Da Best Small Town in the World
Rainbow Falls is located in the heart of Hilo, Hawaii. It is just a few miles up Waianuenue Avenue, just above downtown Hilo. You have the best chance of viewing a rainbow made by Rainbow Falls is you visit during the later hours of the morning on a sunny day.
Which is the better Hilo Helicopter Tour Company? Should you choose Safari Helicopter Tours or Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours?
When you are visiting Hawaii, you should consider taking a Hilo Helicopter Tour. Sure you can see amazing waterfalls on any island in Hawaii, but where else can you fly over an active volcano, but on the Big Island?
Two names you have probably run across when deciding which Hilo helicopter tour company you want to choose to make your Hawaiian vacation memorable are Blue Hawaiian Helicopters and Safari Helicopters.
Both fly out of Hilo International Airport and both offer aerial tours of the Kilauea Volcano and Hilo’s waterfalls and scenic cost line. So how do you decide on which company to choose?
When it comes to prices, Safari Helicopters wins hands down. Safari Helicopters’ cheapest helicopter tour is $169, while Blue Hawaiian Helicopters’ most inexpensive tour costs $196.
Blue Hawaii edges out Safari, when considering what you will see. All of its tours include flights over the volcano, plus waterfall viewing, while Safari’s lowest price flights exclude the waterfall.
When it comes to flight time, Safari Helicopters has a slight lead over Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. Safari’s longest tour is 50 to 55 minutes, while Blue Hawaiian’s is 50 minutes.
Blue Hawaiian, provided you are willing to pay a premium price, offers the helicopter with the best seating and views. Their Eco-Star helicopter package is designed to offer 180 degrees views, so you can take in the full beauty of our island. Though you will still get a great view no matter which helicopter tour you choose.
Blue Hawaiian Helicopters has a slight edge when it comes to years in business. It was started back in 1985, while Safari was started back in 1987.
I don’t think that you will go wrong with either Blue Hawaiian Helicopters or Safari Helicopter Tours out of Hilo. The best tour for you is probably going to come down to how much you are willing to spend on either of these fine tours.
Wesley “Cabbage” Correira is an MMA fighter from Hilo who trains with B.J. Penn. Correira was born in Hilo, Hawaii back in 1978 and he fights in the heavyweight division. He is 6 foot 3 and he tips the scales at 260 pounds and he has fought with some really tough guys like Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski and Tank Abbott. He is known for having an iron chin and is nearly impossible to knock out. He has also got really heavy hands with huge knockout power and his primary fighting style is kickboxing.
You might be wondering how much it costs to attend UH Hilo. UH Hilo’s Tuition is actually quite reasonable even if you are a non resident.
The non-resident tuition for UH Hilo is only $8,736 for an undergrad. This is quite a deal in comparison to many private schools. Here is the full non-resident tuition schedule:
If you are a Hawaii resident, you are in luck. The tuition for an undergrad at UH Hilo is a mere $2,940, which is an exceptional bargain. Here is the full UH Hilo Resident Tuition Schedule:
Unfortunately tuition isn’t the only cost of attending UH Hilo. The total cost of attending UH Hilo is higher than that because you have to factor in room and board, books, transportation and personal expenses as well.
If you are willing to live at home with your parents, the total additional costs of attending UH Hilo are estimated to be $7,170. If you add this to the cost of tuition you get the following total costs of attending UH Hilo:
Living in the UH Hilo Dorms costs a bit more than living at home. The additional cost is estimated to be $10,800. So this is the total annual cost of living in UH Housing and attending UH Hilo:
Living off campus with roommates is the most expensive options. The additional estimated cost is estimated to be $14,980. Here is what the total cost amounts to:
One of the reasons I like living in Hilo, Hawaii is that it is less crowded than the mainland. To keep it that way, I am going to attempt to convince you not to move here. So here are my top reasons why you shouldn’t move to Hilo.
According to Neighborhood Scout, Hilo is more dangerous than 88% of the other cities in the United States. I guess we almost make the 90th percentile in something. Too bad its for something bad.
Hilo is located on the side of an active volcano. I mean what could go wrong. Mauna Loa last erupted in 1984, but fortunately the lava flow stopped short of Hilo.
This Yahoo article gives a little picture of how hard it can be to find a job in Hilo.
Heck I live in Hilo, but even I don’t have a job in Hilo. My company is located in California. I’m glad I can telecommute, because the 2,389 miles to California would be one hell of a long drive. Oh wait, there’s no bridge from Hawaii to California.
A good number of our keiki (children) leave Hilo for the mainland to get jobs, because there are not enough jobs here. So if people are leaving for jobs, coming here expecting to find a job quickly might not make sense.
Our electricity prices average $0.40 per kilowatt hour. We have the highest electricity rates in the nation according to Civil Beat.
Lots of people have roosters here in Hilo, including us. They can get very loud in the morning, so forget being able to sleep in. And sometimes their internal clock goes off and they decide to start crowing in the middle of the night too.
We have these evil little frogs called coqui frogs. They come out and night and make an exceptionally loud chirping noise that is sure to keep you awake at night.
How loud is a coqui frog? Well when you put a few hundred of them together they are about as load as a jet engine. Hope you have ear plugs.
A lot of our food is shipped in from the mainland. As you might imagine, it costs a lot of money to ship perishable food, so food costs more here because of additional cost to ship it here.
I usually pay about $4.35 per gallon to fill my car up. I live in town, so I don’t do much driving, but if you have to drive a lot this can really add up. Public transportation aside from a few sparse bus routes is non-existent here so expect to drive a lot even if you live in town. And if you live outside of Hilo expect to drive a whole lot.
Okay, not all the time, but L.A. has smog, while Hilo has vog. Vog is produced by the Kilauea Volcano, which has been erupting for a very long time. When the trade winds stop, all of the vog from the volcano lingers over Hilo and harms Hilo’s air quality.
Hilo is the rainiest city in the U.S., so unless you are hydrophilic, Hilo might not be a fun place for you.
Please don’t move to Hilo. I want to keep it all to myself.
Okay, I might be exaggerating a little, but these are somethings you might want to consider before moving to Hilo, Hawaii.