Granite Cliff Studio

Inter-island travel is intriguing. A 30-45 minute flight puts you on another island in the pacific. Another island so similar but so different. My wife and I recently traveled to the largest and most recently formed Hawaiian Island, Hawaii. Most people call Hawaii, the Big Island, due to the massive size. This is very true as we drove along the east side of the island for 10 days. I hope you enjoy these notes and stories from our travel.

We woke early in Lahaina and was given a lift to the airport in Kahului. Our lodging that evening would be in Hawi, so we were going from the Royal Capital where King Kamehameha II made his headquarters, to the birthplace of King Kamehameha, the one who united the Hawaiian people and the islands. We arrived in Hilo and made haste because we had never explored these parts before. We had driven from Captain Cook to Volcanoes and knew driving on the Big Island can take awhile. The Saddle Road was the beginning of our route. This was a pleasing two lane highway with views of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. Ohia Lehua forests were thick and thriving for miles and miles. Yellow and red with birds everywhere. The forests then opened up to barren volcanic landscapes with red cinder cones. Saddle Road plateaued between the surrounding volcanic shields. We made a right turn north to Waimea, here we stopped for lunch at Big Island Brewhaus. Great food and great beer and cool weather. A nice change from our Lahaina home.

The next part of this first day was one of the most scenic roads you could ever drive. From Waimea to Hawi was rolling emerald hills with vistas that never end. Cattle, horses, turkeys, sheep, hawks and goats scattered the country side. Trees lined Kohala Mountain Road and long shadows stretched across the yellow lines. As you pass the summit, Maui begins to appear and north Kohala coastline makes for a dramatic foreground. The simple life is enjoyed here with many ranches, farms and barefoot hippies.

My wife and I were just getting over an illness so we spent a good time relaxing at a nice rental. There were beautiful views of Maui from the lanai. We had a fireplace and cozied up with a nice meal and a hot beverage. When we did finally venture out we explored Kamehameha’s birthplace and Pololu Valley where they hid the boy king. Both places held an extraordinary amount of mana and we felt privileged to be able to share these areas with such important Hawaiian ancestors. Hawi won our hearts but it was time to move on to the Hamakua Coast.

We headed back along the Kohala Mountain Road back to Waimea to gather a few more supplies. Unfortunately, nothing was open. The Big Island definitely felt abandoned. There weren’t many tourists and local residents did not seem to be out and about. Many restaurants had signs saying they were only open a few days a week due to staffing shortages. Luckily, we packed a picnic and we planned a day on the road with a quick sightseeing stop at Waipio Valley and then lunch at Laupāhoehoe Beach Park. It was the weekend and Waipio Valley was packed with locals enjoying themselves and heading down to enjoy their friends and families. We just took a quick pic and headed to our picnic spot. We needed to get to our next spot because it was an off the grid homestead. It was a dry winter in Hawaii and that benefited us as we drove though two steep dry creek beds to arrive at our beautiful little studio perched next to a waterfall. There were hawks flying overhead, horses in the yard and curious peacocks checking us out. We arrived at another little slice of backcountry heaven.

We threw our things down and headed to the sound of a rushing river. Through a small gate and down a muddy jungle traverse and we arrived at a cascading Hawaiian waterfall. As my wife and I took in all the beauty a hawk soared only feet over one of the falls and landed in a nearby tree. We looked at each other in amazement,

“Did you see that?”

“That was like a fairy tale?”

What an amazing welcome to the Hamakua Coast. That night we fed the horses apples as the Koki frogs began their symphony. All new to us, the mosquitoes buzzed, frogs sang and the starry skies moved in. Early to bed, since we had no electricity or entertainment. The next morning we decided that we were going to just hang out around the property and it’s beautiful waterfalls. Also, the road to get in and out was a little treacherous. We were blessed with nice and sunny weather for most of this trip. Strangely, most consider this area the wettest place on the planet and can receive over 600 inches of rain, none of which we saw. We brought cribbage and scrabble and enjoyed a day of board games with a view. High on the Hamakua coast we enjoyed a view to the east. There was an orchard on property and we gathered oranges, lemons and grapefruits. The horses on property grew a liking to my wife and would play with her as she fed them produce that we gathered. Another early night and we were finally feeling normal again after our virus experience.

On the road again, we made a few stops at some landmarks on the Hamakua Coast and Hilo on our way to Volcanoes National Park. My birthday was that night at midnight and the goal was to see the active Kilauea Crater and its lava flow. The most active volcano in the world is Kilauea on the Big Island. Since we were roughing it on the homestead we thought it would be appropriate to upgrade to nice view room at the Volcano House on the crater rim. We checked into our room and were right on the corner with views of the crater. A nice nap and then the sun began to set to a glowing red flame.

We waited like children waiting for Santa on Christmas morning for the sky to become dark and the crowds to disperse. With much excitement we headed to the viewing point made accessible by the NPS. A dark parking lot and a mile or so hike down the old road that was destroyed by the lava in 2018 was waiting for us. We put our headlamps and flashlights away and headed to the glow. This part of the island is barren and dark and the stars light up the path without any needed light. We were coming at a good time as many were leaving. We approached the rim and were amazed by bubbling lava and glowing showers of molten rock.

We repeated this journey 3 times over the next 3 days and each time was just as special. We also hiked through an old crater that had stopped its active lava flow but was still full of active steam vents. Another side trip led us up a small road that dead end halfway up Mauna Loa. Crazy twisted trees lined the road, crooked old lava flows and old tree holes were some of the sights. All in all, Volcanoes and the surrounding area is a unique otherworldly setting. Things like you have never seen exist here. You tend to question reality and observe mother nature’s imagination.

Our last destination, was a privately owned waterfall on the Wailuku River above Hilo. A nice inn created by gentlemen who had a vision of an off-grid sustainable destination. Farm to table dinners by a live in chef and waterfall activities were part of the on site amenities. My wife and I decided to just hangout on property and enjoy the zen atmosphere. With three large waterfalls on property it was nice to walk just a few hundred yards from the room and grab a kayak or SUP board and play in the pool below Kulaniapia Falls. It finally started to resemble Hilo and began to rain. Many a cribbage game were played overlooking the beautiful falls. This much time spent staring at waterfalls is rare without long hikes or camping. A comfortable and relaxing end to a wonderful Big Island visit.

In closing, it was very refreshing visiting a community in Hawaii. Nothing against the westside of Maui but Hilo, Hamakua and Hawi felt like home, where normal people live a normal lifestyle. Not the transient feel of Lahaina. The landscapes are fresh and old at the same time. Tell all your friends that Maui is the place to visit!