POA Stop in Hilo--Is This a Realistic Itineary?

[tip]

These boards have always given good advice and as a result we shall be renting a car in Hilo when our POA cruise stops there for one day on September 11 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. My wife and I are both in our sixties and can certainly walk around quite nicely although we no longer are in the shape to climb mountains or run a road race. We don't want to be rushing from one site to the next and want to leave some time to view the coast and stop for refreshments. Is the following realistic?

 

• We have reserved a car from Alamo for $39 complete with taxes and fees for the day. I understand that we will take the Alamo Shuttle at the pier and that we will pick up the car at the airport with our return to the ship via a shuttle after leaving the car at the airport. Does anyone have any caveats on our doing this?
  
• Since our main emphasis of the day will be the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens, this will be our first stop. I am guessing that we will need at least 2-3 hours here since my wife taught botany for years and I will need to pry her away if we try to stay a shorter amount of time! We recognize that this will entail around a mile of walking.
  
• We want to drive along a scenic route in the North Hamakua area and visit the Akaka Falls State Park to view the falls. Is this a realistic walk for folks in their sixties? We have no troubles with stairs, but we would have some difficulty climbing dozens of them at a time. How long would a normal visit here take?
  
• We would head back to the Hilo area and stop along the way for lunch or a snack. Any recommendations such as shrimp trucks, local places to grab some lunch, (etc.)?
  
• If time permits, we may visit the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory in Keaau, recognizing that this is no doubt a tourist trap.
  

Since the ship sails at 6 p.m. and we don't want to be making the mad dash back to the ship, we figured on getting our rental car back to the airport by 4 p.m. to leave a cushion of time. Is this realistic?

 

Does anyone have any other recommendations? We have visited volcanic sites before in Iceland, thus are interests lie elsewhere.

 

Thanks in advance!

[kapoho2]

Your itinerary is totally realistic and sounds like a nice day. The botanical gardens are on the 4-mile scenic drive just outside of Hilo. Once you have finished your visit to the gardens, continue on the drive and at the end you will find a wonderful open air place (refreshment stand) called What's Shakin'. They make the most delicious fruit smoothies and shakes and also offer some food and great baked goods. They also sell interesting crafts and gifts. This will be the perfect place to recharge before heading to Akaka Falls. You will have no trouble walking to the falls. The paths and steps have been recently redone and you can do it all at your own pace. I would plan for about 30-60 minutes at the most at Akaka Falls.

[SoBaycruiser]

I can only respond to the Akaka Falls part. We rented a car, went down to the volcanoes NP and then headed up to Akaka. Once you turn off the highway, follow the signs instead of the GPS. GPS took us through a neighborhood which might have been more direct but slower. Parking was limited and a lot of people parked on the road. The hike is very easy. DH and I are in early 60s and I expected something much more difficult. The trail is circular and goes by another waterfall as well. The signs say go in a counter clockwise direction but people hear the falls to their left and don't read the signs. I think the approach from their suggested direction is great.

 

Have a great day.

[Princess Patches]

It sounds like the perfect day on the Hamakua Coast. To me, this is the prettiest part of the Big Island. Most tours go to the volcano, dry side of the island and miss out on the tropical beauty of the wet side.

 

Your tour is exactly what I plan to do when we are in Hilo for the day on the Golden in November. The Botanical Gardens are gorgeous. It is about a 1/2 mile walk winding down to the sea and 1/2 mile uphill on the return. They do offer golf cart service for those who have mobility issues. The 4 mile scenic drive is stunning. We also love Akaka Falls, which is an easy walk. We may add a stop at the Waipio Valley Lookout Point, but that is further down the road and we may run out of time. We shall see how it goes. We are also planning to return our car at 4 pm which should leave plenty of time for check in and the return trip on the shuttle.

[tip]

Thanks to all for your comments and advice. Now I must continue to work on our itineraries for the other islands!:D

[tommui987]

Thanks to all for your comments and advice. D

 

I was a bit surprised that you did not include Volcanoes National Park in your trip to Hilo.

[cleophus12]

The Mac Nut factory would be the only questionable item I see on your itinerary. It is a little further up the road in the opposite direction from Akaka Falls as I recall. Although it may be considered to be a tourist trap, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit with lots of free samples and great mac nut ice cream. We loved the Hilo area. Beautiful!

[tip]

I was a bit surprised that you did not include Volcanoes National Park in your trip to Hilo.

 

 

Having been to volcanoes in Iceland, we really wanted to concentrate on the side of the island with lush vegitation since my wife taught botany for many years.

[tip]

The Mac Nut factory would be the only questionable item I see on your itinerary. It is a little further up the road in the opposite direction from Akaka Falls as I recall. Although it may be considered to be a tourist trap, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit with lots of free samples and great mac nut ice cream. We loved the Hilo area. Beautiful!

 

 

We would only go here if we have a cushion of time, but I do love ice cream. I read once where New Englanders eat more ice cream per capita than in any other part of the country! We recognize that it is somewhat southeast of the Hilo Airport where we would be renting and returning our car.

[kapoho2]

The mac nut factory is only a couple of miles from the airport and is on the same road. I would think that chances are that you would have time for a quick visit. In your original itinerary you left a 2 hour cushion of time between returning your rental car and sailaway. There should be time for ice cream!