Hamakua & Waimea Sights

Heading north out of Hilo took us on a lovely coastal highway. The area all along this coast was dotted with surfers, riding the huge waves.



We past the Hawai'i Tropical Botanical Garden which is situated on a scenic route and decided to keep this for another day, as we felt it warranted a visit all on its own.

We travelled on through former sugar land to Akaka Falls.


This waterfall is 420 feet, and to get to it we walked through lush vegetation and streams. It had just stopped raining when we got there, so all the ferns and plants were dripping with water.






We stopped in a small village and had lunch sat in the sun at pavement cafe. We watched the little community going about its business. There were some strange folk, one even walking down the road in his dressing gown and not a lot else. Luckily there was a friendly cop nearby, who was obviously well used to this sort of behaviour.

We chatted to a lady who owned the Woodshop Gallery, she is from New Zealand, and we gave her our card for future house sitting opportunities. Never miss an opportunity.

Instead of taking the new highway which was once a railway line, which got swept away in the 1946 tsunami, and was later made into the present day highway, we took the old road which winds around the mountainside, going down to little coves where people were surfing in the big waves. There are lots of picnic tables and BBQ areas in these spots.

The road winds on through vine-filled forest, down to ruins of an old sugar mill which was destroyed in the tsunami.


We had to cross over a river bed and then climb up the other side and then carried on passing huge gulches full of ferns and huge palms, with waterfalls dotted all along the way.

Back onto the old road again we drove past small clusters of houses with little post offices and shops, outposts of pioneer towns. The little streets were flanked by sugar land, old bridges and vine-covered trees. The bird song is very loud in these parts, it is like stepping back in time.

Before the highway was put in it took many days to get from Hilo to Waipi'o Valley. On horseback it was a harrowing ride having to be plunged down and then trudge up gulch after gulch, fording raging streams on a terrified horse.

We also saw the spot where a barge full of Toyotas broke loose from its tug and washed ashore in 1985. We can remember this news item at the time.