closer, these pebbles get smaller and
smaller until it is sandy. The water looked a little too rough for
swimming so we didn't try it. Since we had a kitchen for the night, we
went to
Hassagwa General Store.
This store is a local landmark and
really does carry a bit of everything. The selection of food isn't very
large, but they also have T-shirts, plumbing supplies, fishing tackle and
rental videos.
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