Here goes tentative itinerary..looking for advice on if I should stay in Kona for 2 days and midway (volcano) 2 days. Or rent a condo in Kona and spend 1 night in Volcano.
Sunday - Travel in from Kauai, spend the day, settling in, shopping then head over to Mauna Kea for sunset If time, go to Polulu Lookout and hike to the beach before Mauna Kea. Return to Kona
Monday - AM 2 tank dive, spend the afternoon exploring the different beaches, maybe coffee tour, and sunset on A-bay
Tuesday - Head to Volcano, stop at black sand beach, green sand beach, VNP stay until nightfall to see Jagger museum of the crater at night. Sleep in Volcano/or somewhere around there.
Wednesday - morning heli ride out of Hilo, rest of day in either VNP if more to be done, or head back to Kona via Hilo side.
Flight out of Kona is Thursday at 12:30.
How far is the trip from Volcano to the airport? Is it better to spend 2 nights in volcano and drive back in the AM to Kona for the flight..or head to Kona on Wednesday night to be closer to the airport?
Any comments, suggestions are welcome and appreciated.
Some thoughts:
Regarding Mauna Kea, do you know how your body reacts to high altitude? The more time you set aside to acclimate, the better off you'll be. You need to figure HOURS to get to the summit. Stop by the Visitor Center on the way down to look through the telescopes.
Depending on how long you stay at the beaches, you may still have time to hit all the other main attractions at HVNP (Do just a few (5?) miles of CoC Rd, stopping at pullouts, if short on time, plus Nahuku and the beginning of Devastation Trail. These give you a nice feel for the place and shouldn't take more than 2 hours all told.) before heading to Jaggar. For Tuesday night, stay at a hotel in Hilo near the airport. Staying in Volcano just doesn't make sense in your case.
Wednesday, after your helicopter ride, I assume you mean drive back to Kona airport via the North route. Definitely head back Wednesday, so that you can take your time. This is where you can go to the botanic garden, waterfalls, fruit stand, etc. There is a nice fruit stand near Akaka Falls that is open every day, I believe. Just remember that you should only buy what you can finish eating before you leave, as you can't take most produce back. If you have time and interest, you can drive to the Waipio overlook.
If for some reason you don't dive on Monday, you'll still be locked into your heli flight Wednesday if you book ahead, and you should. Bear that in mind. How long is a two-tank dive? What time is the earliest you'll be able to fly if you need to postpone your dive a day?