Ian S
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Well, we are doing a guided tour of the park that includes evening time there. If we decide to spend more time there it's only 45 minutes from our Hilo base via our rental car.
Big Island (Hawaii) in February?
- Thread starter HadEnuff
- Start date
On our first trip to the Big Island DH and I splurged on a Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour of the island. It was spendy ($500 for us both) but it was the absolute highlight of our trip (which was full of amazing experiences). You fly over waterfalls that are taller than the Empire State Building, and are only visible from air or boat (much better view by air). You fly over Kilauea and can see lava hot spots and lots of steam vents. We saw circular rainbows while flying over the Hilo area. The whole trip you're pretty much going, "Oh, wow!" The company sells DVDs of your helicopter trip and we normally don't go for that sort of thing, but bought it anyway and were glad we did. We've watched it several times since we got home and are always blown away by the beauty of the place.
Another really fun thing to do, especially if you're a foodie, that is not a normal touristy thing is to go to the Waimea farmer's market on Saturday morning. The macadamia nut sticky bun that we bought & ate there haunts my dreams with its deliciousness. You can get fresh fruit and veggies, small batch processed macadamia nuts, and other gourmet goodies too. We sat at a picnic table eating our sweet rolls and talking to locals who were very friendly and laid back. We just loved Waimea, a very charming part of the island.
When you're on the Kona side, do not miss the Paleaku Peace Gardens - the most incredibly beautiful and peaceful botanical gardens you can imagine, with beautiful statuary/altars paying homage to the worlds' many religions.
It is my most fervent hope that in retirement I will be able to spend long stretches of time staying on the Big Island. It is a special place.
Another really fun thing to do, especially if you're a foodie, that is not a normal touristy thing is to go to the Waimea farmer's market on Saturday morning. The macadamia nut sticky bun that we bought & ate there haunts my dreams with its deliciousness. You can get fresh fruit and veggies, small batch processed macadamia nuts, and other gourmet goodies too. We sat at a picnic table eating our sweet rolls and talking to locals who were very friendly and laid back. We just loved Waimea, a very charming part of the island.
When you're on the Kona side, do not miss the Paleaku Peace Gardens - the most incredibly beautiful and peaceful botanical gardens you can imagine, with beautiful statuary/altars paying homage to the worlds' many religions.
It is my most fervent hope that in retirement I will be able to spend long stretches of time staying on the Big Island. It is a special place.
Ian S
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Wow! Thank you for this suggestion. They have several awesome looking helicopter tours including one that actually lands at a remote waterfall.
Fedup
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
If you take the Blue Hawaiian Helicopter from Hilo, it's cheaper, about $200 something per person. From the West side, it was about $600 something per person. In the end my husband didn't think he could see the lava flow any better than on TV because of the smoke. But we did see it from a snorkeling boat trip, IIRC.
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ShokWaveRider
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Love Blue Hawaiian, we still have the movie of our trip taken by the Pilot.
Well, the Big Day hath nearly cometh. We leave tomorrow for our month on The Big Island.
All packed, ready to fly. Winter Storm Kalani dropped a few inches, not bad, but the temp here has dropped to low single digits...perfect for getting out of Dodge, just as the mid-winter blahs have set in.
Aloha.
All packed, ready to fly. Winter Storm Kalani dropped a few inches, not bad, but the temp here has dropped to low single digits...perfect for getting out of Dodge, just as the mid-winter blahs have set in.
Aloha.
Winemaker
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Godspeed and make sure you get some poke' from Costco, it is delicious! They have a few different varieties.
YVRRocketSurgery
Full time employment: Posting here.
Jealous. 
We've only spent a week on the big island during a trip a few years ago. We drove all over the island and really enjoyed all the different areas.
We've only spent a week on the big island during a trip a few years ago. We drove all over the island and really enjoyed all the different areas.
I have quite a few poke locations marked on my map. Thanks!
DrRoy
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I'm sure you will have a good time on the Big Island, but it just means you will have to go back sometime for Kauai. We spent 10 days there in May 2013 and it was fantastic. Kauai is the oldest of the islands and has some unique features like Wiamea Canyon and the Na Pali coast. I did the helicopter tour there. It was fantastic.
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Winemaker
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
+1000
Also, I had to go back and look..... if you can snorkel, and I've done it in all the islands, the best trip I been on is Alii Ocean Tours. They take you down to the Cook's monument. Millions of fish, several schools of dolphins and some turtles. We were there 2nd week in July, realizing that this is "whale season", the ecosystem and wild life may be different now in Jan/Feb.
We stayed in a condo close to the Poke Shack, and the boat literally went by our condo every day.
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+10!!
Between mile markers 18 and 19 north of Hilo on Route 19 (the Belt Rd), there is a bridge called Nanue. It's the tallest bridge on the Big Island. There is a big pull-off area on each end of the bridge (for a reason). There is a beautiful waterfall nestled back in the trees. Supposedly, it is a moderate-difficulty hike.
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+1000
Also, I had to go back and look..... if you can snorkel, and I've done it in all the islands, the best trip I been on is Alii Ocean Tours. They take you down to the Cook's monument. Millions of fish, several schools of dolphins and some turtles. We were there 2nd week in July, realizing that this is "whale season", the ecosystem and wild life may be different now in Jan/Feb.
We stayed in a condo close to the Poke Shack, and the boat literally went by our condo every day.
Thanks!! that's the 2nd two weeks, over in Kona. We are walking distance from the Poke Shack...thanks for the tip on Alii Ocean Tours. Will definitely check that out.
Mahalo
I have been to the Hawaiian Islands one other time, 34 years ago, in another life with a different wife. A short week on Kauai...it was wonderful. Among my lasting warm memories:
The Na Pali Coast,
A warm friend who is no longer with us,
and the strongest feeling of "I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE YET!!!" that I have ever experienced. Yes, if this trip goes well, we will likely return, next time to Kauai.
Amid all of the excitement of the stock market, I just thought I'd check in. Week 1 of our 4 weeks on TBI comes to a close tonight...
Having a grand old time. First two weeks is on the Hilo (wet) side. Weather has been delightful. Today we had our first encounter with any rain, other than some delightful showers at night.
I am eating Ahi Tuna every day. Most wonderful!
Carry On...
Having a grand old time. First two weeks is on the Hilo (wet) side. Weather has been delightful. Today we had our first encounter with any rain, other than some delightful showers at night.
I am eating Ahi Tuna every day. Most wonderful!
Carry On...
This is where we went today...Waip'O Valley....walked down the road to the floor of the valley...very steep road. Only 4WD...they prohibit "All Wheel" but I'm pretty sure I saw one doing just fine...supposedly drops 950 feet in less than a mile and I believe it. Walking down was scarier than walking up, although I was huffing and puffing and sweating on the way up.
it was worth the effort. very beautiful.
it was worth the effort. very beautiful.
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Winemaker
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
We have made the similiar treks from the northern end, Pololu Point. Very beautiful, however, after hitting the beach on the valley floor, we hiked further south toward Waip'o for several miles.
We've had several good laughs over our hikes over the years. We have done the hikes several times and we always get "buzzed" by helicopter tourists. We always say that the tour guides would say "You're seeing places that only you can see on our $400 copter ride", only to see aLBYM family of 4 hiking seeing/experiencing the same thing only closer.
Update: Our two weeks on the east side, about 15miles north of Hilo, ended today. We drove across to Kona.
Ironically, we had almost no rain at all on the supposedly "wet" side, and it hasn't stopped raining since we got to the dry side a few hours ago.
Tomorrow's forecast is for warm and sunny. Right now Kona feels like one of those rainy vacations to the Adirondacks I've taken in the past.
Ironically, we had almost no rain at all on the supposedly "wet" side, and it hasn't stopped raining since we got to the dry side a few hours ago.
Tomorrow's forecast is for warm and sunny. Right now Kona feels like one of those rainy vacations to the Adirondacks I've taken in the past.
