and have visitor’s centers for sampling and buying some of the
best coffees in the world. There are also local tour companies
that offer coffee plantation tours so you can sample from a few
different growers. The experience is kind of like a lower key,
caffeinated version of wine tasting in Napa Valley.
Road Trips from Waikoloa
The town of Waimea is about an hour drive east of Waikoloa
and offers very different geography from the Hilo and Kona
sides of the islands. When I visit Waimea, I am always reminded
of the Northern California coastline because of the high desert
geography and craggy cattle ranching lands that still afford ocean
views from higher elevation. Waimea is a small town surrounded
by the largest cattle ranch in the U.S. Waimea hosts rodeos and
is home to the paniolo, the Hawaiian word for cowboys. Despite
its small size, Waimea is home to the best independent brewery
in the state and the top rated restaurant on the Big Island. The
Big Island Brewhaus is definitely worth a stop for lunch and
beer tasting, especially its flagship beer Golden Sabbath. For
fine dining (lunch or dinner), check out the original Merriman’s
Restaurant in Waimea.
From Waimea, you can complete a really nice driving day trip to
either the town of Havi or Honokaa. Both are quaint small towns
located on the north shore of the Big Island. Havi hosts some
starting points for
adventure tours and
zip lines in addition
to its small town
main street charms.
Honokaa has
beautiful cliff side
views of the Pacific
Ocean stretching
on endlessly to the
north.
Explore Mauna
Kea
Mauna Kea is the
largest mountain
in Hawaii,
measuring
over 13,800
feet, and it is
home to the
most powerful
telescopes in
the world. The height of the mountain and relative absence of
surrounding light pollution make Mauna Kea a perfect location
for gazing at the stars and collecting data from distant solar
systems. Mauna Kea summit requires about a 90-minute drive
from the Hilton Waikoloa and it is best visited for either sunset or
sunrise. Although the visitor center can be reached by regular cars,
the summit road is unpaved and requires a 4-wheel drive vehicle.
So, if this is on your must-do list, plan to rent a Jeep. I prefer
visiting at sunset because the park rangers at the visitor’s center
usually offer guided star tours after sunset. Even during daytime,
the temperature at the Mauna Kea summit may be around
freezing, so bring plenty of warm clothes.
Explore Kilauea
If active volcanoes and lava are on your exploration list, you will
have to head over to the “Hilo side” (eastward, windward) of
the island to the towns of Volcano and Kalapana. The Hawaii
Volcanoes National Park is located around the town of Volcano.
The National Park contains the still-smoking caldera of Kilauea
volcano but there is no current lava flow within the park. The
park is still a great place to visit in order to see the enormity of
the volcano caldera and explore the lava tubes. Seeing active
lava flow, however, requires driving an hour east of the park
to the lava viewing area to see lava flowing from vents into the
ocean. Make sure to check in with the park rangers to determine
where the newest viewing area is located because the direction
of lava flow changes without warning. As of this writing, the
current viewing area requires a 4.2-mile hike (each way) from the
entrance and parking lot. The best time to view the lava flow is
at dusk in order to visualize the eerie glow of the lava. Bear in
mind, however, this would require hiking back in the dark, so
good flashlights are a must.
The alternative methods to view the lava flow are by chartered
boat or helicopter tour. Many chartered boat companies operate
from Kalapana (south of Hilo) with an hour boat ride down the
coast to the lava flow area. These boats offer a unique view of
the lava because you can typically see molten lava pouring into
the ocean and mini explosions of cinder with the newly formed
rocks floating on the ocean surface due to trapped gas within the
rock. This is the closest you are likely to get to flowing lava. The
other great option is to join a helicopter tour. Blue Hawaiian
Helicopters operates very close to Waikoloa and offers flights
across the island above the lava flow areas. This is a great way to
cut down on the driving, hiking, and boating times required to get
to the lava flow.
Big Island Brewhaus in Waimea boasts Hawaii’s
highest brewery
Road trip along the saddle road
to Mauna Kea
6