Black Sand Beach, to Hilo, to Waipo

Waimanu Valley

Week beginning Oct 9, 2013

Took a few hitches throughout the day. First was from a local older lady for a few miles to an intersection and cafe for breakfast. Next was from a guy who is retiring in Hawaii and was previously a director of photography for Discovery and History channel, so we had a thing or two to talk about. He got me to a development called Ocean View Estates, which isn't the greatest part of Hawaii, so I kept going with a local couple and their dogs to another town. Then the last hitch of the day was to the Black Sand Beach where I retired. [See the previous post picture.] The wind picked up that evening and it was pretty cool to watch the waves crashing and trees blowing.

Next day I was up early and making my way to Hilo to an area called Puna that I was planning on going through to get to the beach. I was told the area is one of the worst parts (gangs and stuff) of Hawaii, so I'll wait until I rent a car to make it through there. Hilo seemed ok, just a normal town. I decided to just do one night in Hilo since it seemed like a 'must spend money tourist area' with not great beaches. Some cool parks though. Stayed at the hostel with some Swiss guys and an old San Diegan. So, I moved on through.

Next day I took off up the east coast and had a stop at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens, then to Waipo Valley. Waipo is an amazing valley and a great beach. I had a good time body surfing and watching the surfers.

The next day was about a 16 mile hike to Waimanu Bay along the Mulawai trail. This was the most amazing thing I've seen here so far, maybe ever. It's another beach in a deep valley that you can only hike or boat into, so there were only a few people (5-10). The cliffs seem to go straight up and there were a few waterfalls on a beach, the beach being easy to get stuck at. I shoulda planned it out better and stayed a couple days there, and I think I will eventually.

Anyways, I headed back and climbed out of the valley the next day, then started hitching again. Now I'm back at the west coast, 20 or so miles from were I started. This is the best beach area on the island, so I'll make my way slowly to the airport, then rent a car so I can do some stuff that would be too difficult or dangerous without a car. I had a great sunset. There's a small National Park area here that's closed, so I'm gonna get up early and sneak around. Sorry government but I really want to see these ruins.

 

Waimanu Valley 

Spencer Beach Park, West Coast

 

http://www.htbg.com/index.html  Botanical Garden

 

http://www.hawaiidriveguides.com/HawaiiDriveGuide/12_13_hdg.html?gclid=CPL2zr6Pm7oCFRRk7AodzSYAFA#.Ul5nC6Hn_mI   Map