Hawaii Big Island 10 Days FREE THINGS Itinerary

_{Enjoying the waterfalls at Kapehu Stream –}

Day 1 – Start your day lightly by walking at Lili’uokalani Garden which offers you a view of some of the biggest trees that I’ve seen in my life.

_{The Banyan Tree vs. the bench for a comparison}

Just a little walk from there, you will see a beach on the horizon. If you bring your bathing suit, you can go straight to Carl Smith Beach Park nearby.

_{Or you can just walk instead of swim}

Once you are done with swimming and in the mood to do a little walk with a view, do head to Onomea Bay. It depends on how adventurous you are, but this trail could be done lightly or in a harder way.

_{The view from Onomea Bay hiking}

Day 2 – Waipi’o Valley will be the start of your day. However, this is a privatized land, so hiking inside alone is prohibited. However, if you are willing to pay, you could hike with paid guided tours. If not, the viewing point is free to be visited and offers a marvelous view.

_{The view of Waipi’o Valley}

Just a hundred meters from the valley, lies Honokaa Historic Town. It is a nearby old town for you to stop for a postcard & souvenirs shopping, coffee, or even a gumball.

_{Dave was excited to find an operating gumball}

_{A postcard that I chose to send to my friends in Germany}

After some sightseeing, Kalopa State Park will be your next stop to hike. This park offers you different vegetation during the hike.

_{If you look closely, there are different type of vegetations in each picture}

Day 3 – Kamanua Cave is what you can do on the third day. It is a free cave which offers you a taste of hiking in the dark. Theretosay, do bring your headlamp, wear long sleeves clothes, and proper shoes. I suggest you not to walk until the end of the cave. I heard that you will end up in a nowhere jungle and in the end have to crawl back to your starting point.

_{The starting point of Kamanua Cave}

Boiling Pots is the place where you can head afterwards. Please stay beyond the rail even though the waterfalls may tempt you to climb it. But somebody died not listening to this, was swept away to the river, and sucked into the undercut below.

_{The view from Boiling Pots rail}

Rainbow Waterfalls is best to be enjoyed in the morning for one to feel the mystical vibe. It is located just near the Boiling Pots with approx. 3 minutes drive. However, when we were there, we were blown away by a very big old connected banyan tree, whom we call Ohana Tree.

_{Rainbow Falls during the day}

_{Ohana Tree vs. Dave for comparison}

Day 4 – Let’s say the weather is not so good on this day. We had this before. So, this day will be filled with indoor activity as well. Mokupapa Discovery Center is open for a visit. Imho, it is rather a place for kids to learn about marine life. But, as an adult, you can learn a thing or two there as well. The highlight would be an insightful video about reconnecting with nature personally and globally.

_{One of the exhibition corners there made of real marine debris, i.e. different plastic items found on the ocean}

Let’s assume the weather is better, Paradise Cliffs is your next stop. It is a beautiful set of cliffs, where one can carefully enjoy the view (since somebody died there too accidentally). During our stay, we saw a lot of crabs, people dating, and we just decided to stay for a sunset.

_{Paradise Cliff from the side}

_{Sunset on Paradise Cliffs}

Day 5 – Today is your zoo day, which is Paneawa Zoo. Their main stars are the bengal white & orange tigers. However, there are also roughly 80 other animal species on the field. The one that stole my attention was Romeo, the super loud parrot.

_{This is not Romeo, but his neighbor who is patient enough to tolerate his loudness}

Just near the zoo, there is a zen garden for you to visit. Awapuhi Labyrinth offers you a stop-by-and-take your time walk with this concept. You also get to sign their guestbook. This place was truly a hidden gem of our trip.

_{This is not your normal garden walk, since there is only one true walking path}

If you are craving for some nuts or sweets, you shall next visit Manua Loa Macadamia Nut. Located nearby the park, the visitor center offers you a shop, free photo booth & samples, educational videos and also a walking garden. It costs you nothing to go there, but their stuff is so good, so you will end up with something anyway.

_{Their Rocky Road Macadamia Milk ice cream is so good!}

Day 6 – Mauna Kea View Point is just right on the side of the street. You can combine this viewpoint with your hiking day at Pu’u O’o Trail. Through this view point, you can see the Mauna Kea Mountain. It depends on how far you will hike, but if you hike for some distance at Pu’u O’o Trail, you can see the mountain as well.

_{Mauna Kea from Pu’u O’o Trail}

You then hike at Pu’u O’o Trail, where the trail is made of dried lava. Along the hike, you will see different types of vegetation. I strongly suggest you stay on track during your hike. Never make any shortcut, no matter how tempting it is.

_{One of Pu’u O’o Trail Landscape}

_{Another Pu’u O’o Trail Landscape}

Day 7 – After some hike yesterday, you can start your day lightly by going to Lava Tree State Park. We were there and able to see how lava molded trees. And that’s how nature works. After some time you will see plants above them, since time creates cracks on the mold and traps moisture to allow new trees to grow.

_{See the look alike stones? They are the trees which I wrote above}

After that, do visit the Lava Zone Museum to educate yourself about lava. Hawaii is located in an active lava zone. So, it makes sense to understand the geology on where you currently are standing at.

_{Inside Lava Zone Museum}

Day 8 – Richardson Beach Park is another beach park that you can visit. We were there because we hoped to see turtles. But, we didn’t. I heard if you want to see them, you should rather come in the morning, where the tide is low. However, it was not a waste since we had our snorkeling equipment and were able to see colorful fishes. So, bring yours too.

_{Richardson Beach Park offers stones for the turtles to lay on and rest}

Wailoa River State Recreation Area was where we went afterwards for a walk. It was a huge park located near the government’s building. The highlight of this park is King’s Kamehameha Statue, Hawaii’s most famous King.

_{The playful stairs on the park}

Wailoa Art Center presents exhibitions regularly. And if you are lucky, you dates may suit the event.

Day 9 – Volcano National Park is a must if you visit the Big Island of Hawaii. It is usually open to the public to visit, unless there is a specific activity on the volcanoes or an accident like fire. It is officially a paid thing to do, but our hosts told us if one goes before sunrise, it would be free since the rangers are not there yet. But, I suggest you buy the pass since it is valid for 7 days. The park is huge, so it would be worth it to visit more than once. Plus you are supporting nature maintenance as well. We paid 30 USD for 2 people with a personal vehicle.

_{This is the Kilauea Iki Crater, one of the crater on the park – PS: you can walk through it as well}

Kahena Black Sand Beach is a beautiful beach with a perfect wave to surf. Do note that this beach is popular for its naked visitors. We didn’t know about this fact and were surprised with what we saw. In the end, we took off our pants since we felt overdressed 😅

_{Kahena Beach “Entrance” – since this is no official beach}

Day 10 – Punalu’u Beach was the only beach where we succeeded in seeing the green turtles. We were there around 1 PM and there were approx. 10 of them lying on the rocks. There is no guarantee when the turtles will be on the beach. However, people said they are commonly spotted on the morning when the tide is low._{If you see them one day, do note to keep out distance from them}

KAU Coffee Mill is the destination where you can head next. Their coffee tasting is always free. But since their coffee is so good, you will most probably buy something. I tried their classic macchiato with salted caramel flavor and was happy with the result. The foam was perfect, the coffee kicked in, and the flavor just made it sweeter without you having to add sugar._{One of the coffee tasting sections in their shop}

Just take a rest on this day since you have done a lot of things in the previous days anyway 🙂 Or you might want to try some local delicacies. Below are my favorites.

_{Cappuccino from Woodrose Tea Lounge, an easy pick since this is the only place on the big island so far that served me coffee in a mug instead of a plastic cup. Plus point for the lovely garden, taste and price (6.50 USD for Large) 🤍}

_{Bento lunch from Hiro’s Place, big in portions, easily fed us twice, 15.00 USD (Rice+Mac. Salad, 2 Sides)}

_{Butter Roll from KTA Store, 3 USD}

_{Poke Bowl from Farmers Market Kitchen at Hilo, each with sushi rice, raw fish of choice, and 2 sides for 20 USD (freshest raw fish and it was very full-filling)}