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Author
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Topic: big island of hawaii..anyone been?
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venomous99
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Member # 1917
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booked my 1week vacation end of june for the big island. ive been to oahu a couple times but never the big island so im wondering if anyone has any recommendations on which part to stay at(i.e hilo, kona, kohola, etc) and things to do. pros and cons for each place.
pretty much open to anything from beach activities to doing some rain forest adventures.
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MKII Q7
89LX
Posts: 4811 | From: dc | Registered: Oct 2002
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wilit
Mustang Messiah
Member # 3367
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posted
I've been there once. My Grandma's family lived in Kohala/Kapaau for a bunch of years, though, it's not touristy there. LOL
Kona is where you want to be. Hilo is the rainy side of the island and gets like 350 inches of rain a year. There's tons of stuff to do there, just depends on you sense of adventure and pocket book. Definately got to head down to the south end of the island to see Kilauea's lava flow into the ocean. Super awesome. If you like history, there are some neat petroglyphs in one of the parks you can hike to and see.
[ May 03, 2010, 05:05 PM: Message edited by: wilit ]
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"If a man hasn't found something worth dying for, he isn't fit to live." - Martin Luther King Jr.
Posts: 4793 | From: 37.78514° North 122.40100° West | Registered: Oct 2003
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Stangs R Us
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Member # 4495
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posted
about how much do these trips cost i see everyone going there just wondering how long it would take me to save up to go
Posts: 3100 | From: sacramento | Registered: Aug 2005
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venomous99
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Member # 1917
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by wilit:
I've been there once. My Grandma's family lived in Kohala/Kapaau for a bunch of years, though, it's not touristy there. LOL
Kona is where you want to be. Hilo is the rainy side of the island and gets like 350 inches of rain a year. There's tons of stuff to do there, just depends on you sense of adventure and pocket book. Definately got to head down to the south end of the island to see Kilauea's lava flow into the ocean. Super awesome. If you like history, there are some neat petroglyphs in one of the parks you can hike to and see.
i gotta do some reading to get familiarized with the place but luckily my gf has a friend who stays in hilo and will be taking us around for a few of the days.
yeah ive reading about the rainfall and breathtaking views out there. i guess they call it the big island for a reason as it takes a couple hours to get from kona to hilo which is the place we will be staying. for this trip id like a mix of beach and perhaps some hiking/bike riding. i like the fact that its not like oahu which is a tourist destination nightmare..never seen a damn beach so crowded and this was in dec. it literally took a few minuts of searching the beach to find a patch of sand where i could lay my towel down.
stangs r us..the ticket was about 600/person for end of june returning july 5th. add another $100/night for a decent hotel and another 40/day for rental. this sounds like a steal when u compare oahu, which can easily run $900 for dec and easily $200/night at an el cheapo hotel. that said, nothing beats mexico and thats the reason why ive returned year after year over hawaii. flights to cancun or PV run about $350..go figure
[ May 03, 2010, 07:55 PM: Message edited by: venomous99 ]
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MKII Q7
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Posts: 4811 | From: dc | Registered: Oct 2002
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BUKSING
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Member # 6594
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posted
ive only island hopped to the big island...did the macadamia nut tour...boring...but the kilauea's lava flow into the ocean was bad ass...the time i went they just opened it and made us sign a waiver because u have to walk through mounds of recently hardened lava...some areas were still hot. another trippy thing was seeing areas with driveways but no houses...they were telling us a big tsunami wiped it all away...
Posts: 1571 | From: 510 | Registered: Mar 2006
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Hele On
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Member # 4107
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posted
Better Beaches are on the Kona side.
http://www.hawaiiweb.com/html/hawaii.html
Rainbow Falls is in Hilo.
The Iron Bridge heading north out of Hilo.
Botanical Gardens just outside of Hilo.
Stop at Akaka Falls (the place in the commercial on TV) just above Honomu. Grandparents house is there.
Lots of old Sugarcane Plantations along the way. God I miss the smell of the burning diesel from the hauling trucks and the red mud left on the roads.
Laupahoehoe is where several school children and adults died from the Tidal Wave. My Great Uncle was one of the unfortunate teens. There is a monument down there for them.
Stop over at Tex's Drive Inn, for their malasadas ( you'll be hooked). It's in Honoka'a off to the right, if you're heading northbound on 19 to Kona. Along the way you'll go in and out of several valleys and over a hundred bridges. Don't forget to have Rainbow bread also! think there's a few bakeries on Hilo that make it.
Waipi'o Valley is just ahead.
Waimea is Paniolo country, Cowboys, Parker Ranch, which was at one time the second largest privately owned cattle ranch.
Hapuna Beach is further North and pretty secluded from what I remember.
Spencer Beach, but I last time I went there hippies had been trashing it. Maybe it's been cleaned up since...
Kona's the main "tourass" area. Green turtles come up all along this side of the island at different spots.
South Point, the Southernmost tip of the USA... at least you can say you've been there. And you thought the "deep South" was the Southernmost. Wow that makes 2 times I've written Southernmost. Make that 3. Green Sand Beach is down this way (if it's still there).
Black Sand Beaches... I think there are a few more since I was born (Grew up near one) as you head back towards Hilo.
Volcanoes National Park... it's a hike out to the lava flowing out to the ocean so think twice and prepare properly. Should be killer at dawn or dusk. Check for restrictions also.
There's lots more... Mauna Kea, They may have weekend races (yes drags) at the old airport in Hilo. Just Google and continue to ask, depends on what you want to do, sightsee, history, even snow.
The Big Island, some people love it, some people say it's tooo slow, some idiots hate it and think that Oahu IS Hawai'i, but is isn't. Of course I'm biased, I was born there!
Just keep asking...
[ May 04, 2010, 12:26 AM: Message edited by: Hele On ]
Posts: 224 | From: Bay Area | Registered: Feb 2004
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JohnCM
CAFords OG
Member # 1076
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posted
those malasadas are legit man
I might have to plan a trip soon
Posts: 3545 | From: Roseville | Registered: Mar 2002
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venomous99
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Member # 1917
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thanks hele on..lots of good insider/local info...taking notes. im not so much a fan of hawaii food but i sure cant wait to have them donuts. nothing beats chillin on the islands, cruising around and listening to some kick back hawaiian tunes.
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MKII Q7
89LX
Posts: 4811 | From: dc | Registered: Oct 2002
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venomous99
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Member # 1917
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posted
the time has come.. 5am wake up call for a 730 flight... Should be around 10am local time when I get there . I'll be hitting up bj's gym like a mma tourist during the week... Fun times to come.
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MKII Q7
89LX
Posts: 4811 | From: dc | Registered: Oct 2002
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