23. Big Island - Hilo & Mauna Kea

We wake up in our cozy apartment in Hilo. The tropical morning air flows through the window, and after the strenuous volcano hikes, it feels good to start the day without a fixed schedule. Today, we first explore the town on foot. Our first stop is the well-known Hilo Farmers Market. However, disappointment follows quickly: Contrary to typical travel guide descriptions, today there are hardly any stalls present. The market seems empty and a bit deserted. The usual sampling is completely omitted – unfortunately, there's nothing to try here. Nevertheless, we keep an eye out and at least acquire some of the offered local fruits. As we stroll through the streets afterwards, the bleak impression intensifies. Hilo is showing us its unvarnished, true face today – and this is a stark contrast to the typical postcard images. We see a lot of poverty. Homeless individuals catch our eye at many street corners and in the parks. The cityscape itself speaks volumes: many of the historic houses are visibly dilapidated, the facades are crumbling, and the structure is suffering. It's a shocking sight, and this walk leaves us deeply pensive. It makes it very clear that Hawaii is grappling with serious everyday problems. We return to our apartment for lunch. There, we cook ourselves a relaxed midday meal.
After the break, we feel drawn outside again. We get in the car and head to the famous Akaka Falls, located a little north of Hilo. Upon arrival, we pay the admission fee at the park entrance and start directly on the paved circular path. The short trail turns out to be a real dream: it leads us through a dense, lush green rainforest full of giant bamboo groves, wild orchids, and exotic plants. After a short time, we hear the loud rushing sound. Then we stand before them: The Akaka Falls plunge more than 130 meters deep into a wooded gorge. An absolutely impressive sight.
However, the day is not yet over, as the kids are eager to swim! In the apartment, there are two boogie boards ready that need to be tested finally. So we drive to the nearby Honoliʻi Beach Park. We walk down to the black sand beach and throw ourselves joyfully into the surf. But the Pacific Ocean shows its teeth immediately: the waves are gigantic rolls and crash in with a force that is much stronger than anything we've experienced on this trip so far. It's an extremely wild ride! The power of the ocean cannot be underestimated here. After only a short time, a loud whistle rings out across the beach: the vigilant lifeguard is whistling us and some other swimmers out of the water due to dangerous currents. Safety comes first! However, the disappointment doesn’t last long, as the Honoliʻi River flows into the ocean right by the beach. We simply switch areas and instead go swimming in the calm, cool river water. It’s wonderful to splash around here while watching the pro surfers out on the giant waves.
In the afternoon, we're in for an absolute contrast program. Our destination is Mauna Kea. It is a 4,205-meter high dormant volcano and, from the seabed to the summit reaching 10,203 meters, is regarded as the highest mountain on Earth.
We want to experience the sunset above the clouds up there – an adventure that requires thick winter clothing right in tropical Hawaii. We drive up the spectacular Saddle Road. The landscape changes rapidly with every kilometer: the dense, green jungle around Hilo quickly turns into a barren, almost moon-like backdrop of reddish and deep black volcanic soil. We gradually leave the dense wall of clouds behind us as we drive up. Finally, we reach the Visitor Center at almost 2,800 meters altitude and make a mandatory stop. The air here is already noticeably thinner, and we need to give our bodies some time to adjust to the changed conditions. Before we tackle the remaining altitude to the summit, we talk to a park ranger and ask if it is safe to continue with kids. The answer is clear: we are strongly advised not to proceed with children under 13 years old. The risk of getting altitude sickness at over 4,000 meters is simply too high for kids. Safety absolutely comes first for us, which is why we reluctantly forgo the summit. Instead, we choose a nice viewpoint right at the height of the Visitor Center to observe the sunset from there. Even here, the scenery is absolutely gigantic. The air is cold, but the view compensates for everything. We snuggle into our warm jackets and watch as the sun slowly dips into an endless, radiant sea of white clouds. The sky colors in the wildest tones from flaming orange to deep pink and into a soft violet. It’s an incredibly magical moment that we, as a family, enjoy completely safely and relaxed. After the sun sinks behind the sea of clouds, darkness descends. It gets even colder, but we stay at the Visitor Center to participate in a stargazing event. The explanations from the experts are really good, easily understandable, and absolutely fascinating. We learn a lot about the constellations in the clear Hawaiian night sky. However, there is a downside: as this place is an absolute magnet for visitors, countless cars are parked here. The headlights from the constantly arriving and departing vehicles intermittently break the darkness. One is regularly disturbed, which unfortunately slightly tarnishes the magical atmosphere. Nevertheless, we then begin our return journey and happily arrive back in our warm apartment in Hilo with fantastic images in our heads.
Tropical warmth awaits us in Hilo and a concert of whistling. When we come into the apartment, we make a very special discovery and finally solve a multi-day riddle. A tiny frog is making quite a racket here! It is the famous
Coqui frog, an invasive species on Big Island known for its loud concerts. A few days ago in the national park, we thought when we first heard it that it was an exotic bird whistling from the dense fern forests. Last night we could finally theoretically solve the acoustic riddle, and today we even get to see the loud little fellow in the spotlight. It is hardly bigger than a thumbnail, but its piercing whistle fills the entire tropical night.