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William Herbert Shipman

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William Herbert or W. H. Shipman was a wealthy businessman who once owned the W. H. Shipman House in Hilo, Hawaii. In addition to the Shipman house on Reed’s Island, Shipman also owned almost the entire town of Keaau and the Ainahou Ranch in Volcano.

Shipman was born to missionary parents on December 17, 1854 at Lahaina, Maui. But later his parents were invited to Hilo by Titus Coan, a well known minister of the Historic Haili Church. Shipman lived in Hilo for a time and then attended Punahou on Oahu and later Knox College in Illinois.

The Shipman Family
The Shipman Family

How W. H. Shipman Built His Fortune

  • He came from humble beginnings, a child of missionaries
  • His father died and his mother remarried a wealthy businessman
  • When his stepfather died, Shipman inherited his landholdings
  • With two partners he bought the entire 70,000 acre region of Keaau
  • He leased much of the of the land to the Ola’a Sugar Company

 

 

Paradise Helicopters Hilo

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A sight you might see on a Hilo Helicopter Tour.
A sight you might see on a Hilo Helicopter Tour.

Paradise Helicopters offers two different tours out of Hilo International Airport and I believe that they are the only helicopter company in Hilo that offers a doors off tour. This means you can experience the sensation of wind blowing through your hair as you get an unobstructed view of Hawaii’s majestic scenery.

Paradise Helicopters Prices

  • Doors Off with Waterfalls $241.11
  • Hilo’s Fire and Falls Adventure $205.20

About Paradise Helicopters

  • Been in business since 1997
  • Flies 6 passenger Bell 407 and 4 passenger Hughes 500
  • They offer two way communication headsets between you and the pilot and the other passengers
  • They have a Japanese speaking pilot on staff
  • You can design a custom tour with them
  • They are the only company with Bell 407s on the Big Island

Hilo Helicopter Tours

Here is a link in case you want to book a tour with Paradise Helicopters: http://paradisecopters.com/hilo.php

 

Robert Kiyosaki

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Robert Kiyosaki: Born in Hilo, Hawaii
Robert Kiyosaki: Born in Hilo, Hawaii

Robert Kiyosaki was born in Hilo, Hawaii in 1947. He is most famous for writing Rich Dad, Poor Dad, which is one of the best selling financial books of all time. What many people don’t know is that he made his first fortune by introducing the first nylon, velcro surfer wallets.

Biography

  • Born on April 8, 1947 in Hilo, Hawaii
  • Raised in Hilo and graduated from Hilo High
  • Attended U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
  • Sold copy machines for Xerox
  • Started a company that introduced surfer wallets
  • Went bankrupt and was homeless for a while
  • Wrote best seller Rich Dad, Poor Dad
  • Made a fortune on real estate and by starting Rich Dad Company and Cashflow Technologies, Inc.

 

B.J. Penn

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B.J. Penn is undoubtedly the best MMA fighter to come from Hilo, Hawaii and one of the best mixed martial arts fighters, period. He is one of only two men to win UFC titles in two different weight classes. To give you an understanding of the magnitude of this achievement the only other man to do this was UFC Hall of Famer, Randy Couture.

To learn more visit B.J. Penn’s Website.

Hilo Helicopter Tours Price & Ratings Comparison

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Looking for a Volcano Helicopter Tour in Hilo? Who has the best prices and reviews? Read on to find the answer.

Tour CompanyTourPriceTimeReviewsRating
ParadiseDoors Off Volcano & Waterfalls$241.1140 to 45 minutes204 stars
ParadiseFire & Falls Helicopter Tour$205.2040 to 45 minutes204 stars
Blue HawaiianCircle of Fire & Waterfalls$196.0250 minutes234 stars
SafariVolcano Tour$169.0040 to 45 minutes174 stars
SafariVolcano & Coastline Tour$189.0050 to 55 minutes174 stars
TropicalVolcano Adventure$160.0035 to 40 minutes44 stars
TropicalVolcano & Falls Adventure$193.8040 to 50 minutes44 stars

Paradise Helicopters

Paradise’s motto is “fly today…remember forever”. They offer two tours out of Hilo to view the fiery Volcano National Park and Hawaii’s most beautiful waterfalls.

Doors Off Hawaiian Volcano Tour with Waterfalls

Price: $241.11
Time: 40 to 45 minutes

Paradise offer a doors off Hawaiian Volcano Tour for $241.11. Doors off tours provide the best views and most exciting flights and are not to be missed.

Hilo Fire and Falls Helicopter Tour

Price: $205.20
Time: 40 to 45 minutes

Paradise gives an educational tour of Hawaii’s Volcano and Hilo’s Waterfalls. This tour is narrated and highly interactive, so you can ask all of your questions about Hawaii’s natural wonders.

http://paradisecopters.com/hilo.php

Blue Hawaiian Helicopters

Blue Hawaiian provides a Helicopter Tour of the Volcano and Hilo’s Waterfalls out of Hilo airport which is just a few minutes away from the Hilo Wharf and their tours provide 50 minutes of airtime, so it is a great choice if you are visiting Hilo on a cruise ship.

Circle of Fire plus Waterfalls

Time: 50 minutes
A-Star Price: $196.02
Eco-Star Price: $240.90

The primary difference between these tours is the type of helicopter that you will get to fly on. The Eco-Stars are on the cutting edge of Helicopter Technology.

On Blue Hawaiian’s tour you will get to see Hawaii’s Volcano which has been spewing molten hot lava since 1983 and you will see Hilo’s crashing waterfalls while learning about the culture and history of Hawaii.

Blue Hawaiian Reviews

  • “Best of the Best” Air Tour by the readers of “West Hawaii Today” ten times
  • “Best of the Best” Air Tour twelve years in a row by the readers of the “Hawaii Tribune Herald

Safari Helicopters Hawaii

Safari will take you on a flight to see the Kilauea Volcano in an A-Star 350 Helicopter.

Volcano Safari Tour

Price $169.00
Time: 40 to 45 minutes

In this tour you will fly directly towards the Hawaii Volcano National Park and see volcanic activity. You’ll see the Lava Tree forest and may even get to see lava pouring into the ocean and perhaps a lava lake.

Deluxe Volcano and Coastline Safari Tour

Price: $189.00
Time: 50 to 55 minutes

In this tour you will see the volcano and waterfalls. You’ll get to see everything mentioned in the Safari tour, plus majestic waterfalls on Wailuku River such as Rainbow Falls and you’ll get to see the Hilo Bay too.

Visit: http://www.safarihelicopters.com/big-island-helicopter-tours/

Safari Reviews & Ratings

“Safari Helicopters has been awarded 10 stars—the highest ever awarded—by the Hawaii Helicopter Operator’s Association.”

Tripadvisor ranks them 7 out of 36 activities in Hilo, they have a rating of 4.5 stars by 176 reviewers. Here are a few highlights of their reviews:

  • “Memorable and unique experience”
  • “Wonderful experience”
  • “One of the best ways to view the lava”

Tropical Helicopters Island Adventures

Tropical flies three helicopters out of Hilo airport and provides two tours.

Volcano Adventure

Price: $160.00
Time: 35 to 40 minutes

In this tour, Tropical, take you on a flight to see Hawaii’s most active volcano. You will see majestic views of the Kilauea volcano.

Volcano and Falls Adventure

Price: $193.80
Time: 40 to 50 minutes

In addition to seeing the Kilauea Volcano you will also get to see the towering 80 foot tall Rainbow Falls of Hilo which is part of the longest river in the Hawaiian archipelago, the Wailuku River.

Visit: http://tropicalhelicopters.com/hilo-helicopter-tours.html

Sources: Yelp and Tripadvisor