In nearby
Pahoa town, guests will find excellent seafood, Italian, Mexican and Filipino restaurants, along with a 50's-style coffee shop and a natural foods market. At the Maku'u farmer's markets, take advantage of the opportunity to sample unusual local fruits (like passion fruit, star fruit, lychee, mango, and papaya) and feast on a homemade crepe with bananas, chocolate and cream. Try some homemade Thai noodles or salads. Find a unique, hand-crafted piece from a Big Island artist at the art boutique shops. Enjoy a soothing professional massage or experience authentic Hawaiian music.
Keaau Town has a grocery store, gas and a few restaurants. From Keaau, you can visit the newly renovated
Pohoiki Beach Park in Kalapana with its black sand beaches (50 minute drive), snorkeling beaches in Hilo (15 min drive) and the gorgeous
Hamakua Coast with waterfalls, botanical gardens and lush Hawaiian forests (30-90 min drives). Keaau is a 45 minute drive to
Volcano, Hawaii and the
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, situated amidst the magical rainforest filled with wild ginger, native Ohia and towering tree ferns. Enjoy watching surfers, dolphins, and seasonal humpback whales during their annual migration to the Hawaiian Islands from the north Pacific.
Keaau is surrounded by an Ohia forest, and nearby are black-sand beaches and a plethora of botanical gardens. The town's 20-hectar greenhouse Pacific Floral Exchange and Hi'iaka Healing Herb Garden are the most visited. Kea'au was once connected to the neighboring towns of Hilo and Pahoa by the Hawaiian Consolidated Railway. The railroad was used to transport agricultural products and passengers in the 19th century until it was destroyed by the 1946 tsunami. Today, the town is a bedroom community for Hilo's workforce. On weekdays in the mornings and late afternoons, the traffic can be challenging in this area as everybody commutes to and from work in Hilo.
