North Route Drive

And now for a short journey across the north side of Hawai’i.

A little North of Hilo, nestled into the back of a florescent green, mossy ravine, is the horsetail-like Akaka falls. The easy going trail is lined with miniature falls and effervescent streams.

The additional piece to the trail was blocked but Fil found an alternate route to explore the private waterfall in the back. Here, even parking lot views are this beautiful:

One of the most well known images of this island is Waipio Valley from this particular viewpoint.

We had intended to do the day trip hike crisscrossing the gushing creeks and veering onto the dark beach seen below; however, after discovering that the breathtaking falls deep into the valley was temporary absence, we decided on other adventures for the day. But the view alone was completely worth the trip.

Waimea seems to belong anywhere but a Hawai’ian island.

Situated in the heart of severely deep hills, this town is surrounded by unusually rolling grasslands. Gleaming in the bright sunlight, each blade glows intensely yellowish-green creating a sea of wavering light. Now that the winter is fading into spring, the pastures are becoming golden-yellow mountains. Befitting such countryside, this is also the home of Paniolos, the renowned Hawai’ian cowboys. Architecture abandons the tropically breezy structures and instead reflects ranch style inspirations. The one characteristic that is classily Hawai’ian is the vibrant ocean view along its roadsides.

At the end of one of our drives along the North side, we opted to head past the tiny, peaceful town of Hawi and into the most northern tip of the island. We were surprised to find the spectacular view that was hiding at the end of the road. Somehow even more awe-inspiring than Waipio, this valley opened into a cornucopia of blues. The sea wove shades and depths into a magnificent arrangement below. We have a photo we'd love to share. . .of course we can't seem to find that right now so we'll have to add it later after it reappears.