The sugar industry's rich 117-year history, along the scenic 45-mile coastline from Hilo to Hamakua, comes alive in the interpretive Hilo-Hamakua Heritage Coast drive guide, produced by the Hawaii Island Economic Development Board, 117 Kiawe St., Hilo, HI 96720 (tel. 808/935-2180; www.hiedb.org).
The free guide not only points out the historic sites and museums, scenic photo opportunities, restaurants and stores, and even restrooms along the Hawaii Belt Road (Hwy. 19), but also has corresponding brown-and-white points-of-interest signs on the highway. Visitor information centers anchored at either end in Hilo and in Hamakua offer additional information on the area.
Honokaa -- Honokaa is worth a visit to see the remnants of plantation life, when sugar was king. This is a real place that hasn't yet been boutiqued into a shopping mall; it looks as if someone has kept it in a bell jar since 1920. There's a real barbershop, a real Filipino store, some good shopping, and a hotel with creaky floorboards that dishes up hearty food. The town also serves as the gateway to spectacular Waipio Valley .
Honokaa has no attractions, per se, but you might want to check out the Katsu Goto Memorial, next to the library at the Hilo end of town. Katsu Goto, one of the first indentured Japanese immigrants, arrived in Honokaa in the late 1800s to work on the sugar plantations. He learned English, quit the plantation, and aided his fellow immigrants in labor disputes with American planters. On October 23, 1889, he was hanged from a lamppost in Honokaa, a victim of local-style justice.
The End of the Road: Waipio Valley -- Long ago, this lush, tropical place was the valley of kings, who called it the valley of "curving water" (which is what Waipio means). From the black-sand bay at its mouth, Waipio sweeps 6 miles between sheer, cathedral-like walls that reach almost a mile high. Once 40,000 Hawaiians lived here, amid taro, red bananas, and wild guavas in an area etched by streams and waterfalls. Only about 50 Hawaiians live in the valley today, tending taro, fishing, and soaking up the ambience of this old Hawaiian place.
The sacred valley is steeped in myth and legend. Many of the ancient royals are buried here; some believe they rise up to become Marchers of the Night, whose chants reverberate through the valley. The caskets of Hawaiian chiefs Liloa and Lono Ika Makahiki, stolen from the Bishop Museum, are believed to have been brought here by Hawaiians.
To get to Waipio Valley, take Highway 19 from Hilo to Honokaa, and then Highway 240 to Waipio Valley Lookout, a grassy park on the edge of Waipio Valley's sheer cliffs with splendid views of the wild oasis below. This is a great place for a picnic; you can sit at old redwood picnic tables and watch the white combers race along the black-sand beach at the mouth of the valley.
From the lookout, you can hike down into the valley. Warning: Do not attempt to drive your rental car down into the valley (even if you see someone else doing it). The problem is not so much going down as coming back up. Every day, rental cars have to be "rescued" and towed back up to the top, at great expense to the driver. Instead, take the Waipio Valley Shuttle (tel. 808/775-7121) on a 90- to 120-minute guided tour (Mon-Sat 9am-4pm). Get your tickets at Waipio Valley Art Works, on Highway 240, 2 miles from the lookout (tel. 808/775-0958). Tickets are $45 for adults, $20 for kids 11 and under.
You can also explore the valley on a narrated 90-minute Waipio Valley Wagon Tour (tel. 808/775-9518; www.waipiovalleywagontours.com), a historical ride by mule-drawn surrey. Tours are offered Monday through Saturday at 9:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 3:30pm. It costs $55 for adults, $50 for seniors, $25 for children ages 4 to 12; call for reservations.
If you want to spend more than a day in the valley, plan ahead. A few simple B&Bs are situated on the ridge overlooking the valley and require advance reservations.
