Hawaii, The Big Island: Hamakua Coast and Waipio - Hilo HI Off the Beaten Path

Preview: Waimea stands at something of a climactic fault line. Notice how much greener things are here than on the other side of town. About 2 miles out from the town center a left turn onto White Road ends up at the trailhead for a forty-minute hike to the spectacular rear wall of Waipio Valley. The trail winds through ohia and bamboo forest, past groves of white and yellow ginger, following a branch of the Kohala ditch system built to irrigate sugar. It’s fairly easy going, but it can be treacherous when wet. A little bit farther along the highway, near the 52-mile point, the old Mamalahoa Highway offers a pleasant detour along a deserted mountain road. Paralleling the highway route east, the road rolls across misty hills and then descends through tall forest that segues into more recent plantings of eucalyptus destined for paper mulch. The two roads meet up at Tex Drive-In, famous for its malasadas (Portuguese doughnuts). A half-mile below you lies Honokaa, the main town of the Hamakua Coast. Route 240 passes through the center of town as Mamane Street before heading north up the coast to Waipio Valley. At the entrance to town, next to the library, the three-legged Katsu Goto Monument recalls the grisly hanging of a Japanese labor activist in 1889. As you reach the main commercial strip just ahead, all sorts of interesting shops clamor for your attention. Seconds to Go and Honokaa Trading Company are two “used goods” stores crammed full of antiques. Honokaa Market Place also has a nice mix of new and old handicrafts. You can check out Manila’s latest at the Filipino Store opposite the People’s Theater. Farther down, the Rice family runs a bizarre menagerie of shops full of “museum replicas,” which range from tourist tacky to authentic Hawaiiana. The town even has a shirtmaker whose services you can hire, and its vintage theater still shows movies on weekends. Most of these stores operate on irregular hours, so take a stroll and stop wherever you fancy. The above description is an excerpt from "Hawaii: Off the Beaten Path." Whether you're a visitor or a local looking for something different, this chapter from the Off the Beaten Path series will help you take the "road less traveled" and discover hidden attractions, unique finds, and unusual locales that most tourists miss.
© Copyright Sean Pager published by Insiders' Guide all rights reserved.


This travel guide comes from:
Hawaii Off the Beaten Path Guide Book