5113jls@houxr.UUCP (09/29/83)
The first thing you should do when you get to Hawaii is to pick up the pamphlet "This Week - Big Island". You can find this in the airport or in all of the hotels. It will give you ideas of what to see, where to eat and what you can do for entertainment. It also has a shopping guide so that you can look like a tourist (sorry). But I will list a few things you should see. Kona (city) is a very nice town and it has some very interesting historical sites. One of them is the Royal Palace. The Captain Bean diner cruise in Kona is fun. You should try to go to as many luaus as possible. The Kona Surf has a good luau but it will cost you a little money. You should also go to some of the cheaper luaus. This not because they are cheaper but in many cases they are better than the expensive ones. North of Kona is the Parker Ranch and the beautiful valleys. See the valleys first then drive down the center of the northern tip of Hawaii to the Parker Ranch. This way you will be driving through the ranch country. One thing you should notice as you are driving this route is that all the hills are old volcanic cinder cones. Also the view when you are driving down the mountain to the town, where the Parker Ranch is, is spectacular. Then you can eat lunch at the Parker Ranch restaurant. South of Kona is the City of Refuge. This place shows you some of the history of the Hawaiian people. This "city" had a special meaning when the Hawaiian people were at war. You must take one day out and drive to the Volcano National Park. You should eat at the Volcano House (it's on the edge of the volcano crater). Make sure that the day you drive out to the Park it will not rain at the Park. It will become foggy and you will have wasted your time. It is always sunny at Kona so don't use this to determine if it will rain at the Park.
cunningh@noscvax.UUCP (10/05/83)
If you'd like a bit more peace and quiet than you'll find in Kona,
consider having your travel agent book you into a hotel on Hilo (the
other side of the big island) for part of your stay. You can get
equivalent accomodations in Hilo for substantially less than Kona,
plus nice package deals with rental cars. Then drive over to Kona,
stay there for a while. You can fly in one side of the island, and
out the other by paying a small "drop charge" for your rental car.
If you'd rather stay at a "resort-style" hotel with its self-contained
golf courses, tennis courts, semi-private beaches (and possibly also a
riding stable), there are several good ones north of Kona on the
western side of the big island. I can recomend the Sheraton Waikaloa,
though I'm not sure exactly what the current rates are (definitely
more expensive than staying in Hilo, probably more expensive than
Kona).
It's possible to spend a great deal of time at Volcanos National Park,
and still not see it all. There are innumerable hiking trails (for a
very short one try the "desolation trail" that makes you feel like
you're walking on the moon). Although it's not on the direct
Hilo-Kona route, the "Chain of Craters Road" down towards the south
coast offers some spectacular scenery. Unfortunately, accomodations
up near Volcano are limited -- you have to book into Volcano House
months in advance. A real bargain are several (admittedly primative)
cabins nearby that are run by the Volcano House.
In fact, if you'd like to rough it, there are a considerable number of
state-operated cabins in various places around the Big Island. An
exceptionally economical way of visiting -- but I'd plan on staying my
last night in a regular hotel to enjoy the relative luxury before
leaving.
For a very unusual tour, try calling the University of Hawaii Support
Facility in Hilo to see if they have any (usually free) tours of the
astronomical observatories on Mauna Kea. The observatories are at
about 12,000+ elevation, and it tend to be chilly up there. There's
not all that much oxygen, so it's definitely not for the weak of heart
(literally). During the summer, there are evening tours where you can
see astronomers in action, and almost always get a chance to look
through at least one of the telescopes.
--
Bob Cunningham ...{ucbvax|philabs}!sdcsvax!noscvax!cunningh
21 17' 35" N 157 49' 38" W MILNET: cunningh@nosc-cc