(for a Yahoo! map of the Hamakua Coast Click here or go to Yahoo maps and type in the town of Waikoloa, then zoom out a bit.)

Waimea

Waimea, interchangeably known as Kamuela, is a growing residential town on Hwy 19 opposite Hilo at the base of Mauna Kea. The mainstay of Waimea is Parker Ranch; the largest working ranch in Hawaii, and the third largest in the United States. If you are interested, you could take a horseback tour of the ranch, or walk the museum and the historical buildings. In Hawaii, the real-life cowboys are known as Paniolos, probably a hawaiian version of the word Espaniolas, as the Hawaiians were turned into excellent horsemen by immigrated Spaniards long before anybody in the rest of the U.S. was trying it. Waimea is perfect cattle land too: green rolling hills, and large open spaces. Besides Parker Ranch, there are also numerous shops in Waimea that sell anything from Hawaiian clothing, quilts, and memorabilia to art and home accessories.

Waikoloa

Waikoloa is a small, mostly retired community on Waikoloa Rd., between Hwy 190 and Hwy 19 (Queen K) about 18 miles from Waimea. The village is a stretch of condos with green grass and lots of flowers, smack dab in the middle of otherwise scrub land. Some vacationers opt to stay here, as the prices are low - but it is close to the Kohala coast. Other than the gas station, grocery store, mini mart, and a few other shops - there is no real reason to detour out of your way to visit.

the Coast

It's debateable exactly where the Kohala Coast starts, but for our purposes we'll start at Kona Coast State Park, which is at the 88 mile marker on Queen Kaahumanu Hwy (also known as Hwy 19, or Queen K for short). To get to the park, you'll have to drive a couple of miles down a dusty,dirt/lava road. Supposedly, this road is OK for sedans - I have driven it in a 2 wheel drive Ford Explorer, and made it with little problem. At the end there is a parking turnout, next to a large lava field where you can park your car. The beachcombing here is good, and there are picnic tables but the swimming can be dangerous and the facilities are minimal. The park is currently being developed, and until it is finished I would advise you skip it. When it's done, it'll probably be the nicest state park on the island, but until then - there are much better beaches to spend your time at.

Heading North on Hwy 19 above the park, many people are surprised at the desolate landscape. Both sides of the highway are black, crumbly, sharp-looking lava flows as far as the eye can see. This is from a lava flow - I am not sure how long ago - that inundated this coast, leaving only bits and pieces of older land. If you look towards the ocean, you'll sometimes see these pieces of land that were spared, the lava parted - or stopped short. The view of acres of fiat, black land with heat waves coming off of it meeting the blue, blue ocean, dotted at places with tall green trees is really a gorgeous example of contrasts. There are few scenic point pullouts where you can park your car and take pictures.

While on Hwy 19, be sure and keep an eye on the water (if you are not the driver) for whales. You are far away on the highway, but you can still see them breaching (jumping) or spouting (blowing water up from their blowholes) sometimes. Also keep an eye out for donkeys trying to cross this highway - they live in the mountains and will come down in the aftemoons or evenings to and cross the highway to get to the ocean to drink. There are donkey crossing signs, but no reduced speed limit or anything and sometimes the donkeys get hit- which could also result in injuries for the occupants in the car.

Near the 81 mile marker there is a wide shoulder where you can pull off at a locked gate and hike down to Kiholo Bay. I have never been myself, but many people say it is well worth the half hour hike each way. There are black sand beaches with turtles nesting on them and a freshwater pond. You can see the bay from the road at around the 82 mm- look for the coconut trees.

The luxury hotels and the beaches

The Kohala Coast is also called the Gold Coast, a reference to the many luxury hotels on the ocean here. The hotels have bought~ "land near beaches, and even made their own beaches by dynamiting right in the middle of all this desolate lava. The grounds of the hotels are always very lavish, covered with flowers, grass, and palm trees: each one a colorful oasis in a sea of rough black. Normally they can't be seen from the road, you'll have to drive in the entrance to almost the ocean and look around. Feel free to drive in - not all will let you on the grounds, but most have shops or beach access for the public - at the worst you'll just get told to turn around.

The first hotel you come to heading north on Hwy 19 is the Four Seasons resort right next to the sprawling Kona Village. The Kona Village is particularly interesting because it is a collection of bungalows scattered about gardens and a beach. The bungalows don't have phones, or TV's - you'll feel like Gilligan with only the ocean as a playmate.

The next hotel, at the 76 mile marker, is the Royal Waikoloan Hotel and the Hilton Waikoloan Village. The Royal Waikoloan is the hotel with the dolphin Quest Program. If you stay there your kid has a possibility of getting in the water with the dolphins at the lagoon. Everyone can watch from up close - it's really an amazing show. My husband and I have walked in twice and just walked through the lobby, past the train (!) around to the left of the pond, under the waterfall, and watched the show from the dock. I don't know if people who aren't staying there are allowed to or not, but no one bothered us.

Also in this area is Anaeho'omalu Beach. Even if you aren't staying there you should check out this beach - just take a left at the sign that says beach and park in the parking area. The beach is long, with yellow sand, fronting a genuine Hawaiian fish pond. The swimming and snorkeling here is good, and the windsurfing is excellent. There are even a few windsurfing schools here that will get beginners up on the board in no time.

These two hotels also host the Kings Shops; a collection of high quality clothing, jewelry and 'stuff’ shops, a golf course, and 2 acres of Petroglyphs that anyone can go see.

Two miles north of them is the Mauna Lani Resort Area, which is probably a must-stop for everyone driving through the area. The biggest draw here is the public Puako Petroglyphs. The petroglyphs are carvings in rock from ancient days, reminiscent of cave drawings - Hawaiian style. The entire area is well maintained, and historically incredible.

Above Mauna Lani is the Hapuna Prince and the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. The Hapuna State Beach Park, just below the Hapuna Prince, is the best beach on the island of Hawaii - and one of the top ones in the entire island chain. It is a golden-yellow long and wide expanse of sand, with good swimming, snorkeling, diving, body surfing, surfing, boogie boarding, sand castle building, and picnicing. There are full facilities, and beach rentals. There are A frame cabins across the street to rent for cheap, but no furnishings. The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel host access to Kaunaoa Beach, but only a certain amount can go in at a time. get there early - this beach has been named the best beach in the world a few times. It is un-crowded, with a dazzling-white, immaculately clean slip of curving sand around crystalline blue waters. I think they let 30 cars go in at a time, and then when one car leaves ~ another can go in. This may seem like overkill to some, but the hotel's policy of limiting access to the beach really keeps it pristine - and protects the environment.

North of the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Hwy 19 intersects with Kawaihae Rd., which will take you to Waimea if you turn right. If you instead stay to the left, you'll be on Hwy 270 (Akoni Pule Hwy), still heading north. Just above this intersection will be the turnoff to the Pu'ukohola Heiau National Park on the makai (ocean) side of the road. This is the Temple on the Hill of the Whale, a massive outdoor temple built out of rocks by Kamehameha I at the bequest of a prophet before he conquered and unified all the Hawaiian Islands. This is definitely worth a stop - if you only have half an hour, you could check out the visitor's center - look at the structure from behind - and watch for whales on the water. This is an excellent whale-spotting spot. If you have about an hour and a half, you could walk down the path and view the front of the temple from below, and then continue on to the small bay that used to be a hawaiian village for royalty keep an eye on the bay for shark fins, this bay is full of tiny black tip reef sharks. To the other side of the Heiau is Spencer Beach Park - this is one of the nicer beach parks on the island. If Hapuna beach is too crowded, you could spend the day here.

North Kohala

Continuing north on Hwy 270, you'll find some of the prettiest ocean scenery in the entire world on this drive, not to mention the valleys and small towns. It was actually named "the most beautiful drive in the world" by Travel magazine, so it's well worth the little under an hour it will take from the intersection with Kawaihae Rd. to Pololu Valley. At Pololu Valley, you'll have to "' turn around and drive back, as the road ends at the impassable valley. If' you want to stop at some of the places available - you should allow at least a half a day to a day, and if you want to walk down into Pololu Valley, you should allow a full day.

About 12 miles above the Kawaihae Rd. intersection is the Lapakahi State Historical Park - a 'preserved' ancient Hawaiian village featuring canoe sheds, burial plots, and housing sites. If you take the self-guided walk (try early in morning or later in the afternoon to beat the heat) it will take about 45 minutes and span about one mile. This is one of the better historical sites in the islands for anyone interested in hawaiian history.

Along the rest of the drive you'll find three beach parks: Mahukona, Kapa'a, and Keokea - you can drive in and check these out, but I wouldn't advise planning to swim or snorkel here. There really are much better facilities lower south- and these beach parks have no sand, and the water can be dangerous. The views are nice, the beachcombing is OK, and they might be nice for picnicing but that is about it, for a visitor.

If you have a four wheel drive, you could go to the Mookini Heiau: take the turnoff to Upolu Airport, and take a left at the dirt road. It is about a mile and a half in, and the birthplace of King Kamehameha I is a little farther in. If you don't have a four wheel drive don’t worry about it. The area is historically significant, but' the way is rough, and if you've already seen Pu'ukohola, you've seen visually grander.

Past the Upolu Airport turnoff is the small town of Hawi, and a little past that is the also small town of Kapaau. Hawi and Kapaau are both very slow-paced, quaint little towns, that offer family owned delis. ice cream shops, a coffee shop, a bank, a small hospital, and a coffee mill. In Kapaau, the statue of King Kamehameha stands in front of the community center guarding the town and welcoming visitors. My suggestion for a North Kohala excursion is the Kohala Mountain Kayak Companies ’Flume the Ditch’ ride. You get a short history lesson about how this irrigation ditch was built - and then you get packed up in a van for a trip to the starting point. Then you all bundle into 5 person kayaks for a slow tour down the mountain, through tunnels and over ’bridges’. This tour is not exciting, it is not fast-paced, and it is a little expensive ($75 or close) but it is fun, with amazing scenery of hidden pools and thick forests, and very nice, knowledgeable local guides - total time for the flume the ditch fide is about three hours (don’t go if you have back problems though, a 2 hour kayak ride is bad for a bad back).

Pololu Valley

Past Hawi and Kapaau, all the way to the end of the road - is Pololu Valley. This valley is a lot like Waipio Valley (on the other side of the mountains on the Hamakua Coaast,) just a little smaller. Many people just take pictures at the overlook, as the view is tremendous - a view of Hawaii seen in many travel posters, featuring small chunks of land just off the coast, and the towering cliffs bordering the green valley. If you are feeling adventurous, you can walk down the switchback trail into the valley. The walk will take about 20 minutes down and a little more back up. It can be muddy and dangerous during or just after rains, so be careful and use common sense. In the valley is the black sand beach (the surf and current are dangerous) and the stream coming from the back of the valley.