Finding hikes can be a challenge in the Waimea – Waikoloa area on the Big Island, as much of the land is privately or government owned, and access is limited. An exception is the old gravel road about 1 mile mauka (uphill) of Waikoloa Village that passes by Pu’u Hinai. This large pu’u is easily recognizable, with its red cinder composition and massive size. Hard to miss!
This old road, like most others, has a locked gate at Waikoloa Road, and no trespassing signs on that gate. It is easy for a hiker to pass around either end of this gate, and no attempt has been made to prevent this. A quick online search turns up posts written by hikers and dogwalkers who regularly walk this road, with "confirmed" blessing of the owners. It is also described on Alltrails. All that said, it does plainly say “no trespassing” on the gate, so use your own judgement. Parking is easy outside the gate as there is now a large open parking area, likely created by crews recently repaving Waikoloa Road.
We have walked this road in the past and decided it was time for a revisit. The old road is long and very straight for miles, and heads directly towards the massive Pu’u Wa'awa'a (aka “The Jello Mold”), the Big Island’s largest. The view upon entering the gate and walking a short ways is impressive:
The road is well-maintained, but obviously only lightly used. A few tread marks in the cinders underfoot indicate some recent vehicle traffic, but that’s it. It is mostly flat, with only a few feet of elevation gain along the way. As you walk south, Pu’u Hinai becomes more prominent on the left and its size and the steepness of the road to its summit is more evident.
The Mauna Kea volcano looms in the distance beyond. The pu’u has been quarried over the years, and the side and rear are pretty well carved up. That activity has ended and some equipment has been left rusting inside the quarry gates. On the right (makai) side of the road are open fields and a long line of old power poles, a scene that seems like it belongs in Kansas more than Hawaii.
After about 1/2 mile, there is an open gate on the left to enter the quarry property. We walked a short ways into the property just to have a look. There is a road leading from the quarry operation all the way to the pu'u summit that we did not take. Other accounts describe it as steep but safe, leading to (surprisingly) a USGS elevation marker at the top.
As is too often the case, people have left junk here, rather than dispose of it properly. This behavior no doubt contributes to some landowners' reluctance to grant access to their property. Always sad to see.
It's clear that whatever vehicle traffic there is on this road, largely ends at the quarry. The road becomes overgrown with fountain grass almost immediately after passing the quarry gate. Pu’u Wa'awa'a is still visible in the distance, but the overgrown road takes on a more pastoral feel from this point on.
Here’s my walking companion of the last 46+ years toting our water bottles up the road in this area. From this point on, the field on the left is fenced in for cattle, though we saw only goats.
Behind us, the view back down the road towards Waikoloa reveals Kohala in the distance.
On a previous hike here during springtime the fountain grass was much more prominent and colorful, providing this view of Kohala and the upcountry hillsides:
Some difference! After about 2 miles, the trail bends to the left,
but ultimately continues a bit further towards Pu’u Wa'awa'a. This road is marked on Google maps, where you can see that it ends before reaching that Pu’u. We turned around after about 2.25 miles and headed back downhill on the road. From this point it is possible to get a good look inside Pu’u Hinai, revealing that its center is mostly hollow, and crater-like.
Overall, this 4.5 mile roundtrip took us about 2 very hot but enjoyable hours. It could easily be done much faster without photo stops and poking around the quarry. I recommend it for those looking for a nice easy hike in the area that will expose you to some views that you can’t easily get any other way.
Commentaires