Hilo Ideas what to do ??

[Twiz]

Does anyone have ideas on what to do here besides VNP, is there a beach close to port, this seems to be the only place we are not really finding anything to do. Not renting a car.

[sptrout]

There are plently of things to do in Hilo, but nothing near the port since it is an industrial port, the main port for the Island of Hawaii. This is one place that I would recommend either taking a tour (helicopter if finances permit) or rent a car.

[Toto2Kansas]

About your only option would be to either book a tour through the cruise line, or book one privately. There is absolutely nothing around the cruise port at all in Hilo.

Although you are not interested in renting a car, it is the one port that renting a car we have found is the best alternative. Volcanoes National Park is a very easy drive, along with beaches and other attractions. The car rental, including insurance and fuel is much less than $100 per day, and worth every penny.

Have you checked with your roll call for this cruise? Sometimes you can join someone else that is planning to rent a car, and split the costs. It's a very enjoyable day when you can drive to those places that interest you. Enjoy!

[Giantfan13]

About your only option would be to either book a tour through the cruise line, or book one privately. There is absolutely nothing around the cruise port at all in Hilo.

Although you are not interested in renting a car, it is the one port that renting a car we have found is the best alternative. Volcanoes National Park is a very easy drive, along with beaches and other attractions. The car rental, including insurance and fuel is much less than $100 per day, and worth every penny.

Have you checked with your roll call for this cruise? Sometimes you can join someone else that is planning to rent a car, and split the costs. It's a very enjoyable day when you can drive to those places that interest you. Enjoy!

 

 

Toto

 

I do not mean to criticize, but most rentals are way under $100 a day, unless you went for a real expensive car. I don't remember the exact cost of our rental, but in every port, we were under $50, and usually WAY under that number. I agree with your assessment to rent a car in Hilo. Rent a car in every port, but you can do it for a lot cheaper than $100 a day.

[Giantfan13]

VNP is a joy to behold. You can just do the drive around the crater or take other roads and see a lot more of the park. You have the Lava Tubes to explore, But if you want to explore more of the area, there are several just magnificent waterfalls, and drives with spectacular scenery.

Here are a few pictures of our experiences, Hope you enjoy

 

Lava Tubes

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/Hawaii/Dsc00459.jpg

 

waterfalls

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/Hawaii/Dsc00469.jpg

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/Hawaii/Dsc00494.jpg

 

some of the scenery

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/Hawaii/Dsc00505.jpg

[SharonK]

We are booked on the POA May 1 and had not really thought about renting a car at any of the ports. But after reading these posts, we may reconsider. Where is the best place to rent cars in each port? Should we reserve cars ahead of time? We'd appreciate any info, please.:p

[beachchick]

We are booked on the POA May 1 and had not really thought about renting a car at any of the ports. But after reading these posts, we may reconsider. Where is the best place to rent cars in each port? Should we reserve cars ahead of time? We'd appreciate any info, please.:p

 

Yes, you should rent in advance. The best (and usually only) locations are generally at the nearby airports. Some companies have in town locations. None have rental locations actually at the piers, so you will take a shuttle to rent and pickup the car and a shuttle to get back to the ship. That's another reason to rent in advance: How would you decide which company's shuttle to try to get on in hopes that the specific company will have a car available that day at a price you are willing to pay. Sometimes the shuttle drivers have lists of passengers with advance reservations and will not allow anyone else on the shuttles. You might have quite a wait while the passengers who reserved in advance are shuttled to the rental locations.

 

This is a very common topic of discussion. If you do an advanced search for "car rent" or "car rental," you should get many current and recent threads with detailed information and discussions. You can also do an advanced search for "car rent name-of-island" if you want to narrow the topic of discussion.

 

beachchick

[Steamboatin]

Mauna KeaSummit Tour

Mauna Kea is a sacred place with the ancient history, cultural sites, and magnificent beauty created by fire and ice. The ancient Hawaiians considered it the home of Poli’ahu, the snow goddess. Today it is the world’s premier spot for astronomy. This memorable journey took us to the peak of the Pacific, the 13,796-foot summit! The view atop Mauna Kea can only be described as majestic moonscape and looking down on the clouds is mesmerizing. The tour included a ride through Downtown Hilo, Rainbow Falls, Mauna Loa lava flows, Kipuka Pu’u Huluhulu Native Tree Sanctuary, Onizuka Center for International Astronomy, and the world’s largest telescope at Keck Observatory. Jackets were provided and we wore long pants and comfortable shoes. This was a very informative fully guided tour. The minibus stopped in the parking lot atop Mauan Kea by the observatory on the top of the mountain. The observatories that we saw from the outside were:

1. The NASA’s 1st Observatory has a 24 inch telescope that was built primarily for satellite tracking and later was given to the University of Hawaii:

2. The Lowell Observatory contains a 24 inch telescope and was later donated to Leeward College on Oahu:

3. The University of Hawaii’s Observatory has an 88 inch telescope that when it was dedicated it was the seventh largest optical/infrared telescope in the world;

4. The Canada, France and Hawaii Observatory has a 3.8 meter telescope dedicated infrared telescope;

5. The United Kingdom Observatory has a 15 meter submillimeter antenna to look at the short radio wavelengths emitted by vibrating molecules in space;

6. The James Clerk Maxwell Observatory is a joint venture between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands and is one of the world’s leading observatories at submillimeter wavelengths;

7. The Keck I and Keck II Observatories were built by the University of California and Caltech. It is a 10.4 meter novel lightweight technology using multiple mirrors and automated control mechanisms to support a segmented mirror four times larger than anything before it. It transformed optical and infrared astronomy world-wide by being able to make observations that previously were impossible in a whole night of observing now can be accomplished in an hour or so, enabling many observations and real statistics to be obtained for the first time on critical faint objects like quasars and galaxies. For the first time astronomers can make reliable measurements of the density of the universe, and cosmology moves from guess work to measurement. The twin telescopes can work independently, each with its own suite or instrumentation. They also can work together, directing their two light beams down into a sophisticated beam combination room below the workshops. Keck was the firs large observatory to achieve this goal in 2001. The 10 meter aperture of a single Keck telescope provides a maximum theoretical resolution of about 50 milliarcsec at infrared wavelengths. With both Keck beams combined the maximum aperture increases to about 100 meters for a ten fold increase in resolution. This is equivalent to resolving a dime about 25 miles away and is the kind of fine resolution necessary to examine many astronomical sources;

8. The Gemini North Observatory has an 8 meter telescope that has a thin meniscus design and has controls on the mirror surfaces and all telescope parts that can be adjusted to maintain position and curvature as the telescope structure moves under gravity. It is a twin to the later built Gemini South located in Chile;

9. The Very Long Baseline Array or VLBA, consists of 10 identical 25 meter radio dishes spread across the United States from Hawaii to the U.S. Virgin Islands. All these dishes are operated remotely from Socorro, New Mexico and the data are transported fro subsequent combination and analysis. The 10 VLBA dishes effectively form a single “synthesis” telescope with an effective aperture of 8,500 kilometers;

10. The Submillimeter Array which is a collaborative project between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics in Taiwan. This array of eight, 6-meter dishes exploits the synthesis and interferometry aspects of physics to form a versatile telescope for observations in the submillimeter region. A single submillimeter dish has relatively poor resolution of about a dime at 100 yards away. By combining several dishes together with larger baselines this can be improved by factors of 10 to 100. Each individual disk can be relocated by a large forklift to provid a compact array which maximizes the resolution or the dishes can be spread out to almost 1 kilometer baseline to achieve maximum resolution, but with reduced sensitivity.

We did enjoy the “Sea to Sky” experience on this adventuresome journey! We also saw the snow atop the mountain and all of the various observatories located atop the mountain. The altitude affected our breathing somewhat in that it required us to take deep breaths and move slowly. The box lunch included a bottle of water and a very large and delicious deli sandwich with chips and cookies. The tour lasted approximately 6 hours and was well worth the price.

Naha and Pinao Stones: 300 Waianuenue Avenue in Hilo is in front of Hilo Public Library. The Pinao Stone was an entrance pillar of Pinao Temple. The Naha Stone was used as a test of fitness for royalty. Reputedly only chiefs of Naha blood were able to move it. Legend says that Kamehameha I overturned the stone and later justified the belief that he who succeeded in performing this feat would be the greatest king.

Rainbow Falls: Located off of Waianuenue Avenue on Rainbow Drive in Hilo. In the morning a rainbow often appears in the mist around the falls. The volume of the falls in Wailuku River State Park dwindles during the dry summer months.

Kipuka Puaulu: Is on Mauna Loa Road. A kipuka is an island of older soil and vegetation surrounded by more recent lava flows. A 1-mile trail loops through its forests and grassy meadows.

Mauna Loa: Adjoins Kilauea to the west and reached via Mauna Road. It is the world’s largest volcano. The summit rises about 31,784 feet above sea level. This enormous mountain was built by innumerable lava flows. In the last century Mauna Loa has erupted on an average of once every 3.75 years. Lava produced during this period has totaled more than 3.5 billion cubic yards. The summit may be hiked one way from the end of Mauna Loa Road is 18 miles. One of the most voluminous flows in recent history began in 1950. Highly liquid lava escaped from a fissure 13 miles long and reached the sea in less than 3 hours having advanced at a speed of approximately 3.75 miles an hour. This massive eruption amounted to about 600 million cubic yards of lava and is enough t pave a four-lane highway 4.5 times around the world. With the exception of a brief eruption in July 1975 Mauna Loa waited 34 years before generating another major eruption. On March 25, 1984 Mauna Loa began a 22-day eruption that sent lava flows down its northeast flank from a vent at the 9,400-foot level. The two longest flows extended about 16 miles from the vent. This eruption coincided with yet another eruption of Kilauea for the first time that both volcanoes had erupted simultaneously in 65 years.

Mauna Loa Road: Branches off of Hwy 11 opposite Kilauea Caldera and reaches an elevation of 6,600 feet. The road may be closed due to high fire danger. A short turnoff leads to molds of trees formed when lava made a shell around the trunks. A trail at the end of the road passes through mountain parkland and above 10,000 feet enters barren lava fields; ice lingers in cracks protected from the sun at the summit. This path follows the northeast rift zone. The trail considered one of the island’s most difficult hikes might be closed due to high winds or deep snow. Under any circumstances the ascent of Mauna Loa can take a toll on the unprepared hiker in the form of severe sunburn and worn shoe soles. Shelters at the 10,000-foot level at Red Hill and near the summit are available on a first cone first served basis.

Mauna Kea State Recreation Area: It is located 35 miles west of Hilo on Hwy 200 at the 6,500-foot level on Mauna Kea. Near the park are cinders and spatter cone formations and examples of shield volcanism. A road leads to the 9,000-foot level at Hale Pohaku that is a base camp for the University of Hawaii’s Mauna Kea observatory and continues to the summit. Skiing is available weather permitting from November through January. Access to areas off Hwy 200 is by foot or four wheel drive vehicle. Note that there is no drinking water available. Open from dawn to dusk and admission is free.

[Duck Duck Cruise]

Hi Twiz,

 

Here is a link to Queen Liliuokanani Gardens and Coconut Island. We walked there which is about a mile. We plan on taking a taxi to town and having them drop us off when we are there this time. Across from the garden are shops also.

 

Coconut Island is a place you can walk out to and sometimes see Sea Turtles and you can swim in the sandy waters there.

 

On the way there is a place called Verna's on your right. It is a lunch place that is always packed with locals so that tells you something.

 

http://www.letsgo-hawaii.com/liliuokalani/

 

http://www.downtownhilo.com/

 

Have a wonderful time. We will be there in 4 weeks!

Lin

[Umbarger]

We rented a car and went to Richardson beach. It was only around 2 miles away from the where the ship docks. Good snorkelling spot too.

[beachchick]

A small note that the Mauna Kea summit is not a small adventure. Children younger than 16, pregnant women, anyone with beathing issues (asthma, etc.), and anyone who has been or will be diving within 24 hours is not allowed at the summit. Period. Even those who have not had problems with altitude must be aware that the summit is at nearly 14,000 ft. Also, the commercial tours have no access to any of the telescopes except the Keck II viewing room, which is open to the general public during the day Monday through Friday (not on the weekends).

 

This is not mean to discourage anyone from taking the ship excursions, going on their own (see below about that), or going with the University of Hawaii on the weekend (also see below). In fact, we encourage anyone who can do it to do it. It's awe-inspiring and amazing.

 

The see below part: If you go on your own, you must rent a 4 wheel drive vehicle (Harpers is the only company that allows their 4-w/d rentals to be taken up to the summit). The drive from the Visitors Center (9,000 ft) to the summit is about 5 miles of sort of "graded" gravel that is used by the astronomers and staff every day and night of the year. Unfortunately, 2-w/d vehicles not only have a difficult time going up and down, but they rut and chew the road making it harder and sometimes dangerous for those who have to drive it all year. Also, plan on spending at least 1 hour at the Visitors Center to acclimate for the summit drive. And start with a full tank of fuel because there is nowhere to fill up and the altitude sucks down the gas.

 

If you're there on a weekend, you can take the free University of Hawaii tour, but you still need your own 4-w/d vehicle. They meet at the Visitors Center, have an orientation, and then everyone caravans up to the summit. The UofH guides give information about Hawaii history and culture, geography, and astronomy. The tour includes entry to the Keck II viewing room and (sometimes) a full tour of the UofH's own telescope. Once in a while, they are able to arrange a tour of one of the other telescopes (based on scehdule and maintenance).

 

Anyway, don't plan on the Mauna Kea summit as a small thing. It is an all day, the only thing you should plan for the day. It is well worth it, IMO.

 

beachchick

[Steamboatin]

Agree with you Beachchick.

 

We were fortunate to go on a tour from the ship.

 

We later stayed a week at the military camp within the National Park on the Big Island to enjoy the island's beauty in full.

[Twiz]

Hi Twiz,

 

Here is a link to Queen Liliuokanani Gardens and Coconut Island. We walked there which is about a mile. We plan on taking a taxi to town and having them drop us off when we are there this time. Across from the garden are shops also.

 

Coconut Island is a place you can walk out to and sometimes see Sea Turtles and you can swim in the sandy waters there.

 

On the way there is a place called Verna's on your right. It is a lunch place that is always packed with locals so that tells you something.

 

 

 

Thank you, just what I was looking for !! I just wanted a fly by the seat of my pants kinda day....

[gertz]

Most rentals that I have checked on have a full size car at about $40 to $45 per day. But when you add the insurance on, and on one day rentals I would certainly add insurance, and tax you will be getting close but not above the $100.00 price. But then a little gas at $3.75 to $4.00 per gallon and you will be there.

The bigger problem as I see it is someone has to drive and I don't want to and neither does DW so I guess we will splurge and take the ships tour.:eek:

[Sunny AZ Girl]

The rentals seem to be a good way to see the islands. However, I am concerned about the time it takes to pick them up and return them on a limited day on the islands. Is this a problem? How much time should you plan (on average) to return the car and then get back to the ship? And do most of the rental places have frequent shuttles running back and forth?

[Umbarger]

The rentals seem to be a good way to see the islands. However, I am concerned about the time it takes to pick them up and return them on a limited day on the islands. Is this a problem? How much time should you plan (on average) to return the car and then get back to the ship? And do most of the rental places have frequent shuttles running back and forth?

 

It doesn't take long really. All the rental places have frequent shuttles running all day. I would say a max of 15 or 20 minutes for the shuttle and to check in. Drop off is much quicker. We encountered traffic jams on some of the islands depending on the time and day of week. We always got back with at least an hour to spare because we are obsessed about missing the ship.

[Giantfan13]

The rentals seem to be a good way to see the islands. However, I am concerned about the time it takes to pick them up and return them on a limited day on the islands. Is this a problem? How much time should you plan (on average) to return the car and then get back to the ship? And do most of the rental places have frequent shuttles running back and forth?

 

Sunny

 

Rentals ARE the way to go. I cannot speak for some of the other rental agencies, but from reading these boards, we learned that you can go to the Thrifty site and sign up for their Blue Chip Service;. That means you give them all the info in advance, that you normally would when you are in the agency. You do this on line, they send you a Blue Chip Card. Then when you want to rent a car, they already have all the info, so when you arrive at the agency, you simply go to the Blue Chip line, sign your name and away you go.

Again, I'm not sure if other agencies have a policy like this. We knew Thrifty did and we used them for all our rentals. never took more than 5 minutes.

 

I would also say ALL the rental agencies have shuttles that take you back to the ship after you turn in your car. Unless you turn it in after the agency is closed (some have drop boxes to just leave the keys in), then you are on your own to get back, but that is unusual.

[apeller]

We decided not to rent a car, and opted for a tour with Ricky's Tours. He was a very knowledgeable guide who shared the history and culture of the island. He has a very clean van. The tour was $50 per person and included:

 

Hilo Tour

 

*Banyan Drive

*Liliuokalani Garden

*Rainbow Falls

*Macadamia Nut Co.

*Akatsuka Orchid Garden

*Black Sand Beach (Richardson Ocean Beach Park)

 

Volcano National Park

*Steam Vents

*Jaggar Museum

*Halemaumau Crater (home of our volcano fire goddess and also the main vent of Kilauea volcano for the past 100 years)

*1982 Lava Flow

*Keanakakoi Crater

*Thurston Lava Tube

*Kilauea Iki Crater

 

He picked us up at the ship and we were on our way. He was a great guide and a nice guy. If you decide not to rent a car, consider him, a small local business.

http://www.Rickystours.com

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Sunny

 

Rentals ARE the way to go. I cannot speak for some of the other rental agencies, but from reading these boards, we learned that you can go to the Thrifty site and sign up for their Blue Chip Service;. That means you give them all the info in advance, that you normally would when you are in the agency. You do this on line, they send you a Blue Chip Card. Then when you want to rent a car, they already have all the info, so when you arrive at the agency, you simply go to the Blue Chip line, sign your name and away you go.

Again, I'm not sure if other agencies have a policy like this. We knew Thrifty did and we used them for all our rentals. never took more than 5 minutes.

 

I would also say ALL the rental agencies have shuttles that take you back to the ship after you turn in your car. Unless you turn it in after the agency is closed (some have drop boxes to just leave the keys in), then you are on your own to get back, but that is unusual.

Thank you. I know that many people are doing the car rentals with no problems. I am just so used to being picked up at the ship and being taken right back that I am trying to wrap my head around the logistics of the whole thing! :confused: We don't cruise to Hawaii for over a year and DH doesn't want to know anything about my research until we are done with our next cruise, so guess I'll just collect all the info I can and talk to him about it MUCH later.:rolleyes: I am not sure he will be wanting to do all the driving every day himself - and I am not that crazy about driving unfamiliar roads myself. I would rather relax and enjoy the scenery. We may rent a car some days and take a tour or two also just to give ourselves a break.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We decided not to rent a car, and opted for a tour with Ricky's Tours. He was a very knowledgeable guide who shared the history and culture of the island. He has a very clean van. The tour was $50 per person and included:

 

Hilo Tour

 

*Banyan Drive

*Liliuokalani Garden

*Rainbow Falls

*Macadamia Nut Co.

*Akatsuka Orchid Garden

*Black Sand Beach (Richardson Ocean Beach Park)

 

Volcano National Park

*Steam Vents

*Jaggar Museum

*Halemaumau Crater (home of our volcano fire goddess and also the main vent of Kilauea volcano for the past 100 years)

*1982 Lava Flow

*Keanakakoi Crater

*Thurston Lava Tube

*Kilauea Iki Crater

 

He picked us up at the ship and we were on our way. He was a great guide and a nice guy. If you decide not to rent a car, consider him, a small local business.

http://www.Rickystours.com

Wow that's a lot to see in one day!:eek: It looks like an option for us. I bookmarked the site and will show it to DH, along with the car rental info after this May's cruise. It seems so long away, but I know it will go fast!:D

[apeller]

Wow that's a lot to see in one day!:eek: It looks like an option for us. I bookmarked the site and will show it to DH, along with the car rental info after this May's cruise. It seems so long away, but I know it will go fast!:D

 

It was about 4-1/2 - 5 hours long. At the time it cost $50 per person. We actually filled up the van from our roll call.

 

You are correct though, the time will go by fast, Next thing you know the trip will be over and you will have no choice but to plan another one.

[Giantfan13]

Thank you. I know that many people are doing the car rentals with no problems. I am just so used to being picked up at the ship and being taken right back that I am trying to wrap my head around the logistics of the whole thing! :confused: We don't cruise to Hawaii for over a year and DH doesn't want to know anything about my research until we are done with our next cruise, so guess I'll just collect all the info I can and talk to him about it MUCH later.:rolleyes: I am not sure he will be wanting to do all the driving every day himself - and I am not that crazy about driving unfamiliar roads myself. I would rather relax and enjoy the scenery. We may rent a car some days and take a tour or two also just to give ourselves a break.

 

I can understand how your DH feels. Myself, I love to drive, but let me make one thing clear, the roads in hawaii are excellent, directions very good, and it is almost impossible to get lost. (All Husbands know this LOL). Only when you are inthe cities is there any traffic, so for the most part, you are out on the open road>

I don't own stock in the rental companies. If a tour is the way you choose to go, that great. You will see all the things that are there to be seen. We just like to do things at our own pace and not be shuttled on and off a bus twenty times a day. If we care to just sit and relax at a certain spot, we are able. If we want to stop and buy some souvenirs, talk to a local, buy some flowers on the side of the road, we are able to do that with our own car.If ohne particular spot or area interests us more than somehting else, we can spend more time there. Many people prefer the set tours (just stay away from the cruise line tours, way overpriced), and if that's their thing, great. As I said, we just prefer to have the freedom to come and go as we please.

 

You will love Hawaii no matter which way you go.

 

Len

[apeller]

I can understand how your DH feels. Myself, I love to drive, but let me make one thing clear, the roads in hawaii are excellent, directions very good, and it is almost impossible to get lost. (All Husbands know this LOL). Only when you are inthe cities is there any traffic, so for the most part, you are out on the open road>

I don't own stock in the rental companies. If a tour is the way you choose to go, that great. You will see all the things that are there to be seen. We just like to do things at our own pace and not be shuttled on and off a bus twenty times a day. If we care to just sit and relax at a certain spot, we are able. If we want to stop and buy some souvenirs, talk to a local, buy some flowers on the side of the road, we are able to do that with our own car.If ohne particular spot or area interests us more than somehting else, we can spend more time there. Many people prefer the set tours (just stay away from the cruise line tours, way overpriced), and if that's their thing, great. As I said, we just prefer to have the freedom to come and go as we please.

 

You will love Hawaii no matter which way you go.

 

Len

 

I agree with you the roads are easy to drive, and we rent cars often while on vacation. On the other hand, it is nice to sit back and relax, and let someone else do the driving with narration. DH has no trouble driving, but he likes having someone do it for him on occasion. I hate to drive and never volunteer unless I have to. The next best thing to renting a car is organizing your own private tour (and then getting people to join you). That way you maintain a certain amount of control over the tour. I also agree that unless you are stuck with no other options, avoid the overpriced, overcrowded ship's tours.

[chachi]

This sounds great! How long does the excursion last?

 

We decided not to rent a car, and opted for a tour with Ricky's Tours. He was a very knowledgeable guide who shared the history and culture of the island. He has a very clean van. The tour was $50 per person and included:

 

Hilo Tour

 

*Banyan Drive

*Liliuokalani Garden

*Rainbow Falls

*Macadamia Nut Co.

*Akatsuka Orchid Garden

*Black Sand Beach (Richardson Ocean Beach Park)

 

Volcano National Park

*Steam Vents

*Jaggar Museum

*Halemaumau Crater (home of our volcano fire goddess and also the main vent of Kilauea volcano for the past 100 years)

*1982 Lava Flow

*Keanakakoi Crater

*Thurston Lava Tube

*Kilauea Iki Crater

 

He picked us up at the ship and we were on our way. He was a great guide and a nice guy. If you decide not to rent a car, consider him, a small local business.

http://www.Rickystours.com

[apeller]

This sounds great! How long does the excursion last?

About 4-1/2 to 5 hours

Ricky is very quick to respond with any questions. In fact, we emailed him that we were coming back next year and he said he will work on a different tour for us.