Best waterfalls?

[ssbeard1]

My daughter is wanting to see some awesome waterfalls. We don't mind hiking. Which island and what waterfalls are the most beautiful? Having one you can swim at would be even better. Thanks....

[CruisinMK]

you can try this one on the big island, not if you're afraid of heights though. :)

 

http://www.hawaii-forest.com/adv-waterfall.html

 

If you have a pre or post stay on Oahu, I think you'd love the waimea falls hike. This one is easy.

http://brazen.travellerspoint.com/23/

 

A lot of people go to manoa falls but it is lame in comparison.

The Lyon Arboretum botanical garden next door is amazing though

[CruisinMK]

You can also see some beautiful inaccessible waterfalls via helicopter on Kauai.

[Deb in Cali]

Obviously you are going to either take a tour or rent a car to see waterfalls on any of the islands.

 

There are several beautiful waterfalls on the big island of Hawaii on the Hilo side of the island. Akaka Falls state park is a great rainforest experience with only a short easy walk to see the falls. Rainbow Falls is near there but we didn't personally get to see that one.

 

On the island of Maui if you have a FULL day* of touring available, go to Hana. It is a very long twisty road with so many waterfalls you lose count after a while. :p This is not a road for those that get carsick unless you can take something. :(

 

*By a full day I mean that you pull into port by 7 AM and the ship isn't going to leave until 10 or 11 that night.

[ssbeard1]

Thanks for the info. Did have a luau planned that night (in Maui), and know we can't do the drive and luau both. Yes, we have a car rented on each island. This trip was last minute (less than 3 1/2 weeks to plan), so I am desparately seeking advice. It will be just me and my DD on this trip. I will make her decide between the luau or the drive:eek:. And yes, our ship stays overnight at Maui. If we do a partial drive to Hana, is there a recommended "turn around" spot.

[Deb in Cali]

Since we were on Maui for a few days we choose get up extra early on our day to drive to Hana. We did this tape/ t-shirt package where you rent this tape to play on the road. It was worth the $20 (1990) for the package. We picked it up early that morning and dropped it in the return slot on our return.

 

The tape gave you great insights as to where to stop, what to see and the flora of the area. We were guided to a black sand beach that we would have never found without the tape. My hubby wore the t-shirt until it was a rag. The shirt showed a cartoon type of road map with the statement "I survived the road to Hana". :D

 

There are several tour operators that have this type of program. I think that we used a coupon from a travel book to decide which one to use. You might ask at the car rental place to recommend one to you.

 

When we were there the road past Hana is not recommended and car rental places will not cover you if you have an accident in that area.:( We did go to the stopping point at the 7 Sacred Pools. Beyond that it was

4WD only. :eek:

 

If I remember correctly there was a place in the tape where it tells you that this is the half way point for those that want to go only so far. I recommend taking a small first aid type of kit for any meds that you might need on the trip. I needed some allergy meds pretty bad once we got to Hana. I was stupid and refused to buy them at the Hana price. I paid for it later with a full blown migraine and a trip to ER once we made it back to civilization.

[hncg57c]

Roughly how long does the Waimea Falls hike take? Looks like a great place to walk around, but I am trying to figure out if we would have time for it.

[Kiera99]

I wonder if we are talking about the same place. Years ago, I went to a park and the Waimea Falls. It was a beautiful garden and had a show with divers diving the falls. I went back to it just a few years ago and it was a GREAT disappointment. There were No beautiful flowers, just lots of overgrown green. We were eaten alive by bugs. There was NO show and the waterfall was just a trickle. It was under new management and they did not know what to do with the rundown place.

[CruisinMK]

The audobon society (birdwatching environmental group) has taken it over and cleaned it up.

[spleen93]

I don't think that they're doing the cliff diving routine any more though at Waimea Falls ...

 

Spleen

[CruisinMK]

a diver died, probably hastened the end of the commercial park by a few years.

 

If you are curious you can read the recent news about the park here:

 

http://starbulletin.com/2006/04/25/news/story08.html