Hilo in the early evening

Big Island - exploring the North East corner

Having stocked up on mochi at Two Ladies Kitchen in Hilo, we drove up North to explore the area. We stopped several times on the way before making it up to the Waipio Valley viewpoint; there's so much beauty to be seen everywhere! Waterfalls, stunning views by the sea, cool antiques shops in Honoka'a, delicious smoothies... the whole day was a real treat.

A morning at White Sands beach

Big Island - driving North

On our first day on Big Island we decided to follow one of the routes mapped in the wonderful app we had downloaded prior to our trip. It was amazing to see the differences in the vegetation on the different sides of the Northern tip of the island - so dry and then so lusciously green.
The Polulū Valley lookout was definitely one of the highlights, and we braved the approaching rain to trek all the way down to the beach, which was absolutely stunning (and a good little workout!).

On the way back South - this time along the coast - we stopped for a swim at Hapuna beach and then at Anaehoomalu Bay where we watched what would be the first of many absolutely magical sunsets we were lucky to witness during our holiday.

Greens Pool