Waikoloa Village, HI - Day 7
Friday, April 9
Today, Andi and I were excited to take the family on a scenic drive along the northern coast of Hawaii from Waikoloa Village to the quaint, little town called Hawi on Highway 270, then to the Pololu Valley, and finally through the mountain town of Waimea on Highway 250, ending back in Waikoloa Village. We visited this area on Day 3 of our trip to the Big Island, still jet-lagged and awe-struck over the stark Kohala Coast landscape so we were excited to make this drive again now that we’re a bit more acclimated to the island. This time, Grandma Janie was along for the ride and we thought it’d be fun to share the the charm of the north side of the island with her for the very first time.
We left Waikoloa Village around 9:00am, making our way up the coast toward the small town of Hawi. Tory’s big wish of the day was to stop at Bamboo Restaurant for lunch so she could enjoy another one of their famous smoothies. Since eating there during our first week of the trip, Tory has since proclaimed Bamboo smoothies as the best she’s ever eaten! Along with the smoothies, we all shared plates of kailua pork & cabbage, chicken stir fry with rice, a burger, and a Vietnamese green salad for lunch.
While in Hawi, the five of us also stopped in to the organics grocery store there called Kohala Grown Market to buy a few more bottles of spices and fruit. Last time we were here, Andi purchased a bottle of a locally-produced dried seasonings called One Love Garlic that we’ve loved! We’ve been sprinkling the seasoning on our salads which adds so much flavor. The grocery store didn’t have any star fruit available today to Aden’s disappointment, but we did buy more black sapote fruit and another variety called chico spate that is suppose to have a brown sugar taste to it. This grocery store has had the most unique variety of fruits and spices we’ve seen on the Big Island.
In Hawi, the five of us also browsed the shops across the street from Bamboo Restaurant. Andi bought himself some new board shorts and Aden used some of his money from Grandma & Grandpa to buy a Hawaii-branded guitar pick. Afterward, we all split a scoop of the island’s famous Tropical Dreams ice cream. We tried the macadamia nut flavor and it was pretty good!
Next stop on our day-trip adventure was the Pololu Valley, a popular scenic overlook with an optional hike down to a black sand beach. The hike switchbacks one-mile in length down the cliffside, but it’s not terribly difficult — especially if you take it slow. Tory and Aden were able to make it down & back up again without a problem the last time we visited, and today Janie didn’t have an issue either. I suppose the trail could be a little slippery if the area had recently received rain.
The first time we hiked down to the beach at Pololu Valley was on a Saturday and it was a busy place. Today, there were only a few other families there enjoying the black sand beach, the many rope swings hanging from the trees, and a trail that weaves throughout the forest floor.
Tory and Aden were most interested in the rope swings during our visit today. They had a blast running from swing to swing, jumping off the hillside and swinging through the air.
For a while, we sat on the beach and threw rocks into the ocean. The waves are pretty intense here so it’s not a very good place for swimming, but it’s a pretty place to sit and enjoy nature. The views are spectacular.
Eating shaved ice was on Janie’s Hawaii bucket list, so we had stop by our favorite treat shop along Highway 270. We discovered Sweet Tooth Shaved Ice during the first week of our trip and fell in love with the eclectic cafe and its owners. Today, Aden ordered a rainbow shaved ice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle and Tory & Janie shared a strawberry cherry shaved ice — no ice cream. Andi and I split one of their freshly-baked chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches. Yum!
Next stop on our driving tour was the scenic Upolo Point Rd following the northern coastline. This would be a really fun road to adventure on with a 4x4 Jeep! The road is in poor condition and was very bumpy in our Escalade rental, but a beautiful drive nonetheless. The road ended at the sacred birthplace of King Kamehameha I dating back to 480 A.D.
From there, we slowly made our way back to Waikoloa Village via the Kohala Mountain Road. This stretch of Highway 250 weaves through cattle ranches and countryside. It’s not at all what you’d expect to find in Hawaii! At 2,500 ft. in elevation along the slopes of the Kohala Volcano, the air temperature was in the cool mid-60’s and then warmed up again as we drove closer to Waikoloa Village.
Today was a fun, full day of adventure and one of our favorite scenic drives on the island. Tomorrow, we say good-bye to Waikoloa Village and move over to Hamakua Coast the east side of the Big Island.
