POA Hilo rental car or private driver

[philv]

We will be in Hilo on Tuesday August 27 arriving on Pride of America. We would like to do some hiking in Volcano National Park. Tours look like just stops at visitor centers and overlooks. We may rent a car but I was wondering if we could hire local driver to take us into park and pick up later in the day for return journey. Any recent information on rental cars or private drivers would be appreciated. 

[BermudaBound2014]

Are from the USA? If so, i highly recommend you rent a car. The pick up is literally across the street from the ship. Hawaii roads are super easy to drive on. No way to get lost. This will give you lots of freedom to hike many trails and see much of the park. The park is huge, you will want to drive around it and not just get dropped off at the main visitor area. You can even swing by rainbow falls on your way home. Car. Car. Car.

[philv]

Thank you BermudaBound2014. Yeah a rental car is probably best. We have a hike picked out. The Kilauea Iki trail within the park is a 4 mile loop through rainforest and down through dormant volcano crater and back up to forest. Rated as moderate with 400 feet elevation change, descent/ascent, approx 2-3 hours. We are in port from 8am to 6pm so I think we can do this. I’ve used Hertz in Hawaii in the past. I always get a little nervous sandwiching car rental into excursion but with shuttle across the street it should go smoothly.