hilo-Aka falls or VNP first?

[Majesty Fan]

Hubby and I will be on the Radiance and plan to do both Aka falls and VNP. I assume most people will get a rental car and head to VNP. We thought about doing the water falls first and then head to VNP and on the way back the nut farm. Can this be done? Has anyone done it that way?

Lexi

[wmbjr]

I think it mostly comes down to priority. Sure you can do it that way, but if something happens that throws your schedule off, it is VNP that will suffer. If your priority is Akaka falls, then by all means do that first. We had planned on doing the falls after VNP, but were so fascinated with VNP that we spent the entire day there and never made it to the nut factory or the falls. We just decided our priority was to see as much of VNP (including some basic hiking, stopping everywhere possible, and driving to the end of chain of craters road) and that if we got to the other things, it would just be gravy. Numerous other posts on this board talk about going to VNP and then the falls and having plenty of time for both.

[CC Help Michell]

I think it mostly comes down to priority. Sure you can do it that way, but if something happens that throws your schedule off, it is VNP that will suffer. If your priority is Akaka falls, then by all means do that first. We had planned on doing the falls after VNP, but were so fascinated with VNP that we spent the entire day there and never made it to the nut factory or the falls. We just decided our priority was to see as much of VNP (including some basic hiking, stopping everywhere possible, and driving to the end of chain of craters road) and that if we got to the other things, it would just be gravy. Numerous other posts on this board talk about going to VNP and then the falls and having plenty of time for both.

 

My experience matched wmbjr's exactly -- I posted a similar question to the OP and received a chorus of the exact same advice -- that if VNP is a priority for you, do it first and anything else is "gravy." We never did make it to the waterfalls, although we did hit the mac nut factory for some ice cream on the way to turn in the rental car. We have no regrets... for us it was the perfect day and our number one highlight in Hawaii was VNP. The other things we'd wanted to do in/around Hilo have gone onto our list for our first land-based vacation to Hawaii, where the BI is our first priority. It all depends on your priorities -- not everyone falls in love with VNP or wants to spend their entire Hilo day there. Hmmmm.... I guess this post didn't actually "add" much to wmbjr's! It's just a "me too!" :)

[lambs2]

Be sure and get the earliest start off the ship you possibly can. We got in line quite early on the morning we were docking in Hilo and that way we were some of the very first off the ship and on the shuttle to get our rental car. We went directly to VNP and did and saw everything we wanted there. After that we took the lovely drive to Akaka Falls. Well worth it! On the way back we also saw Banyan Drive and then drove through the town of Hilo, stopping at Rainbow Falls and the Boiling Pots before heading to return our rental car and getting back to the ship for sail away. Great Day!!:)

[Bucky3]

Our day in Hilo was almost exactly as that of Lambs2. We also stopped at the Mac Nut factory on our way back from VNP to Akaka Falls. Worked out really well. If you get your car early, you'll be down to VNP before it gets busy down there. Plenty of time to do it all this way. Be sure to take the 4-mile scenic drive north of Hilo on your way to Akaka Falls. If you aren't planning on the Road to Hana in Maui, this 4-mile drive is quite like what you would see on the Road to Hana. Also along this road are the Botanical Gardens - very beautiful but a difficult walk if you have problems walking and probably not enough time to do them and Akaka Falls. Akaka Falls is also quite a hike if you're not in good shape and involves stairs.

[CC Help Michell]

Okay, I read Lambs and Bucky's replies, and I agree with them -- what they did is VERY do-able if at VNP you don't take Chain of Craters Road and just stick to Crater Rim Drive, without taking any hikes other than a couple of hundred yards, such as to Halemaumau Crater (Madame Pele's home). Chain of Craters will add another 2.5 hours or so to your VNP time (we had a picnic lunch en route, you could subtract 30 min. for that and still it would be a 2 hour drive down and back) and would probably preclude some of the other stops you want to do such as Akaka. We wouldn't have missed Chain of Craters for anything -- it was integral to our enjoyment of VNP, but your mileage may vary depending on your interests (see below).

 

Volcanoes aren't everyone's cup of tea -- we don't have them anywhere near us, so it was a very high priority for us, but if in your personal priority list you just want to get a "feel" for VNP and still do other stuff in Hilo, then what OP suggests should be manageable -- head to Akaka first, then drive to VNP and take Crater Rim Drive with a few stops, then hit Mauna Loa factory on the way back to return the rental -- barring a bad accident in front of you or something, that should take about 7 hours from the time you leave your ship, and permit time for some short hikes, potty stops, seeing the visitor's center, and having a snack or meal.