Akaka Falls, part of the Akaka Falls State Park on the northeastern side of the island of Hawaii, is located quite far from most of the popular Big Island Hawaii real estate that surrounds the city of Hilo. Almost eleven miles north of the city, the water fall has managed to keep the exclusive and rural field that has made it so popular with tourists and visitors who manage to find it. The accessible portion of the park looks down on the waterfall and is located on the right shoulder of the deep gorge into which the waterfall plunges. The beautiful waterfall is considered of the islands most gorgeous sights and is a very tranquil and reflective place to be. The 442-foot tall waterfalls name can be translated in Hawaiian as to crack, to split, or to scale. The name fits the description of the waterfall that pours millions of gallons of waters down into the pool below from a thriving river up above. According to Hawaiian legend and local folklore, a stone located near Akaka Falls, called Pohaku a Pele, will call the sky to darken and rain if struck by a branch of lehua apane. The trails that lead to Akaka Falls also lead to the smaller Kahuna Falls that is nearby

Thousands of visitors step foot on the island of Hawaii each year. More affectionately known as the Big Island, tourists from places around the world are attracted the beauty of the area the steaming volcanoes, lush forestry, ice-capped summits, and black flowing lava. While many people choose to stay at beachfront resorts, like the Mauna Lani Resort and Spa, or the Sheraton Keauhou Beach Resort and Village, several other, perhaps more rustic travelers, seek Big Island vacation rentals. While there are several vacation rentals in the city of Hilo, the lack of significant beaches and thus the absence of beachfront properties has limited the appeal of vacation beach houses.

Instead, a number of rentals are available in the paniolo, or cowboy, town of Kamuela in the north, and more importantly in Kilauea, to the south. For the visitors interested in seeing the continued creation of the Big Island and the expansion of the Hawaiian Island chain, there are plenty of Big Island vacation rentals scattered across the area known as the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Advantages of staying in a vacation home include a warm fireplace to warm up in front of on cold evenings, being in the midst of some of Hawaiis densest forests, and being able to enjoy the scenery that normal tourists dont even get a glimpse of.

Although the town is officially known as Kailua in the Kona District of the Island of Hawaii, the town is often referred to as Kailua-Kona in order to differentiate from the larger Kailua town on Oahu, except for locals who sometimes refer to it as just Kona. Served by Kona International Airport, Kalua has a population of about 10,000 and is the center of commerce and of the tourist industry on the west coast of Hawaii. Across the island on the east coast is the larger town of Hilo. Kailua was originally established by King Kamehameha I to be his seat of government and capital of the newly unified Kingdom of Hawaii. However, the capital was later moved to Lahaina, then to Honolulu, the current capitol of the State of Hawaii. During Kamemehas rule, the town also served as a retreat for the Hawaiian royal family, and up to the late 1900s Kailua was also a small fishing village. In recent years however, Kailua has experienced major development and growth fueled by tourism and investment.

Kailua is home to many dining, shopping, and entertainment opportunities, as well as many historic and cultural attractions. The royal fishponds at the Kaloki-Honokohau National Historical Park were considered to be the hub of unified Hawaiian culture. Kona is also host to the annual Ironman World Championship triathlon and the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament. Other major sites of interest include Hulihee Palace, the Historic Kona Inn, Mokuaikaua Church, Laaloa Bay, Kahaluu Bay Sadie Seymour Botanical Gardens, and Kona Hawaii Temple.

Here are some reasons to think twice about Hawaii Superferry:

SUPERFERRY IS A GAS GUZZLER:

• Roundtrip Oahu to Maui: 12,000 gallons
• Roundtrip Oahu to Kauai: 12,000 gallons
• Roundtrip Oahu to Big Island: 16,000 gallons
• Additional roundtrip Oahu to Maui: 12,000 gallons
• Total gallons burned per day by Superferry in the Hawaiian Islands when second ferry arrives: 52,000 gallons!

WHAT’S THIS ABOUT A FUEL SURCHARGE?

Did you know there’s a 39 percent surcharge each way per passenger and per vehicle?

Check out the fare schedule and do the math. If you want to take your pickup truck to Oahu from the Big Island for the weekend, the base passenger fare (currently quoted) will be $71 one way plus 39% fuel surcharge each way.

For your truck, it will cost $113 each way plus fuel surcharge of 39% each way.

If you want to upgrade to the lounge, it’s another $20 each way.

That’s more than $500 for one person and a truck.

You can book an air/car package and get a hotel to boot for less than it costs to ride the Superferry.Also, infants and children under two, who fly free on airlines, are $17 one way, plus surcharge. The fuel surcharge will increase when the price of oil increases.

Superferry doesn’t tell the real truth about the fuel surcharge.It’s called BAIT and SWITCH.Their example on their web site is that a ticket purchased for $50 will increase by 2% for $51 total. Completely misleading. Don’t be deceived by Superferry’s introductory rates through March 2008. This is just a marketing ploy to drum up support for Superferry before it unveils its actual official fares. Scroll below to view more crunching of the numbers.

SUPERFERRY IS NOT CONVENIENT:

Want to travel to Oahu from the Big Island? It’s a 4 + 1/4 hour sail minimum, not counting drive time to Kawaihae, wait time and traffic time, which could total a good 8 hours of travel time one way.

Ocean swells will add another hour to your Superferry trip.

If you want to send your high school sports team for weekend competition via Superferry, you’ll have to take them out of school on Friday and Monday and pay for the extra overnight stays.

Want to take a surf safari from the Big Island to Maui via Superferry? There is no direct sail between Maui and the Big Island. You’d have to go through the above scenario to get to Oahu late in the day and factor in a separate booking and fare to Maui, go through the boarding process all over again and sail for another 3 hours. Phew.

Round your kids up at 3 in the morning on Oahu for your trip to Maui, because Superferry departs at 6:30 a.m. You must be onboard by 6 a.m., but it is recommended you get to the port 1 to 2 hours early. Include additional time to disembark. It took Superferry 55 minutes to unload only 90 cars the last time it sailed into Maui — not the 20 minutes promised by ferry officials. On Kauai, Superferry arrives at 6 p.m. right in the middle of rush hour traffic. Then it leaves for Oahu at 7 p.m., arriving at 10 p.m. Factor in an additional overnight stay to your cost of riding the “affordable” Superferry.

FUEL EFFICIENCY:

Superferry claims to be more fuel efficient than anything else on the water or in the air. But wait a minute, the numbers don’t add up, because Superferry estimates it will only be carrying an average of half the passenger and vehicle load of its potential capacity.

Why then, did Superferry build a ship twice the size it needs with a fuel capacity of 58,000 gallons that burns 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel per hour? When both ferries are running, there will be a total of 52,000 gallons of diesel fuel spewed throughout the islands each day. This is hardly a solution to the global warming crisis, especially when there are hybrid ferries now running in New York Harbor and other locales.

SECURITY CONCERNS:

Superferry allows passengers to load their vehicles with handguns, hunting rifles and shotguns in an undetermined amount. The only restriction is that they cant be in bulk quantities. Passengers with firearms need only keep their ammo separated from their firearms, but security personnel will not check to see if a guns are loaded, and it doesnt matter where in a vehicle the guns are stored. Those with firearms must voluntarily declare that fact by telling security inspectors when driving onboard, but not all vehicles will necessarily be screened. Minimum hiring criteria for security inspectors is a high school education.

Additionally, passengers are allowed to transport hazardous materials, flammable liquids under 12 gallons, propane under 20 gallons, and fireworks in their vehicles. Superferry could well be a floating death trap harboring potential terrorists and gun-toting criminals amid a very lax security system.

HALLIBURTON OF HAWAII:

Superferry Chairman of the Board and major financial backer is John Lehman, a longtime neo-con and militarist who is commissioner of the Project for a New American Century, the blueprint for preemptive war in Iraq. He still asserts the Iraq was connected to 9/1l terrorists. Lehman is a Bush Administration loyalist. In the 1980s, he was forced out of the Reagan administration for his extreme ideological views.

The Superferry board of directors consists of others from Lehman’s company, including Terry White, VP of Superferry, who was involved with American Classic Cruise Lines, which filed the largest bankruptcy in the history of a U.S. Maritime Administration-back loan, the same U.S. agency that has backed a $140 million loan for Superferry. Additionally, Superferry president John Garibaldi was CFO of Hawaiian Airlines when it went bankrupt, from which he accepted a huge severance package.

MILITARY CONNECTION:

Why did Superferry build a vessel twice the size recommended by the vessel’s maker, Austal USA, for interisland travel with a fuel capacity of 58,000 gallons?Because Superferry is a military transport vessel designed to transport Stryker brigades and military troops interisland under the guise of a passenger ferry, just like the Westpac Express in Japan. Don’t take our word for it. John Lehman himself said so in the Pacific Business News in 2005. (and so did Tim Dick )Superferry is built for military purposes paid for by unsuspecting Hawaii taxpayers.

WHALESROADKILL OF THE SUPERFERRY:

At 43 miles an hour, the Superferry WILL slice up and kill whales with its two enormous, narrow pontoons that sink 14 feet under water and cut like razor-sharp blades upon impact. The fate of the poor whale is a given.

What’s not been determined is what will happen to the 866 passengers when a boat traveling at such a high rate of speed strikes a humpback whale??? In April of last year, a collision between a high-speed passenger ferry and a whale in Japan resulted in 90 of 114 passengers and crew on board sustaining injuries.

There is no other vessel this size in Hawaii that travels at this rate of speed. Alaska has imposed a limit of 10 to 13 knots for vessels traveling through its humpback whale sanctuary, home of the very same whales that migrate here. Why should it be any different in Hawaii?

INVASIVE SPECIES:

Can anybody say “coqui frog?” It is a well-known fact that coqui frogs and their eggs hitchhike on vehicles. (This is how these destructive pests have quadrupled in population on the Big Island in the last year). Coquis and little fire ants, WILL travel from Big Island to other islands via Superferry. Other invasives like the bee mite and the glassy-winged sharpshooter, WILL come from Oahu to other islands. Personal vehicles by the hundreds each day potentially carrying pests of all kinds is not comparable to shipments on Matson and Young Brothers.

Superferry says it will do “screenings,” NOT inspections. Based on their ETAs, Superferry will have approximately 5 seconds per vehicle to “screen” for everything from firearms, explosives, drugs, agriculture and invasive species. Theworld’s deadliest terrorist attack at sea took place in the Philippines in 2004 when their Superferry was bombed by a guerilla group in 2004, killing 116 passengers. Superferry should be held to the same security standards as inter-island airlines.Calling all criminals! Hop onboard Superferry, burglarize a Big Island residence, load up the goods in your car and escape back to Oahu via Superferry.

PARTY TIME:

Superferry serves liquor onboard its vessel. Imagine dozens and dozens of bust-up passengers taking to the streets after their long ride on Superferry. PARTY!!!

SUPERFERRY’S CLOSEKNIT EMPLOYEE OHANA WHOM THEY CLAIM TO LOVE SO MUCH:

Did you know that all but two of Superferry’s beloved employees on Maui are less than part-time and receive NO health benefits?

Pacific Business News reported on March 26, 2005, that With Lehmans expertise, the Superferry plans to operate a Westpac Express, essentially to carry military equipment and ferry vehicles from Oahu to the Big Island on a daily basis. Lehman told PBN that This logistical plan will make it easier for soldiers to train when the Stryker Brigade comes to Hawaii. The brigade will be stationed on Oahu and conduct training exercises on the Big Island. He pointed out that the Superferry is able to transport Stryker vehicles. HSF states on Page 9 of its PUC application that, In Hawaii, it is anticipated that an entire battalion will be able to be transported from Oahu to the Big Island on four trips at lower cost.

MORE NUMBERS CRUNCHING:

SUPERFERRY STICKER SHOCK AFTER THE LOW INTRODUCTORY FARES:

For a family of five with car on Superferry,
(2 adults, 1 infant, 1 child under two, 1 child age 8 and an SUV):

Oahu to Maui roundtrip, April 4-7, 2008:
$790.27

For same family of five, same dates:
Air/car package on Aloha Airlines:
$475.28

Wow, I can’t wait to pay $315 more for a three-hour ride on Superferry starting at 6 in the morning!!!!!

In a letter written to West Hawaii Today on Nov. 20, 2007, Mr. Henry Scroggins is excited to report that it will only cost $103 to ship his SUV from Oahu to the Big Island compared to Young Brothers’ price of $253 for the same route. But the $103 he quotes is Superferry’s off-peak base fare, Tuesday through Thursday only, not counting the fuel surcharge. Mr. Scroggins needs to get out his calculator and include the additional 34% fuel surcharge currently quoted (which will increase when oil prices increase) for a total of $138.83 one way. This does not include the fact that he will have to accompany the vehicle he is shipping on Superferry, so he should factor in the additional passenger fare of $61.74 plus fuel surcharge of 34%, bringing it up to $82.71 for a grand total of $221.54 one way Tuesday through Thursday only. If he wants to upgrade to the lounge (which most certainly he will since it’s a half day’s worth of sailing), he’ll need to fork over an extra $20 one way.

On peak days, which are Friday through Monday, the base fares go up to $113.64 per SUV and $71.69 per passenger. On Friday through Monday, Mr. Scroggins will be paying a grand total of $248.33 for his car and himself one way from Oahu to the Big Island. A difference of only five dollars from the Young Brothers’ fare he cites. (not including the lounge upgrade)

(Please note, fuel surcharge is now 39%)

• Fares
  • Published fares don’t include gas surcharge.
  • You must pay for each person in addition to a separate charge for your vehicle
• Funding
  • Why are we taxpayers being asked to benefit a private enterprise?
  • Who will be responsible for maintainingharbor upgrades once they are completed?
  • If Hawaii Superferry fails, what becomes of the facilities that have been created?
• Traffic
  • Has consideration been given to increased traffic, not only on the roads throughout the island, but most importantly with regard to the areas within a few miles of proposed ports?
  • Will increased traffic negatively impact safety on our roads?
  • Will increased traffic mean more tax dollars spent to repair our roads?
• Freight, Fish & Farmers
  • According to Pacific Business News, Maui Land & Pineapple Co. has invested $1 million in Hawaii Superferry Inc.. and Grove Farm Co. of Kauai The Steve Case-owned company reached an agreement to buy 50 percent of Maui Land and Pineapple’s $1 million investment in the ferry company. How can we be certain the Superferry is not being positioned as a freight carrier, thereby eliminating the benefits to small local farmers as well as to passengers looking for faster and cheaper inter-island transportation?
  • How will the Superferry affect the livelihood of our local fishermen? Will it enable people from other islands easier access to the fish in our local waters?
• Marine Life
  • What considerations have been given to the safety of whales and other marine life?
  • Will the Superferry affect the migration of our whales, possibly driving them away and therefore affecting our tourism?
• Recreational Uses
  • Will the Superferry be able to coexist with recreational swimmers, boaters, surfers and paddlers?

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… C: wait… SD: wait…