To the end of the road at Waipio

Last week’s post, The little Hawaii town with two names, took us to the Jacaranda Inn and the little town of Waimea. By the end of our second day, we’d completed the background research for that area and had a little time to kill. It was time to take a drive and play tourist.

The drive began in town on the Mamalahoa Highway. The scenery in this area is filled with big trees and rolling hills. It’s absolutely stunning and the fifteen miles to the turnoff for Honokaa came quickly. We’d never come this way before, so we were delighted when we arrived in Honokaa and discovered it’s an incredibly quaint town. The draw of the town was strong, but we resisted and continued on our journey to see the Waipio Valley.

There’s no direct route to Waipio Valley from the Mamalahoa Highway, which means you must backtrack about eight miles on Waipio Road. The drive, however, is easy and the views at the end are stunning. The hike down to the lookout and restrooms is short, but steep. At the base of the hill, there are a series of signs describing the valley, a picnic area, and the biggest surprise of all, restrooms with running water.

I hope you enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed the trip. It was well worth the drive.