HAWAII BLOG FEBRUARY 6th, 2026 - HAWAII BIG ISLAND

 

2/6/26– Wake up, eat breakfast and get ready for our day out… same-o, same-o. Except for one minor detail. We need to get Sharece some long pants and a jacket. Hmmm Jeff, why would you need that in Hawaii? Well, apparently their mountain, Mauna Kea, can get pretty cold and windy and we didn’t think about this coming in. No worries, we leave a bit earlier and Wal-Mart is on the way so Sharece runs in for her warm clothing and presto we are on our way.

The drive takes an hour and a half. We can’t ask for a better day as there’s hardly a cloud in sight (unusual for this side of the island). By the time we reach Waipio Valley Lookout, we jump out the car and dart down the short hill to see an incredible view of the valley and coastline. All the greenery is lush, the sky nice and blue and our cameras can’t get enough. It is a touch warm at 80 degrees so we escape to the shade every now and then, but the view is simply amazing.

Next up is Akaka Falls which features a 442 foot waterfall in the middle of a rain forest. It takes an hour (with a quick stop for sandwiches), then have to pay $22 for parking and admission. It’s worth it as the funds go towards preservation, and the hike only takes five minutes to reach the lookout spot (with some stairs involved). Unfortunately, the view is a bit far and you can’t see the pool of water at the bottom. They had another falls on the trail but don’t feel like taking the longer route for it, so we opt to drive to the next location on our list.

The thirty minute drive takes us through the city of Hilo, which feels like we didn’t miss much by not touring the area, and arrive at Rainbow Falls sometime after 2pm. Again we have to pay $22 for parking and admission, but this time the viewpoint is just past the entrance. Weirdly enough I’m greeted by a chicken that walks right up to my side of the car as I get out.

This one is only about 80 feet tall but we can get the full view of it, however, the sun starts to escape and we aren’t able to see the rainbow ring. The parking pass does allow us to view another place a mile down the road called The Boiling Pot. Not much to it but a far away view, probably why it’s included, but there is a sign that says 27 recorded deaths have occurred here so there’s that.

Last on our agenda today is Mauna Kea (which means The Mountain but is actually a dormant volcano). The elevation to the summit is 13,800 feet; however, we don’t have a 4x4 vehicle to make the journey so we opt to stay at the visitor center which is still quite high at over 9,200 feet.

Our ears pop several times making the drive up in our Kia Soul rental, and we are getting discouraged by the cloudy skies that seem to have formed rapidly. The guide at the visitor center did expect the clouds to move past by sunset so we rest in our car for the next hour plus. The wind is picking up which adds more chill to the 54 degree weather, so thankfully we picked up those warmer clothes earlier.

 

About 40 minutes before sunset we begin the trek up Pu’ukalepeamoa (or Sunset Hill) to its summit. The view is amazing as we literally feel like we’re walking amongst the clouds, which makes the twenty plus minute hike up bearable. I’m thoroughly impressed with Sharece completing the climb and very glad the cloudy skies part enough for a splendid view. Wow!

The temp is now around 30 degrees, which means it’s time to go. But before we drive back to the AirBnb we take in the stars as they sparkle through the night's sky. What a great day. A ton of driving but very happy the weather held up. Of course it does start raining on our way back and the fog rolls in making it very difficult to see at times, but we manage to stay safe.