a morning around hilo

After a short flight, we landed at Hilo Airport this morning. We picked up our rental SUV, and it was the easiest transaction I've ever had renting a car. I honestly couldn't believe how fast and pleasant it was. So before we knew it, we were on the road. We decided to head out of town to the northwest a little, and our first stop was Rainbow Falls, famous for ... what else?

Our second stop was 'Akaka Falls State Park, home to one of the tallest waterfalls on the Big Island (442 feet). This one took a little more effort to get to: We had to go down a bunch of steps and follow a narrow trail to the viewing area. The view was worth it, though. And on the way back up, we saw a gecko hanging out, which made everyone happy.

By this time, we were getting pretty hungry, so we stopped at a place called the Low Store, a sort of general store with a small cafe. Max and I got island nachos with pulled pork and pineapple mango salsa, while Mike, Liam, and Henry all got burgers. We also got our first taste of Hawaiian shave ice, which is SO GOOD. We ate outside, and a big white cat kept us company.

 

Thus fortified, we decided to venture into the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. It was raining when we got there (not surprising, since this area gets a ton of rain), but they had plenty of loaner umbrellas, so we set off down a STEEP incline. We saw hundreds of interesting flowers, trees, and even a couple of small waterfalls. But did I mention that it was steep? And that as soon as the rain stopped, the temperature went way up? We were basically walking through a sauna. About halfway down, Max, Liam, and I decided we'd had enough, and started back up, while Mike and Henry followed the path all the way to the ocean. Going uphill was HARD, and I wasn't the only one who thought so, and a group of us ended up catching a ride back up on a golf cart, which was such a relief since I was starting to think I would be stuck in the Hawaiian jungle forever. I've never been so happy to have a car with AC!