My husband and I recently visited Hawaii. Constantly exploring tropical rainforests brightened my palette. Hearing the sound of rainstorms and birds every morning was also incredibly relaxing. From an artist’s perspective, here are some of my favorite things to do in Kona, Hawaii:
Take an early morning rainforest hike
The Makuala O’Oma Trail was one of my favorite hikes on the island. At seven in the morning, mist still threaded through the trees, and I saw parrots breakfasting on fruit. You may encounter locals running through the rainforest but the walk is relatively quiet until 11 am or noon. Walk until you see the signs for Jurassic trail, which diverges to a high and low trail. I recommend taking the higher trail, as the crossover trail (in a rough square) is down a steep slope full of loose rocks. Much easier going down than up! The lush vegetation and dewy moss seem straight out of a Studio Ghibli film. During the month, as temperatures rose above 90 degrees, I greatly enjoyed that I was able to stay cool on this hike.
Check out street art in downtown Hilo
We stopped for shaved ice at Makani’s Magic Pineapple Shack. We arrived ten minutes early, so we decided to stroll around Hilo, checking out shops and came across some beautiful street art. I only took a photo of one, Yoskay Yamamoto, but there were lots of beautiful works that could be found on restaurants and shops or even down alleyways. The fruit bowls at Makani’s are not only beautiful but delicious; when we returned, a line had formed around the shop. Across the street, we ordered poke from Poke Market, which was some of the best poke we had on the island. While we only passed through Hilo, I would return just to explore its streets.
Observe turtles in the wild
One of my favorite beaches is Mahaiula Beach, next to Makalawena Beach. To get there, you need an SUV or Jeep, although I saw lots of low-level cars like a Mustang make the 1.5 mile unpaved road drive just fine. There’s a trail between the two parking “lots” at the trailhead, or you can hike the unpaved road for around 25-30 minutes (at a brisk pace) to get directly to Mahaiula Beach. The white sand and turquoise waters resemble a picture-perfect Hawaii - and turtles can be seen swimming and basking in the tide pools.
Note: Please do not touch or interact with wild animals! I have no idea why this needs to be said, given there are many warning signs all around indicating this.
Stargaze in the Volcano National Park
We decided to stay on the Hilo side of the island for a few nights at a delightful bed and breakfast called At the Crater’s Edge. Run by a couple from Seattle, it was beautiful and luxurious - everyday, the hosts delivered fresh banana bread. At night, we took advantage of the 8-minute drive to head into the park (open 24 hours) and look at the stars. It was otherworldly to see the majestic sunset turn from golden pinks into deep purple blues. The number of stars you will see will take your breath away.
Get cucumber toast and coffee at HICO Coffee (before your flight)
This part of downtown Kona gets lively at night. It was our go-to spot as an alternative from the more touristy areas - most of the restaurants serve delicious food, from poke to ramen. HICO serves cocktails and hosts live performances (check their website for most up-to-date schedule). I stopped by here for their coffee and cucumber toast while waiting to pick up my parents from the airport. The outside tables are great for people-watching, catching up or drawing and sketching. You might even get a visit from a gecko (like I did).
It was also one of the few places open early in the morning, so we grabbed musubis (almost double the price of other musubis, but so delicious) and that cucumber toast survived the flight (I ate it about 2 hours in).
To see all my favorite spots, check out my map.