What an adventure today was! I booked myself on a mule wagon trip into the Waipi’o Valley. It is a fantastic, scenic drive along Highway 19 from Hilo to Honoka’a, the jumping off point for trips to the remote Waipi’o Valley. It is not possible to drive a 2 wheel drive car down into this remote valley, since much of the road is about a 25% grade. Translation: the road is hecka steep (see photos of the road in my photo gallery – link should be at the side here – maybe I’ll put a few up on the blog itself eventually). I tried to sign myself up with the Na’alapa Stables to ride a horse through the valley, but they were booked solid. So I chose to take the mule wagon, although I really felt bad for the mules. The people at the Waipi’o Valley Ranch are very nice, though, and I’m sure they treat the mules well. More about them at www.waipiovalleywagontours.com. You don’t actually take the mule wagon down the steep road – they drive you down in a 4 x 4 van, and then you board the mule wagon and tool around the valley.
The Waipi’o Valley is known as the Valley of Hawaiian Kings, since it is both very secluded and very fertile, qualities that Hawaiian kings look for in a valley. In the early part of the 20th century, thousands of people lived there. Taro cultivation was very popular, and just about anything will grow well there, apparently, if it grows in Hawaii at all. Then, in 1946, a tsunami came and destroyed pretty much everything in the entire valley. Everyone abandoned it hastily, and no one came back for about 25 years. It has gradually been repopulated, but not nearly to the same level. At this time about 50 people live in the valley. There is no electric service, telephone service, cell phone reception, or water service in the valley. Current residents are rugged individualists, to say the least. It is a truly stunning place, though – I can see how the natural beauty would make you want to live there, despite the obstacles. My photos do not do it justice at all – it is full of absolutely wild beauty everywhere you turn.
There are also wild horses there. The horses were left by folks who fled the valley after the tsunami, and they gradually became wild. A mare and her 2 day old foal came to see us after the mule wagon ride, and the mare didn’t seem that wild. She let people pat her neck. She also stole some of the mules’ food, which made the mules whinny at her. They were being put back in their paddock, however, so could do nothing to prevent the theft.
After the wagon tour, which lasted about an hour, I had lunch in Honoka’a, at the Il Mondo Café, which was quite good. Then I set off to see Akaka Falls, which is a lovely waterfall about 13 miles outside of Hilo. Thirteen miles may not sound very far, but when you drive like a Hawaiian, or behind a Hawaiian, on a one-lane road, it can take a long time. I’ve found that folks here have a hard time going the minimum speed, which is posted prominently on major roadways, along with the maximum speed. It’s a little more laid back here, for sure. Anyway, Akaka falls is a lovely waterfall – a tall, thin one that falls an incredible distance. Its sister fall, Kahuna, is currently closed (well, the path to see it is closed, and it is not visible from anywhere you are currently allowed to walk), but Akaka itself is worth the trip. [Waterfall Note: The double waterfall in Waipi’o Valley is not running at the moment, due to the drought there, which has been going on for six months, according to the guide who took us on the mule wagon.]
On the way back to my rental house outside of Pahoa, I made a brief stop at Banyan Drive in downtown Hilo, and walked around Lili’uokalani Park. It’s a great place to stop and walk around. The park is right on the water, and it is landscaped rather like a large Japanese garden. There are lots of reflecting pools and graceful bridges. This was apparently the heart of the Japanese neighborhood in Hilo at one time. While walking around, I discovered a carved rock indicating that the island of Hawaii is a sister island of the island of Oshima in Japan. The mayor of Oshima had come to install the rock stating this, according to the inscription on the rock. I don’t know if the mayor of any part of the island of Hawaii ever did a similar favor for Oshima, or what other sisterly activities the two islands have undertaken. So I leave it to you, dear reader, to investigate this situation if you are curious.
Tomorrow I just may visit a Botanical Garden, so stop by and find out!
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