Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [236]
Fabric Impressions (Map; 961-4468; 206 Kamehameha Ave; 9:30am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-4:30pm Sat) It has everything for the DIY quilter (attractive fabrics, tropical squares and patterns), plus finished quilts and adorable handmade gifts: pot holders, luggage tags, tea cozies, bentō carriers and more.
Hilo Guitars & Ukuleles (Map; 935-4282; www.hiloguitars.com; 56 Ponahawai St; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat, noon-4pm Sun) All musicians, budding and otherwise, should come here for top-quality ukes (from $90), steel guitars and Hawaiian sheet music. Knowledgeable staff will steer you to the right instrument.
Big Island Candies (Map; 935-8890, 800-935-5510; www.bigislandcandies.com; 585 Hinano St; 8:30am-5pm) This candy factory makes stylishly packaged confections and shortbread – watch them hand-dip chocolate from behind picture windows. One visit makes short work of your gift list.
Hilo Surplus Store (Map; 935-6398; 148 Mamo St; 8am-5pm Mon-Sat) This vintage army surplus store is the place for jungle-grade machetes or a bolt of camouflage Gore-Tex. Campers will find a good selection of gear, in addition to authentic mess kits.
Alan’S Art & Collectibles (Map; 969-1554; 202 Kamehameha Ave; 10am-4:30pm Mon & Wed-Fri, 1-4:30pm Tue, 10am-3pm Sat) Time travel through Hawai′i’S past in this secondhand shop full of coconut ashtrays, bowling trophies, Elvis posters and kitschy treasures.
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GETTING THERE & AWAY
Air
Although most Big Island visitors fly into Kona airport, Hilo airport (Map) is also busy. Click here for more information.
Bus
The main Hilo station for the Hele-On Bus (961-8744; www.heleonbus.org; 7:45am-4:30pm Mon-Fri) is at Mo′oheau terminal (Map; 329 Kamehameha Ave). All intra-island buses originate here. Routes connect to Kona and most towns in between, and they connect to Pahoa and Hawai′i Volcanoes National Park. See individual destinations for details on specific routes to/from Hilo.
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GETTING AROUND
For directions to/from the airport, Click here.
Bicycle
Biking around Hilo is fun – when it isn’t raining.
Da Kine Bike Shop (Map; 934-9861; 18 Furneaux Lane; noon-6pm Tue-Fri, 9am-3pm Sat) Offers sales, advice, personal tours and, sometimes, rentals (per day from $15 to $30).
Mid-Pacific Wheels (Map; 935-6211; www.midpacificwheels.com; 1133-C Manono St; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 11am-5pm Sun) Hilo’S most comprehensive bike shop rents wheels (per day from $25 to $35).
Car
Hilo is car-oriented. Shopping malls and businesses usually have ample lots, while most streets downtown allow free two-hour parking. On most days it’S easy to find a space, but the bayfront area gets jammed during the Saturday and Wednesday farmers market (Click here).
Public Transport
The Hele-On Bus (above) has a few intracity routes, all free, operating Monday to Friday:
No 4 Kaumana Goes five times a day (from 7:35am to 2:20pm) to Hilo Public Library and Hilo Medical Center (near Rainbow Falls).
No 6 Waiakea-Uka Goes five times a day (from 7:05am to 3:05pm) to the University of Hawai’i at Hilo and Prince Kuhio Plaza.
No 7 Downtown Hilo Goes a dozen times a day (from 7am to 9pm) to Aupuni Center and Prince Kuhio Plaza.
Taxi
In Hilo, call Marshall’S Taxi (936-2654) or Percy’S Taxi (969-7060).
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PUNA
Puna lives on Pele’S skirt, and residing that close to such a volatile goddess must affect you. Puna is laid-back and cool, a live-and-let-live sort of place, but it’S also intense. The land vibrates with energy; emotions and creativity run high. One settles here only by accepting wildness and impermanence as the price. Puna retains dense, unspoiled portions of sometimes hallucinatory jungle as well as neighborhoods now nothing more than imaginary property lines running beneath a thick mass of black lava.
Outlaws like it here, and nonconformists, and anyone looking to escape: Puna is home to mainland hippies, funky artists, alternative healers, Hawaiian sovereignty activists, pakalolo growers, organic farmers and