Rainbow Falls is very close to downtown Hilo, on Waianuenue Ave, on the right side just after Waianuenue splits into 2 roads, the other being Kaumana Drive. It is a very pretty waterfall, and when you are there at the right time in the morning when the sun is behind you, a rainbow forms down in the pool when the force of the falling water hits it. Behind Rainbow Falls, there are swimming holes; you need to walk past the falls into the jungle a bit, see the awesome Banyan trees, then follow the trail to the swimming holes.

On the outskirts of Hilo, follow Waianuenue Avenue to Rainbow Falls to rub shoulders with a legend and see a very accessible beauty spot. The name is apt: in Hawaiian - Wai (fresh water) and anuenue (rainbow). And with high water flow and sunlight, you can see the rainbow in the mist from the falls.

The legend is that the demigod Maui rescued his mother, Hina, from the cavern behind the falls where she had been trapped by a rebuffed suitor, the mo'o (dragon) Kuna. Above the falls, the channel of the Wailuku (Water of Destruction) River is pockmarked by holes in the lava bed. The churning action of flow over these pits gives the area the name "Boiling Pots."

It's an easy and scenic walk unless high water makes it dangerous. On the highway side of the Boiling Pots, huge Banyan trees cast a dark mysterious shade.

Yes, the Volcano National Park was the primary highlight of the day. But there were many other interesting stops during the day. One stop was Rainbow Falls. Our tour driver "promised" that we would see a rainbow at the falls. He even told us how to stare at the point where the falls meets the water and that if we continued to stare for 90 seconds, we would see a rainbow. Unfortunately I wasn’t successful in that mental exercise. But what I did see was beautiful falls! I find water very restful and almost magical. I probably could have sat on a bench and watched the falls for hours. As we got back on the bus, we all discussed who saw a rainbow. Needless to say, since the weather conditions were not conducive to seeing rainbows, none of us saw a rainbow at Rainbow Falls. But the Falls are definitely worth the stop. See picture.

Another stop was the Black Sand Beach (Punalu’u Beach County Park). This was the first time I ever walked on lava. I had seen black sand beaches before (on Maui) but this beach was quite different. First it was a lot less commercial. Also there were sea turtles in the ocean. We didn’t have bathing suits on so we didn’t get to swim, but it seemed like a perfect place to return for a swim, a walk, and a picnic. See picture.

The Akatsuka Orchid Gardens were a surprising delight. I do not have a green thumb so I don’t usually rave about nurseries, but this was a beautiful stop. There were orchids of all colors all around. Since my mother LOVES orchids, I tried to see the nurseries through her eyes. The store has a photo of the orchid that was for sale for $20,000. Needless to say, I took a photo of that for my mother (see picture). Also, my mother had one request for me: to bring back a thimble from Hawaii. Sure enough, I was able to find a thimble with an orchid picture imprinted on it. I also found a cute pair of orchid earrings for her. All too soon I had to leave the Orchid Garden. It was hard to believe I spent so much time at a place I would have skipped if I were planning the itinerary.

We also stopped at the Parker Ranch Visitor Center. This was cowboy country! I spent most of the time looking at the quaint store. Bob bought some beef jerky that he said was very good. I bought some trail mix that was excellent. In fact, I wished I bought some more because my purchase was quickly consumed! There were lots of odds and ends in the store for perusal or purchase.