Pana’ewa Zoo

A nice little zoo just outside of Hilo. They have an interesting assortment of animals including a lot of birds. Everything that lives here has to be able to cope with the hot humid weather so there are a lot of things from Central and South America.

Some sort of exotic lizard.

Poison dart frog.

The peacocks roam free.

We liked all the cute sculpted benches.

The tigers were the stars of the show. There are two, one white and one orange (named Tzatziki and Siracha). We thought this one looked like Hobbes of Calvin and Hobbes.

Pe’epe’e Falls and the Boiling Pots

The falls were nice but there is not enough water for the pots to boil. They don’t really boil but look as thought they do when the water is rough.

They don’t always trim the vegetation so some things are hard to see.

Another Banyan Tree

We wandered into the dark fairy tale woods above Rainbow Falls and found another amazing tree. The one tree in the center is incredible, but add the others along the edge of the clearing and their intertwined upper branches and it makes for the most amazing place!

The dark fairytale woods.

The center tree.

And, climb they must!

Rainbow Falls

We woke to a rainy morning in Hilo. That did not deter us from our plan to visit Rainbow Falls. The two part falls is iconic and in the early morning (when it is done raining) there are often rainbows. Hence the name!

Eclectic Dinner at the Kūhiō Grill

It was recommended by a local. We had the most random assortment of things that sounded good.

Pancakes, fried rice, and chili cheese fries.

Banyan Tree

We are fascinated by the Banyan trees. This one in Liliuokalani park was particularly cool. There were too many hanging roots to count, and it did not seem cultivated. The hanging pieces look soft blowing in the breeze, but they are not. More like thin tree branches.

Nene

A Hawaiian goose. It is one of the few native birds and they are Very protected. There are sign’s everywhere about watching for Nene and not disturbing them. 

We have seen loads of signs but these are the first actual Nene we have seen.