Part 3: Hilo and the East Coast
The next morning, we were up early for breakfast, and then made a short drive to Maniniowale Beach in Kona Coast State Park, just north of the airport, for snorkeling and swimming and the building of sandcastles. The waters here were a beautiful blue with few people and minimal waves until midday when the beach became crowded and the wind picked up. While snorkeling there, we saw plenty of reef fish and a swimming green turtle. The sand was white and perfect for sandcastle building and we built an array of them.
We left the park for a late lunch of burgers and then headed back to the house where we swam in the pool and got ready for a big family dinner reserved that night at the original Merriman’s Farm-to-Table Hawaiian Restaurant near Waimea. In order to get there, we had to drive inland across the island 90-minutes to Kamuela in the north. Along the drive we saw a royal blue peacock perched on a fencepost, and numerous wild goats and deer. We had a delightful meal with quality food and quality service, complete with desserts and after dinner drinks. We returned along the western coastal route where we stopped to watch the sunset before returning home for drinks to belatedly celebrate Tony’s 40th birthday.
On Saturday, we decided to cross the Island and explore the east coast of Hawaii, including the town and area of Hilo. We drove back through the coastal road to Waimea where we stopped for a “second breakfast” and coffee at “Waimea Coffee” and shopped at the local Saturday Morning Market where we bought a sampling of delicious, traditional Hawaiian donuts! Then we drove southeast to the famous Akaka Falls, located about 11-miles north of Hilo, and where we climbed and hiked to both overlooks. Akaka Falls is located in a state park and displays a spectacular 442-foot tall drop. “Akaka” is named after a Hawaiian Chief.
Then we drove to Hilo for lunch waterside at the HBC (Hilo Bay Cafe). Here we had unusual cocktails and lunch while we watched an outrigger regatta taking place in the bay. We also saw a mongoose crossing the lawn. Mongooses are an invasive species on the island brought there by sugarcane plantation owners to control rats, but now they are a serious problem. Their favorite meals are small birds and their eggs, but they are also known to eat plants, fruits, and insects. The mongoose also eats sea turtle eggs, damaging that population, and is responsible for the deaths of at least eight species of birds that are native to Hawaii and that are on the endangered species list. After lunch, we traveled to the Lava tube/caves in Kanamu state park. The footing was wet and treacherous, but it was adventurous and a good time. Lastly, we decided to visit Rainbow Falls where there are two view points of the 80ft tall and almost 100ft wide Falls, before we traveling in the car back across the center of the island to our house for some relaxing pool and hot tub time!
