Hilo- The Wet Side of the Island

We've been spending our days at the beaches on the dry Kohala coast. Today we headed to Hilo, the wet side, where the tropical rain forests and all the rivers run down from the mountains. We lucked into a surprisingly bright sunny day and really enjoyed the sites. First we went to the famed "Rainbow Falls" a water fall that creates it's own rainbow. The majestic waters cascade down from pools of churned-up water called the "Boiling Pots". Huge Banyon trees grow in the jungles alongside the river. We see gigantic vegetation here that dwarfs what we know as tropical plants in our climate.


After Hilo we headed to The Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Gardens.

This privately run nature preserve was created by a San Francisco couple, Dan and Pauline Lutkenhouse, who bought the valley in 1977 and restored it to a showcase of natural beauty.

Because this is one of the few places on the islands inhabited by the non-native mosquito it is necessary to put on insect repellent when walking the trails through the jungle preserve. Many species of Pacific island tropical flowers and trees have been planted and maintained here even if they're not all indigenous to Hawai'i. A two hour walk through the area yields photo opportunity after photo opportunity. Too many to show here but each as beautiful as the next. From the Onomea water falls to the multi-coloured orchids that thrive in the environment - just magnificent!

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