Big Island in Half a Day: Rainbow Falls, a 600-Foot Lava Tube, Punalu'u

Built for people whose time on the island is short, and who want the parts that are worth the drive. Downtown Hilo comes first, then Rainbow Falls, where the signs at the viewpoint carry the history and the legend of the Battle of the Wailuku River. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park follows: the visitor center and exhibit hall, the Kilauea caldera and Kilauea Iki, the steam vents and the sulfur banks. Nahuku, the Thurston Lava Tube, is a 600-foot cave that underground lava flows dug for themselves. Lunch is included, island-style, at a local restaurant. The road south to Punalu'u then runs past lava fields and past coffee and macadamia nut farms. The beach is on the Ka'ū coast: black sand, and green sea turtles that come there to rest. The drive goes down Banyan Drive and through Lili'uokalani Gardens, the largest Edo-style ornamental garden outside Japan, with banyan trees, ponds, bridges and pagodas. The guide brings artifacts to handle and explains what each place means, rather than only what it is called. Two conditions: pick-up and drop-off are in the Hilo area only, and the tour is not wheelchair accessible, with moderate walking and about 15 steps in the lava tube.