Lapahoehoe Point: A pretty little spot made more interesting when you know that a school here was co

For those of you who have been there, what more unusual places or activities did you find on the big island? We will have a car, so we can get around. We love exploring and getting off the beaten path a bit, so local restaurants, small museums, artist hangouts etc would all be good too.
I'm not keen on the helicopter rides myself. Having lived in Hawaii -- but on Oahu -- I remember there was a problem with annoyed discount london hotel Big Island locals taking potshots at the choppers discount london hotel from time to time, especially marijuana growers who thought it might actually be DEA surveillance. And there have been some crashes resulting from the corrosive effects of the volcano sulfur on the rotary blades. discount london hotel I recall reading about some movie footage of the volcano being filmed, and this happened to one of the helicopters, which crashed inside the crater but stopped just above the lava line. The pilot and camaeraman managed to scramble up and out. Hairy.
Anyway, Hilo is a pleasant discount london hotel little town. and I think the Parker Ranch -- one of the oldest ranches in the US, predating many if not most on the mainland -- is interesting; I believe that's up in the Kohala area.
I wouldn't worry about car-rental restrictions. Our agency said not to drive the Saddle Road, but it's a perfectly good road, as is the road up to the observatories. discount london hotel The best we could guess, discount london hotel they just didn't want to have to go all the way out there if we really did break down. But all we saw were other rental cars all violating the restriction like us. (The same for Haleakala on Maui; the carpark up top was filled with rental cars whose drivers had agreed not to drive up there.)
Knowing what I know now, I would not pick that as a home base to work from. Basically the took a huge lava field and terra formed it into a resort area. It is not near anything except the golf course.
Pay for the van that drives you to the top of Mauna Kea at sunset. discount london hotel It was pricey but worth it. Then you don't have to drive on the saddle road, the view is fantastic and then they set up a telescope at 9000' for stargazing tha is the best view of the heavens you will ever have.
Ahalanui discount london hotel Park in Puna. Off the beaten track, it is a local park with a giant swimming pool built out of lava with a hot spring feeding one end and the ocean feeding the other. One of the top five swimming experiences I've had in my life.
One thing we really enjoyed there was a trip to the southern most tip of the island -- I believe discount london hotel it is the southern most point of the U.S. You drive through several wind farms to get there, some abandoned and unused, with broken rotors. The winds were awesome, and the ocean pounding. It is mostly lava cliffs. There were these wooden ledges built on the cliffs from which the locals could lower their boats to the water. We stood out on one of these sturdy wooden structures and felt it shudder and bend in the wind. Fishermen used large garbage bags as sails to hoist their fishing lines far out into the surf.
Volcanoes National Park is a must, of course. It was actively erupting when we were there, and part of the park was closed, but we were still able to get a good look at the ash-spewing vents. discount london hotel There were constant updates on the volcano and the weather. They were worried about the wind shifting and blowing discount london hotel ash and sulfurous discount london hotel clouds over populated areas. The hike across the cauldron there was mind-blowing.
We saw gorgeous botanical discount london hotel gardens and bird preserves. One thing that surprised us was all the mongooses. You should visit the Captain Cook monument discount london hotel at Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park. There is no road access to the monument -- you have to paddle across discount london hotel the bay to see it. Kayak rentals are available near the parking lot. Most people bring food and water because there are no services at the actual monument, and there is good snorkeling there, so people make a day of it. Mongooses wait in the bushes and when they see an opening they dart out to the shore and steal food from the tourists.
One thing to not expect is idyllic beaches. There are a few beaches, some of black sand, which is just crushed lava rock, but mostly it is jagged lava rock right down to the water. discount london hotel Bring rugged foot-wear; if you expect to slum around in flip-flops discount london hotel you won't be able to see the most impressive sights.
My husband and I live on the Big Island - written in quotes because I'm writing discount london hotel this from Indonesia, where our jobs currently are and where we have spent most of our working lives as expatriated Americans. But we chose the Big Island as our real American home many years ago, bought property discount london hotel there in 2002, and go back whenever we can. I am fiercely, fiercely in love with all that Hawaii has to offer.
Below is a small taste of my favorite places, excerpted from material I have sent to friends planning a visit (perhaps slightly out of date - this was first written in 2007, though I just tried to give it a quick update). Since our home is in Honomu, it kind of goes outward from there.
Honomu town: a line of small shops featuring local arts and crafts, jewelry, woodworking, the usual tourist stuff, etc. Ghastly prices, shuts down early, and at least a few shops will be closed at any given time.
Restaurants in Honomu: the local joints discount london hotel in town offer tasty fish sandwiches, hamburgers, pizza, shave ice and ice cream. Good bakery opens first thing in the morning. All spots close by 6 pm except pizza place which is open until 7 (it s closed all day 1-2 days a week, though.)
Old Mill beach: A marvelously atmospheric beach (not found in any guidebook, and I m not sure what, if anything, its real name is) with black sand, high surf, and the rotting out remains of an old sugar mill that was inundated in the 1946 tsunami.
Discovery Center: small but nicely done center for learning about atolls and coral reefs. You can try to manipulate objects using the mechanical hands of a submersible sub, just like the ones really used on the ocean floor.
Tsunami Museum: Excellent way to learn how various tsunamis, most notably in 1946 and 1960 but also in other years, have shaped the history of Hilo. I believe the 2004 tsunami exhibit is now up and running; don't know if they've had time to add much about the 2011 Japanese event.
discount london hotel Boiling Pots: A scenic spot on the Wailuku River with a nice, abbreviated but steep hike (it takes all of about 5 minutes) you can take down to the water. You don t have to take the hike to enjoy the scenery.
Hilo waterfront shops: Hilo fancies itself as something of an artists colony and a lot of the locally produced glasswork, painting, woodcraft, etc. is available in the shops here. You be the judge of its quality. T-shirts, surf gear, fabulous but pricy Japanese cloth, and other miscellaneous discount london hotel items are available as well.
Onekahakaha Beach: I love this little beach, and based on how popular it is a lot of locals do too, but truth in advertising requires me to add that (a) it is extremely shallow better for splashing discount london hotel around than for actual swimming; (b) it s rocky and there is algae/seaweed so you need tabbies and you can t be the kind of person who flips out at the sight of green goo from the ocean. The cool thing about this beach is that gigantic breakers shield discount london hotel the inland swimming areas from enormous, threatening waves that foam impressively right behind where little children frolic in calm waters.
Big Island Candies: You can see the factory through discount london hotel large glass windows behind the store, and occasionally you ll see a row of diligent little old Asian ladies hand-dipping chocolates. But the real point is to buy tasty candies and cookies made with local ingredients like mac nuts and kona coffee.
Hilo Zoo: More of a park with birds, monkeys and reptiles than a full-fledged zoo, this is a lovely spot for a stroll and a picnic. On Saturdays there are sometimes activities such as a petting zoo for children. The zoo s pride (no pun intended) is a gorgeous white tiger named Namaste. No admission charge.
Kaumana Caves: discount london hotel Although you can simply stare at the entrances to this lava tube and leave, it s much more fun if you venture inside and take a 20-minute, rather challenging hike over jagged lava boulders in the dark.
Lili uokalani Gardens and Banyan Drive: An attractive Japanese garden to stroll through, and you ll never guess what sort of trees grace Banyan Drive. Not all that exciting, but perfect for drive-through tourism.
Imiloa Astronomy Center Planetarium: Regular shows at the planetarium, and exhibits that, thanks to the politics of local culture discount london hotel vs. astronomers on Mauna Loa, are prodigiously respectful of Hawaiian traditions. Small but appealing.
Lapahoehoe Point: A pretty little spot made more interesting when you know that a school here was completely swept away in one of the tsunamis. A bronze memorial commemorates discount london hotel the victims by name, and you can still see the steps where the schoolteacher s cabin stood until it was claimed by the ocean.
Kohala Park/Nature Center: An initiative to create an area with only native Hawaiian plants (during 2006 while at nature camp, Charlie helped to weed out ginger, discount london hotel which is not native to the islands). Not worth making discount london hotel a special trip to see, but pleasant if you happen to be in the vicinity anyway.
Waipio Valley Overlook (White Road hike): A wonderful hike (about 45 minutes one way) through pastureland, woods, headily scented discount london hotel ginger, discount london hotel a flume, and past a lava tube or two, culminating in an awesome view of Waipio Valley if the weather cooperates. It rarely does; usually at least part of the hike will be in mist if not rain. It is still beautiful, but if you are opposed to getting wet you should skip this hike unless the sky is brilliant blue at the trailhead.
Anaeho'omalu ( Lone Palm ) Beach(es): Start at a rocky but pleasant beach with good ocean swimming; you can hike a bit beyond where most people stop and find nearly deserted, stunningly beautiful beaches, one of which even has a hint of green sand. Sea turtles can frequently be seen in this area. Hike some more across not-too-onerous lava terrai