Thursday we went to hike down into Waipi’o Valley. There is a road down into it, but the grade is 25%, so no one drives without a four wheel drive or on a tour. The valley is located in the north of the Island on the Hamakua Coast. It was about a 40 mile drive from where we are staying with some nice coastal scenery. First we stopped by the very accessible Akaka Falls. There is a good cement path to the falls through some very lush and colorful jungle foliage. Bob was very nostalgic about Hawaii on the hike, and after thinking about it realized that it was because when he was little, Hawai’i had just become a State and there was a lot of references to it in cartoons and other TV shows, and of course there was the Tacky Tiki Room in Disneyland. He thought that was funny.
After the falls we drove to Honokaʻa. We had heard of this town because it is where Rosanne Barr has a house and where she made her reality show “Roseanne’s Nuts” about like on a Macadamia Nut Ranch. We liked the show, but saw this week that it was cancelled for a second season next year. We had lunch at a small restaurant in town. We had read the town was an artist area, but many shops were empty and the town was dead this time of year.
A short drive from Honokaʻa we parked at the overlook of Waipi’o Valley. The view was spectacular and the hike down was steep, but since the road was paved not too difficult, just like home but without the big gravel to slip on. It wasn’t very crowded on the black sand beach. We walked over to the Z-Trail that rises the other side of the valley to get a look of Hiʻilawe Falls, the tallest on the Island. It was a little in the shadows and not running so hard, but still pretty.
When we got back to Hilo we had a Homemade Ice Cream at Hilo Homemade Ice Cream. Dennis had Macadamia Nut and Bob had Rocky Road. Yummy.
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We are glad to hear Ginger and Zues are doing okay. We really appreciate they are being taken care of.
PS We also went to The Nani Mau Gardens near Hilo and found that very interesting, if you get a chance you might look at their website.
We really enjoyed hearing about all your adventures, we went to Akaka Falls on our first trip to Hawaii. Loved the pictures, it all looks so beautiful there. Things are going well here with Ginger and Zeus, they are adjusting nicely to your being gone. I’m sure Marilyn and Don will have no trouble. We have managed to get in three rounds of golf, once in Borrego, once at Temeku Hills and this morning at Warner Springs. We went to Santa Ysabel PO and nothing of importance has arrived. We also went to the Casino and I managed to lose $30, but it was fun and we had a nice dinner. Jim had the Prime Rib and we had some for lunch and it was very good. Continue to have fun! Love you both…….
It is so beautiful there. You are certainly seeing plenty. Geting lots of exercise I see. The ice cream sounds delightful. Keep the pictures coming. See you soon. Love you both