Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TAXI
From the airport, taxis are located right outside the baggage-claim area. The approximate
cab fare from the airport to downtown Hilo is $15. For taxi service around Hilo call
Mar-
shall's Taxi
(
936-2654)
or
Percy's Taxi
(
969-7060)
.
PUNA
The Polynesian word 'mana' is tough to translate. 'Life force,' 'energy,' and other terms
are usually bandied about. But if you really want to learn mana's meaning, come to Puna,
because everyone on this island agrees it is overflowing with the stuff. Here, at Hawaiʻi's
eastern tip, rain blends with black volcanic soil to engender a fertility that is frankly
astounding. Green bursts through the soil and weaves itself into thick forests of wood
rooted in lava soil. The ocean beats like a hammer on the Big Island's easternmost cliffs,
and in turn the water edges back as lava flows into the ocean.
Who lives here? Smack in the path of the lava flow are the homes of hippies, funky
artists, alternative healers, Hawaiian sovereignty activists,
pakalolo
growers, organic
farmers and off-the-grid survivalists. A nickname for all these folks, which they have ad-
opted themselves, is Punatics. There's an extreme blend here of laid-back pliability and
intense emotions.
One settles here only by accepting wildness and impermanence as the price. Puna re-
tains dense, unspoiled portions of sometimes hallucinatory jungle as well as long-gone
neighborhoods now blanketed by a thick mass of black lava. Sultry and hang-loose Puna
encourages travelers to ditch the guidebook and go with the flow.
