Sea Mountain Relaxation

This is Hawaii, and it can't get much better than that. When on the Big Island, I enjoy visiting Volcanoes National Park. We were able to go there on three different days, since we spent two weeks on the island. The park gives you the choice of taking a drive around the crater, driving to the end of Chain of Craters Road, or hiking on any of the many trails.

Of course, water activity goes without saying. Since this is the island with a very active volcano, some of the coastline is quite rugged. Take a drive and you will come across some good beach spots.

Quick Tips:

A tip for shopping is to stop in Hilo at the Safeway. It is in a shopping center about a mile west of the airport at 111 E. Puainako Street. It is very well stocked and has good prices for Hawaii.

I also took advantage of the state library system. A visitor to the island can purchase a library card costing .00 that is good for three months. This allows you full access to materials, including computers. Good at any state-system library in the state, not just the island, and materials can be returned to any library in the system.

Best Way To Get Around:

A car is a must in Hawaii. Sea Mountain Resort is an hour drive from Hilo. There is a bus system, but it is slow and the buses are infrequent.

Best Things Nearby:
The resort is only 30 miles from the entrance to Volcano National Park and adjacent to one of the few black sand beaches located in Hawaii.

Best Things About the Resort:
The timeshare is located away from the hustle and bustle of city life. The closet town is about 5 miles away. There is a golf course at the resort and a black sand beach adjacent.

Resort Experience:
The resort is located about 50 miles west of Hilo, and about 30 minutes west of the Volcano National Park. It is more desirable to arrive in Hilo as it is only about an hour to the resort as opposed to around two hours from Kialua-Kona.

The buildings are almost all built the same with two units above two others and one additional unit to the side. The one bedroom units are split-level. The bedroom is located on the entry level, along with the bathroom and a small storage closet. The living room, dining room and kitchen are on the other level. There is a nice sized lanai or patio with four chairs and a table.

The bedroom has a queen size bed and has a large closet with ample hangars for clothing. It has louvered windows at the floor in addition to the regular window. Along with a ceiling fan, this helps to keep the air cool and moving. The living room and dining room are furnished with island style rattan furniture. The living room also has a neat Murphy bed, which, when down, has a wonderful view of the golf course and ocean. The large sliding door and windows along with more louvered windows low on the wall help the ceiling fan in this room keep things cool. These condos have no air conditioning. The weather on this island--and in this particular location--is generally nice enough that air conditioning is not needed.

Other amenities of the unit include a television and VCR and direct dial telephone in the living room. All calls on the island are considered local, so as long as you don’t call another island or call home to the mainland, there are no telephone charges. The kitchen is compact, but with all full sized appliances, including a dishwasher and microwave. The unit also has a washer and dryer located in a closet in the bathroom.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is an experience not to be missed. This is truly nature at work building land on a daily basis. The park entrance is 30 miles west of Hilo and 95 miles east of Kailua-Kona. Regular national park entrance fees apply and your pass is good for 5 days.

Stop first at the visitor center and take a look at any information there relating to current eruption activity. Be sure to visit the Volcano House, which is Hawaii’s oldest hotel, having opened its doors in 1860. Step out of the hotel's back door and get a close-up view of Kilauea Caldera.

Kilauea Caldera is almost 3 miles across and 400 feet deep. Eleven-mile Crater Rim Drive encircles the caldera. Halemaumau Crater lies within Kilauea Caldera. On the drive around on Crater Rim Drive, stop at the Halemaumau Overlook parking area and take the short ¼-mile trail out. Here you will get a very up-close view of the crater.

The Thomas Jagger Museum is also a must-stop on the rim drive. Here you can view photos of eruption activity as well as see videos of actual eruptions. Seismographs on display here show actual seismic activity within the park boundaries, happening in real time.

There are many trails, of varying lengths and difficulties for all to enjoy. Another "must do" while here is to take the drive down the Chain of Craters Road to the end. The road once linked the park with Kalapana village, on the coast. The road was severed by a lava flow in 1995, so now you can only go about 19 miles to the end of the road, then you must backtrack to the top. When we were here last, you could drive about 5 miles further on the road. The latest flow to cross the road was in April 2003. For those who are familiar with the road, it now ends at the sea arch. The drive itself is spectacular. There are panoramic vistas in all directions of past lava flows. Stop at some of the pullouts and read about when some of these occurred.

There are several smaller roads off of Chain of Craters Road that lead to some good hiking spots, and one at Puu Loa where thousands of petroglyphs can be seen. It only takes about an hour to visit. The trail is about 7/10 of a mile out over solid lava and the path is quite easy. The petroglyphs are in an area of land about soccer-field size, with a wooden walkway around it. Just outside the walkway area and over a small rise are hundreds more petroglyphs. Caution should be used here, as these writings are hundreds of years old and very fragile. You should try to avoid walking directly on the petroglyphs when exploring this area. Take lots of film or plenty of space on your digital camera.

A nice, scenic drive is found in a day trip to Kailua Kona. The drive is about 65 miles and takes about 90 minutes. You will pass through Na’alehu, just about 8 miles west, where a good place to stop is the Punaluu Bakery. On the Saturday we were there they were having their grand re-opening. The shop and grounds have been remodeled and now have a very nice outdoor eating area behind the bakery shop. The bake shop is known for its sweet bread.

Stop by the old theatre in town and take a quick tour inside. There are some very good exhibits depicting early theatre operations in Hawaii. A new Mexican restaurant is located at the entrance to the theatre. Adriana’s serves good Mexican food for a very reasonable price. There are free movies Friday and Saturday evenings at the theatre and Adriana runs the place.

Six miles further down the road is the turnoff for Ka Lae or South Point, the southernmost point in the United States. Once off the highway, the trip is 11 miles to the end of the road. On the road to South Point you will pass through the Kamoa Wind Farm, a field of huge mechanical windmills. This is a testament to how well the wind blows in this area.

Back on the highway and further on you will come to Ocean View, a community built literally on top of a recent lava flow. It is made up of four subdivisions contained in an area roughly 6 miles up the mountain and 3 miles down, toward the ocean. Along the highway are a few services, but for the most part, the people who live in this area prefer to be left alone.

A nice place to stop and take a hike is at Manuka State Wayside. It is located about 12 miles from South Point. There are restrooms located here and a place to picnic. There is a 2-mile trail through a native forest

Just past this point, the highway begins to get more curves and the speed limit slows to 35 mph. Many times we have encountered rain in this area, so heed the speed limit and enjoy the forested area.

Soon you will come upon many small communities and eventually come to Captain Cook. Captain Cook is the first of the big towns you will encounter south of Kona. This area is fun and easy to explore.

Kailua Kona is situated on Kailua Bay and stretches for miles along the coast. Alii Drive is the main street that runs along the waterfront. Find a free parking spot off of Alii Drive and get out on foot to enjoy this town's waterfront area. Sights include the King Kamehameha Hotel and the Kailua Pier, where fishing boats and sightseeing boats dock. Take time to visit Hulihe’e Palace, located directly on the water's edge. This is a two-story structure of Victorian style that dates back to about 1838. It was used until 1914 as a summer palace for the Hawaiian monarchy.

For a good meal with a view, stop by Pancho and Lefty’s Cantina and Restaurant. It is located at 75-5719 Alii Drive, upstairs. They have many tables along the rail overlooking the bay and Huluhe’e Palace. This restaurant has all your favorite dishes and large portions at a price that won’t leave you looking for a loan to get out of the place.

About an hour east of Sea Mountain is the town of Hilo. The road is relatively straight, compared to the route to Kona, going up the mountain to the Volcano and then down the other side into town.

Hilo has a variety of attractions, including Banyan Drive, where celebrities and dignitaries from around the world, including Babe Ruth, President Franklin Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, and Richard Nixon, have planted numerous large banyan trees. These trees date back to the 1930s. You can stroll under their canopy of leaves and root system and enjoy their beauty.

Just off Banyan Drive is Lili’uokalani Gardens, a park with formal Japanese-style gardens. Along the paths are pagodas and bridges crossing a series of ponds.

This area is home to the Hawaii Naniloa Resort. This is the central location for the annual Merri Monarch Hula Festival. The Naniloa also has a nine-hole Naniloa Country Club, which is situated just across Banyan drive from the hotel.

Pick up a walking-tour map at the visitors' bureau office downtown and get out on foot to explore some of the older parts of downtown Hilo. Hilo was destroyed twice by tsunamis, but has been rebuilt in much the old style.

To help get a feel for the times of old in Hilo, visit the Lyman Mission House and Museum. The Mission House was home to Davis and Sarah Lyman, who built the house in 1839, when they came as missionaries to the island. Next door to the house is the museum, which has the Earth Heritage Gallery on the main floor, with collections of rocks and minerals from the area. Upstairs is the Island Heritage Gallery, where a reproduction of a grass house is constructed. Also here you will find a fine collection of early Hawaiian tools. There is also a collection of China Art located on this floor.

For a meal break, try the Royal Siam Thai Restaurant located at 70 Mamo Street. It is a nice, friendly place with a good menu of Thai dishes prepared to your taste, from mild to hot curry. Entrees range from Fried Rice (the shrimp fried rice is excellent) to meat and seafood dishes. The Green Curried Chicken was also a favorite.

We also tried Nori’s Saimin and Snacks at 688 Kino’ole Street. The Teri Beef sandwich was good, but the Saimin had more salt than I have had in Saimin at other locations.

After lunch, drive up Waianuenue Avenue, and stop at Rainbow Fall. At this location you can look down onto a pool in the Wailuku River that is about 100 feet in diameter with a waterfall going into it. Continue on Waianuenue Avenue and look for the turn-off to Boiling Pots, along the Wailuku River. Pe’epe’e Falls can also be seen from this park.

Hilo also has a nice zoo, which is free of charge to visit. It is the Pana’ewa Rainforest Zoo. As you are heading out of town, toward the Volcano, on Highway 11, about 4 miles out of town, turn at the sign directing you to the zoo and Stainback Highway. The zoo has many animals that are native to Hawaii, some of them endangered, which can be seen here.