Sunday, April 16, 2017

Friday, April 14, 2017: Day Eight

Friday has arrived and, sadly, we have to leave the Hilo house. We ate our malasadas, straightened up the house, and packed the car.  It's time to hit the road again.  

 

 

But, our great adventure is not quite over. You know the old saying: "Arrive early and stay late"? That's us!  We're taking the redeye back to TN so we have all day to see a few more sights.

Our first stop was the Hawaii Botanical Garden. It was established  by Dan Lutkenhouse in 1984.  He bought the property in 1977 and spent over seven years turning a jungle, covered with trash and junk cars into a botanical garden that features streams, waterfalls, and a boardwalk along the ocean.  It contains over 2000 plant species and is one of the most impressive tourist attractions in Hilo. 

 

I couldn't begin to choose which photos to show you so here's a link:
You can browse to your heart's content.

After touring the gardens, we got back in the car and headed up the road to Waipio.  The Waipio Valley Overlook is probably the most photographed sight on the Big Island. You may have seen it before on tv or in a movie. You can take the scary road down to the beach if you have 4WD and a lot of courage. (Most rental companies forbid travel on that road).  Or you can hike down, but it's a long, steep hike back up to the parking lot. 

 

 
 

We took a lot of photos then headed to Waimea where we dropped off the rental scooter and then headed across the street to Big Island Brewhaus for lunch.  After a detour through church yards, a cemetery, and back alleys, we finally found a parking place!  

 

We enjoyed our late lunch on the patio and then headed onward towards Kona. 

 

 

We still had lots of time to kill so we stopped at the Waikola Queens' Marketplace for ice cream and a little last minute souvenir shopping. I particularly liked the Quilt Shop. (Think, Vera Bradley, Hawaiian style!). I couldn't resist buying a cute bag. 

 


 

 

Shopping complete, it's time to go to the airport. 
 
We're headed home.  Good night Hawaii!  By morning we'll be on the mainland. 

No comments:

Post a Comment