There will be hiking books
in your vacation cottages.
However, we intend to develop this page in order to give
our guests or other Big Island visitors to the Kohala
Coast already a taste of a few easy
hiking adventures.
Those hikes or walks can also be managed with children
and one doesn't need a permit. If you want to go for the
more 'challenging' hikes, you'd better join for your own
safety one of the guided tours from Hawaiian Walkways
Find more info below.
Waipio Valley Rim Hike
(also known as White Rd Hike)
- about 2 hr round trip
Follow Hwy 19
through Waimea town in the direction
of Honokaa. About 3 miles out of town, look for White
Rd and turn left. Proceed to end of White Rd where
you see cars parked on right hand side. Walk through
cattle gate and follow trail past water reservoir, through
'singing' bamboo forest, blooming impatients,
rainforest
ferns...till the view suddenly opens up to a panoramic
vista of the back end of Waipio Valley, waterfalls
(if it had rained recently) and pacific ocean views.
Leave your flipflops at home and put on some sturdy
shoes instead. The passionate hiker can keep following
the rim trail (gets quite narrow and slippery – caution
advised!) and experience many more hours of
continuous hiking. Take a good supply of sunscreen,
water and snacks on your way. Choose a clear day
and start your hike early. Have fun hiking the Big Island.
Kohala Coast Beach walk - one
way about 45 minutes
from Holoholokai Beach Park, next to Mauna Lani
Orchid Fairmont, to the Beach Club at Mauna Lani
Resort. Park your car at the Park. before going on
your beach walk, check out the Hawaiian petroglyphs
located near the parking area. Bring your hat, plenty
of sunscreen, water and your camera. If you want to
swim or snorkel at the end of your walk, bring
appropriate equipment...the water is full of tropical
fish. Restrooms and outdoor showers are available.
On your beach walk, you
will see sunbathing sea turtles
at Orchid at Mauna Lani. If you are interested in
learning
more about tropical fish and how the ancient Hawaiians
lived in this area, plan your beach walk on a Tuesday,
Thursday or Saturday and join the 10:30 a.m. fish tour
at Mauna Lani Bay Hotel.
Waterfall Pools
Above Waipi`o Valley
"Two minutes of agony, then ecstasy." That's the
description Dr. Hugh Montgomery uses, both to
warn and to encourage hikers on Hawaiian
Walkways' historic trail who are contemplating
a dip in the pool below the falls in Lakakea stream.
The water always feels cold, he observes, especially
when the day is sunny and bodies have been warmed
by the exercise of walking through forests and meadows.
Though hikers vary in their approach to immersion, some
plunging in (his personal preference) and others easing
gradually into the water, they all ultimately shout, laugh,
and urge their companions to “Come on in! “
Along the Waipi`o Waterfall Adventure trail there are
several waterfalls with pools below them. A newly
developed side-trail leads to the water below the highest
of the falls. The pool and the small island below it have
become one of the favorite "memory-maker"
spots on
the hiking adventure along the lands high above Waipi`o
Valley. Some prefer simply to enjoy their picnic lunch
on the boulders among the ginger plants surrounded by
the water as it ripples past, while others find irresistible
the draw of the shimmering pool. And there's no telling
in advance who will prefer which: In one family recently
visiting Hawai`i, the parents had used the prospect
of a
swim to persuade their teen-age sons to accompany
them on the hike. As it turned out, the boys sat quietly
at water’s edge while their mom and dad played –
yes, like kids – at the base of the rushing falls.
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