Big island, Day 4

Day 4 started the same as Day 3; we were back in Hilo again; this time for a zip lining adventure! But first, we had some time to kill, so we went to the “famous” Hilo Farmer’s Market. There were some interesting sights to see in the market; this included cool stone weaponry and the usual tourist items: tees, braclets, etc.

Our zipline experience; known as Zipline Through Paradise, started from  a nearby “adventure" store similar to REI. It (and we) departed the store in a van, and drove 30 minutes along very bumpy roads to the company’s private property on the outskirts of town. Peacocks roamed the starting area, where we were given our safety and equipment briefings. 

One of the best things about this zipline was its stopping system: completely hands free and handled by the employees; it uses the basic principle of magnets: like repels like. This magnetic breaking system gave us the freedom to spend the entire time enjoying the ride. WE began on some bunny “slopes” but quickly ventured off to some very cool lines, one of which was a half-mile long and went over a waterfall! The views from the zipline were great and we got to see some really cool views; in retrospect, it was one of the best things we did on our vacation.

After the zipline tour, we decided to take a longer, more scenic route home. The problem with this was that most things in Hawaii close really early; the things we wanted to visit were no exception. One of the Big Islands best waterfalls, Umaumau Falls, is located in an “Adventure park” of sorts and has an admission fee.  It too, closed, while we were driving slowly and leisurely. However, we did get to visit Akaka falls, the same one that we saw by helicopter.  After that, it was a long drive back to our hotel.