Visiting Hawaii - Pahoa

[Guest]

I bike a lot on the Big Island, pretty much everyday the weather allows. If you haven't ridden in seven months, the hills (and mountains) will most likely be too much. Pretty much wherever you are, as soon as you turn away from the coast, you are going up a mountain. Even riding parallel to the coast, the inclines that seem so tame in a car take on a new meaning on a bike. You will also get rained on, sometimes in a torrent and without warning. That said, you can buy a decent bike on Craigslist for less than you might think. You can also try to resell it before you leave and recoup some of your money.
While parts of this island have great biking, overall it's not a great choice for transportation due to the large distances you have to negotiate. If you are going to bike, I would recommend a mountain bike over a road bike. A lot of the roads here will eat up a road bike. But I think it's the hills that are going to be too much, especially in the lowland heat and humidity.
As far as places to stay, you can check vrbo.com or a similar site and you will find vacation rentals in area around Kalani for around $50.00 a night.
Good luck and have a great time here.

[Guest]

Also, the story about being robbed at gunpoint by five guys, just doesn't ring true. Robberies with a handgun and pretty much unheard of here. Check out the discussion on Punaweb about guns in Hawaii. When did this robbery take place? I can't find anything like this in any news archives.

[Carey]

I have the Giant Boulder as my main bike, but we do have a Mongoose Rockadile SX that we got for $10 at the transfer station... so you can get a fairly good bike for low cash. I have seen a few Specialized's on the campus billboards for in the $50-$100 range, have seen a couple for under that in the last week (for most students leaving the island, it is easier to unload than ship everything...)

drop me an email if you want more info...

[silverpenny10]

It's been a few months, but I've taken the Heleon from Kona airport. Check again.

[silverpenny10]

Jason,

Heleon will get you from Kona airport to Pahala. You'll need to catch another bus to continue on to Pahoa.

http://www.heleonbus.org/schedules-and-m...la-resorts

[Jason762]

Mauka, I agree the more I read about the hold up, the more I wonder if it's just a made up story to cover up for his stupidity (like walking away from his stuff at the airport). IF it happened it would've happened sometime in early November.

Carey, I'll be sure to drop you an e-mail.

Silverpenny, you are awesome! Thanks for the info. I was going to walk/bike from Hilo, but catching another bus is smarter.