Trying to plan HILO!

G%26#39;day!

I%26#39;m trying to plan some time in Hilo and close nearby..

How big is actual hilo- I mean from one side near east of Banyan Drive to Waianuenue near the edge of Downtown Hilo? For example, if we walked along Kamahamea Ave how long would it take?

Anyway, my plan for one morning (not Sunday) was to head down bright and early (7am-7.30ish) to the Suisan Fish Market. (Is this worth seeing?)

Then grab some breakkie at Ken%26#39;s House of Pancakes or elsewhere on Banyan Drive, such as Hilo hawaiian hotel bakery. (??)

(Is it best to walk along Banyan Drive or drive?-anything fun to look at, stop at? What%26#39;s there?)

Have a look at Liliukolani Gardens, then walk across to Coconut Island. (Where for lunch?)

~

I also planned some stuff for Downtown Hilo- whether to do this on the same day or another morning, I%26#39;m not sure!

So, early at Farmer%26#39;s Market, then have a look in Visitor%26#39;s Centre, Pacific Tsunami Museum (Worth seeing? What%26#39;s the difference between that and Wailoa Visitor Centre?)

Then have a good walk around Hilo- perhaps do some of the stuff suggested on Historic Walking Tour. Look along Keawe St (perhaps stop in at Bear%26#39;s Coffee or Chocolate Bar), have a look in some shops, then walk along Kamehamea Ave. (Anything special we should see?)

After we%26#39;ve had a good look around here, we might head up Waianuenue Ave and check out Rainbow Falls, and even PeePee Falls and Boiling Pots if we%26#39;re up for it.

~

That%26#39;s about all I%26#39;ve come up with for around Hilo. The aspect of time and space is confusing me here. How big is Hilo and how long do things take to look at/walk around..??

Also coming back from Hilo to Kurtistown, I also thought have a look at Panaewa Rainforest Zoo and Mauna Loa Plantations.

What do you think?? Any further suggestions about exciting shops, good eats, trendy/nostalgic streets, good views, etc etc will be greatly greatly appreciated!

Next I%26#39;ll be planning Puna, then Hamakua coast so please stay tuned!

Thanks again, you guys have been life savers so far!

Cheers,

Beth

Trying to plan HILO!

beth, I can%26#39;t say how long it takes to walk anywhere, that depends on how fast you walk ... as for distances, you might try an online map, google, yahoo, mapquest (in that order my favorites). From Banyan Dr. to Hilo downtown isn%26#39;t that far -- that is a small part of Hilo.

Now when you walk uphill (mauka), a map won%26#39;t show you that. Rainbow Falls is definitely uphill, Pe%26#39;e Pe%26#39;e is quite a ways farther, although in a car it is quick.

I can%26#39;t think of anything ';special'; to see on the Avenue -- just look around, when you see something cool check it out. Kamehameha isn%26#39;t interesting (businesswise) until you get to Mamo St. where the Farmer%26#39;s Markket stalls are. Before that, walk along the Bayfront and look out to the bay and points north.

Banyan Drive. to me, isn%26#39;t interesting, just a string of hotel parking lots. Spend more time around Liliukalani and Coconut Island. Wailoa River Park is an odd place; it feels forlorn. I don%26#39;t know how to convey it ... it%26#39;s one place in Hilo I don%26#39;t feel really safe, weird vibe there ... However, it was just a feeling I had.

Strolling around Hilo, go in some of the shops and if you get the older proprietors you can hear some good stories, one guy was there during the tsunami ... sadly I can%26#39;t recall the name of his store, but it%26#39;s on the bayfront and he has jewelry in the window.

Trying to plan HILO!

thanks a heap K! much appreciated!

definitely going to check out mamo st for the market!

and it would eb good to have a chat to the locals- i enjoy a good story!

thanks,

beth

yeah, downtown old Hilo is mostly hole in the wall type small shops, quirky places. I think it%26#39;s fun ... I like to trip around there. The thrift shop is rather fun and the window displays all along have cool stuff, and then if you like what%26#39;s in the windows you can go inside.

If you go up to Akaka Falls, be sure and stop in the little town of Honomu, get some ice cream, pizza, or burger and maybe stop in the old glass bottles shop ... blast from the past.

I would stop at Bear%26#39;s Coffee.

I would also drive down east of Banyan Drive to the beach parks on the other side of the port. Kalanianaole St. You will want a good map print out of Hilo. Stop at Onekahakaha park.

Also you might walk across the Wailuku River on the old bridge (not on the highway, above that).

In a car -- go to Honolii Cove and watch the surfing.

Stop at Blane%26#39;s drive-in on Waianuenue if you want to see a local plate lunch diner. Or try Verna%26#39;s catacorner from Ken%26#39;s Pancakes.

MOST of Hilo town isn%26#39;t the quaint shops and galleries but a working town sprawled along and inbetween Hwy 11, Kilauea St and Kinoole (the two original main streets), all the way to Prince Kuhio plaza. It takes maybe 10 minutes to drive end to end but it%26#39;s not a great walk. Then residential Hilo goes way up the mountain and you will likely not see most of it.

You might enjoy stopping at Imiloa Astronomy Center at the upper University of Hawaii entrance off Komohana.

The zoo is cool. I don%26#39;t think much of the Mauna Loa Mac Nut place.

Check and see if anything is going on at the Palace Theatre maybe, and while strolling the businesses on Kamehameha, check out the posters for music, fairs, special events, these are opportunities to mix more with local people which I seem to remember you wanted.

By check out the posters, I meant that all the event flyers get posted in the windows along that front stretch of businesses near Cafe Pesto and walking towards the Wailuku River (north end of town).

wow that was gold! i%26#39;m definitely going to do some of those things you suggested!

thanks ever so much!

and yep, i getchya about the posters! we have the same here- get stuck over empty walls and poles and shop windows!

hole in the wall shops? what do you mean?

You%26#39;re welcome, beth! I just know you%26#39;re going to have a brilliant time here.

by ';hole in the wall'; I simply mean small old fashioned kine shops in a row with just the one window display and a regular door (with maybe a bell on a string to let them know you came in), single proprietors ... perhaps selling old coins, art, books, antiques and collectibles, individual designer clothing, and so forth. Often have colorful artistic signage.

as opposed to our strip mall stores which frequently have more frontage, commercial double doors, multiple clerks with no relationship to the owner, and carry only mass-produced products.

Also you%26#39;ll see little places to eat like PukaPuka on the Bayfront and Naung Mai Thai food tucked away on Kileauea (if you get over that far).

A larger slicker business on the Bayfront called Basically Books is worth a look for the mass of books and maps and products about Hawaii. Their prices are high but it%26#39;s a good browse.

btw, where does the walking tour take you around? (I%26#39;m guessing it takes a well thought out route, but don%26#39;t know for sure).

We loved the Imiloa Astronomy Center, and they have a great Cafe.

Also, the ice cream shop between Cafe Pesto and the Farmer%26#39;s Market had the best shave ice with any flavor of ice cream underneath. Yum!

I felt that the Banyan Drive area was run down and not worth getting out of the car for.

Coming from my perspective (San Diego) Hilo was very tiny and easy to navigate. We really enjoyed it and it didn%26#39;t even rain on us the 3 days we were there!

here is the link for the walking trail!:

gohawaii.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm鈥?/a>

i%26#39;ve seen a shorter one which is just around the streets near kalakua park.

thanks a lot for both your input! im soooo excited haha! today i%26#39;m planning puna district! ill let you know what i%26#39;ve thought of soon!

cheers!

OK. Since I cannot work out exactly what to do, i have decided to create a few smaller trips and combine them together when I get there, depending on days-what%26#39;s open etc and whether we feel like doing that. For example %26#39;Hilo east Trip%26#39; plus %26#39;Paneawa Zoo%26#39;, or %26#39;Farmer%26#39;s Market trip%26#39; plus %26#39;Historical Tour and Keawe St Trip%26#39;. What do you think?

*Hilo East Trip* (not Sunday)

-Suishan Fish Market

-Banyan Drive

-Breakfast or Lunch at ken%26#39;s Pancakes

-Liliukolani Gardens

-Coconut Island

(This should be around half a day perhaps.)

*Hilo South Trip*

-Prince Kuhio Plaza

-Big Island Candies

-Imiloa Astronomy Centre (where is it? i assume south-ish?)

*Historical Tour and Keawe St Trip*

-Historical tour

%26gt;Park car near Kalakaua Park/Visitor%26#39;s Bureau

%26gt;Walk up Haili St until Kapiolani (if there%26#39;s anything to look at- Lyman House doesn%26#39;t sound particularly exciting, is it?)

%26gt;Go down Kilaue Ave, turn at Furneaux, walk along Kamahamea

%26gt;Tsunami Museum

%26gt;Walk around Shipman Drive, then back to Keawe St.

-Walk Keawe St.

%26gt;Bear%26#39;s Coffee

%26gt;Interesting Shops

(Is there anything exciting to look at/eat at/shop in along Haili, Kapiolani, Kilaui, Furneaux Sts?)

*Farmer%26#39;s Market Trip*(sat or Weds)

-Farmer%26#39;s Market

-Shave Ice on Mamo St.

(anything else?)

Some of these trips can be combined with the Paneawa Rainforest Zoo and Rainbow Falls. Anything else right near Hilo area?

I also have a few Qs regarding some of the stuff that has been mentioned to me before:

1)Where is Honolii Cove?

2)Roughly where is Blane%26#39;s drive in on wainuenue? (I know wainuenue..)

3) Naung Mai Thai on Kileauea- that street is pretty big, where abouts is the restaurant?

4) Where is Cafe 100 and Hilo Homemade Icecream?

THANK YOU HEAPS AND HEAPS!

i%26#39;m trying to be fully clued up so as not to waste a minute of the trip! How does it all sound?

Thank you always!

Beth :)

RE: Honolii Cove location. Never been to the island yet, but our b-n-b for the HIlo portion of the stay overlooks this locale. Generally speaking, this cove is north/';up the coast'; from downtown Hilo. Here is some parsed directions from Orchid Tree B and B:

%26lt;from downtown Hilo%26gt; (Drive) onto Hwy 19 (northbound-- ocean on your right, along Hilo Bayfront on Hwy. 19). Go through the next signal and across metal bridge (Singing Bridge). From the Singing Bridge this area is appx. 1.7 miles (toward Pepeekeo/betwen mile markers 4 and 5).

Note: from there it%26#39;s directions directly to the bed and breakfast; I%26#39;ll leave it to the local experts or people who have actually been there to give you directions to the beach proper. (It sounds as if it%26#39;s a wavy beach best suited for surfing/body-boarding.)

Have fun on your trip!