DAY 2 - Hilo Road Trip - Part 1
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When planning our trip and writing out the itinerary for it, I called this day, "Waterfall Day." I did this because I knew we would be seeing waterfalls and figured this would be the highlight of the day. Boy, was I wrong! This day was my absolute favorite day on of the whole trip. I really don't think I have seen this much stunning beauty all in one day my entire life. I think I probably said, "Wow!" a million times that day, as I stared at the beautiful landscape that makes a person stand in awe of God's creation.
I mentioned this before on the Big Island page, but it's important to realize that the Big Island is well...big! So, when planning out this day, I planned it as a whole day adventure, trying to fit in seeing as many things as possible while heading to the other side of the island. There were two different routes from our hotel to Hilo. We decided to take the longer route, because along this route, there would be sites to see that can not be missed. |
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First things first, it's always a necessity on our trips is getting good coffee. So, after looking into coffee shops, there was one that stood out repeatedly and that was the Waimea Coffee Company. It is located in Waimea, which is also referred to as Kamuela.
Waimea Coffee Company
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The town was named Waimea, but because there are so many Waimeas in the Hawaiian islands, the postal service demanded a new name and so Kamuela it was. Kamuela is named after Samuel Parker (Kamuela is Samuel in Hawaiian), an influential land owner and part of the Parker Family that owns Parker Ranch. Parker Ranch is still operating to this day, making Waimea cattle country. Be aware that you will see both names used interchangeably.
Okay, back to the coffee! Like I said, this coffee shop kept popping up in all my research, so we knew we needed to try it and it just so happened by taking the longer route, we would pass right through Waimea. We pulled up to this cute shop, giving old town Hawaii vibes. Once inside, it was small but updated and the staff was very friendly. We ordered our coffee to go and the breakfast burrito. Both were amazing! We loved the coffee so much from the first sip that my husband ran back inside to buy a bag of beans. Unfortunately, they were sold out. So, you an see, it's good coffee!
Okay, back to the coffee! Like I said, this coffee shop kept popping up in all my research, so we knew we needed to try it and it just so happened by taking the longer route, we would pass right through Waimea. We pulled up to this cute shop, giving old town Hawaii vibes. Once inside, it was small but updated and the staff was very friendly. We ordered our coffee to go and the breakfast burrito. Both were amazing! We loved the coffee so much from the first sip that my husband ran back inside to buy a bag of beans. Unfortunately, they were sold out. So, you an see, it's good coffee!
After getting our coffee and breakfast, the next stop I had planned was the Kamuela Farmers Market. I had strategically planned this day on a Saturday so we could attend this farmers market. The reason I wanted to go to this farmers market was that I had read about a place called Hawaiian Vanilla Company. They had a booth at this farmers market. Their actual location had limited hours at and it was a bit out of the way to go to on another day. I also love Hawaiian farmers markets and figured I could kill two birds with one stone. It was just a few minutes drive from the Waimea Coffee Company with tons of parking.
We pulled up and there weren't a lot of booths and the produce didn't have the best selection, but I was able to secure the goods I was looking for, which was the pure vanilla extract. There were also some beautiful flowers, that if I lived there, I would have bought in an instant. We also grabbed a bottle of their vanilla cinnamon and sugar. My kids went through that stuff so quickly making cinnamon and sugar toast once we got home and they regularly remind me we need to go back to the Big Island and get some more. I don't disagree with them. I would go back in an instant if I could, just because of this day.
We pulled up and there weren't a lot of booths and the produce didn't have the best selection, but I was able to secure the goods I was looking for, which was the pure vanilla extract. There were also some beautiful flowers, that if I lived there, I would have bought in an instant. We also grabbed a bottle of their vanilla cinnamon and sugar. My kids went through that stuff so quickly making cinnamon and sugar toast once we got home and they regularly remind me we need to go back to the Big Island and get some more. I don't disagree with them. I would go back in an instant if I could, just because of this day.
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Kamuela Farmers Market
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Also on Saturdays in Waimea is another farmers market. It was only a few minutes from the Kamuela one, so we decided to stop there, too. I'm so glad we did because this one had a better selection of produce and my kids really enjoyed buying some and testing it all out. This farmers market is called the Waimea Town Market.
This farmers market appeared to have many more vendors and a wide selection of produce. Right as we walked in, there was a long line and one vendor who was chopping up fresh coconuts and people then walked around drinking from them.
This farmers market appeared to have many more vendors and a wide selection of produce. Right as we walked in, there was a long line and one vendor who was chopping up fresh coconuts and people then walked around drinking from them.
Waimea Town Market
There also seemed to be a wide selection of food vendors, with picnic tables scattered about where you could sit and eat your food. I would have loved to enjoy the food, but we had just eaten that delicious burrito from Waimea Coffee Company. Instead, we walked around picking out some fresh fruit to try.
In Hawaii, they have these bananas that are called apple bananas. They are smaller than a typical banana you buy at the grocery story. They also have a slightly different taste with a sort of tang to them. They are absolutely delicious and now have become a mandatory staple of our Hawaii trips. They often sell them in the Costcos on the island. We will buy two bunches and they will be gone in a day.
In order to bribe my kids into going to these farmers markets, I told them we would buy lots of apple bananas. The first farmers markets didn't have any, but this one did. They were thrilled! We found this cute stand with this older lady, who offered the kids lychee and bits of other fruits.
In Hawaii, they have these bananas that are called apple bananas. They are smaller than a typical banana you buy at the grocery story. They also have a slightly different taste with a sort of tang to them. They are absolutely delicious and now have become a mandatory staple of our Hawaii trips. They often sell them in the Costcos on the island. We will buy two bunches and they will be gone in a day.
In order to bribe my kids into going to these farmers markets, I told them we would buy lots of apple bananas. The first farmers markets didn't have any, but this one did. They were thrilled! We found this cute stand with this older lady, who offered the kids lychee and bits of other fruits.
The kids thought it was the best! The second we got in the car, they instantly grabbed an apple banana and lychee and began eating them. They continued snacking on this fruit the whole day and the bananas were gone by the time we got back to our hotel in the evening. They really do make the best snack while on the islands.
After spending our morning at the markets, we headed off to our next stop which was Tex Drive-In. Do not let them name confuse you, this places serves up some pretty amazing malasadas. If you have never had a malasada before, it's essentially a Hawaiian donut and it's simply divine.
After spending our morning at the markets, we headed off to our next stop which was Tex Drive-In. Do not let them name confuse you, this places serves up some pretty amazing malasadas. If you have never had a malasada before, it's essentially a Hawaiian donut and it's simply divine.
Coming into Honokaa
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View from our car while driving to Tex Drive-In
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The Tex Drive-In was about 20 minutes from the farmers market in a town called Honokaa. It was seriously such an amazing drive. You drive through a variety of different landscapes climbing in elevation. There was farmland that reminded me of Oregon. Then you start to descend and see the ocean in front of you. It was one of the moments where I was saying "Wow!" over and over. The pictures really can't do it justice. I kept taking pictures over and over trying to capture the beauty and could never do it. It's one of those places where you just have to be there to truly experience those views.
Once we pulled into the Tex Drive-In, I kind of wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. It was a large, older building. The parking lot was full, so I knew it had to be good if it was that busy being located so far off the beaten path. They have a large menu with other food items, but they are best known for their malasadas, and that's what we were there for. They have a drive-thru which was extremely convenient.
We ordered several different flavors (plain, custard, and cherry). Our favorite ended up being the custard. They were warm, soft, big, and just plain delicious. My kids had never had a malasada before and now they are a big fan.
We ordered several different flavors (plain, custard, and cherry). Our favorite ended up being the custard. They were warm, soft, big, and just plain delicious. My kids had never had a malasada before and now they are a big fan.
Malasadas from Tex Drive-In
After we had fueled up on sugar, it was time to start to see what we had come all this way for, the waterfalls and Hilo. Because this day was so packed full of things, the next several stop will be covered in this post. It's just too much to cover in one post. Again, this was just the best day, so it deserves multiple posts to fully cover all of its special experiences and to help you best plan your own Hilo road trip adventure.