North Side of the Big Island

Mark, the kids, and I arrive on Thursday and plan to go to the north side of the Big Island on Friday.  I thought I'd share our plan, in case any of you are interested in doing this trip on your own.  These attractions are between 1 1/2 hours and 3 hours away from Kona.

Our first stop will be the PuakoPetroglyph/ Malama Trail hike – one of the most extensive petroglyph fields in Hawaii.  

A little father north, we plan to go on a tour of the Waipio Valley, a fertile valley surrounded by 2000 foot cliffs.  There are several ways to see the valley, but we will be taking a mule-drawn carriage.  

Finally, we will go take a tour of a working vanilla farm in the north central part of the island.  

It's a lot to do in one day, but we are hoping that our "first day in Hawaii" energy carries us through!

Sandy