At a 5 minute drive from downtown Hilo, Rainbow Falls, or WAIĀNUENUE in Hawaiian, is the most accessible waterfall to Hilo. To get there, just take Wainuenue Avenue from downtown and follow the signs. There are parking lots available and free admission.

The waterfall gets its name from the rainbows that are often seen at the falls on sunny days. The Hawaiian name literally means rainbow [seen in] water.

Depending on recent rainfall, they may be narrower than pictured or wide and muddy, and they are 80 feet (approx 25 metres) high.

To see the falls from above, take the steps up to the upper viewing area. It was fairly dry despite recent rains but I bet those steps can be treacherous when wet.

Here, we look upstream at the rapids, above, and downstream at the river, below.

A short walk at the top of the falls takes you to a very large banyan tree.

Just look out for all those roots!

I hope you enjoyed this short walk.

References

Rainbow Falls, A scenic stop in Hilo
Rainbow Falls in Hilo, Hawaii

Images

Photos taken with my Canon SX620 HS at Rainbow Falls in Hilo, The Big Island, Hawaii, USA

Mahalo until next time,
@kansuze