Waipio Valley

You have an open day on the Big Island. You've already seen the lava spilling from Mauna Loa, you've had your fill of the fancy hotels of the Kona and Kohala coast, you've prowled the tidy ranch town of Waimea and the weather-beaten grid of Hilo. So you bear north on Hawaii highways 19 and 240, and soon you stand at a startling overlook, staring down 900 feet at jungle treetops, a black-sand beach, free-roaming horses, a few scattered rusty metal roofs, a couple of 1,000-foot waterfalls.

No visitor to Hawaii should miss the compelling Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Kauai's Waimea Canyon and the Big Island's Volcanoes National Park. But some of the best things to see and do are less well known. Here are 10 of my picks for underrated attractions. Waipio Valley, Hamakua Coast, the Big Island: In the tsunami zone and thus sparsely populated, the remote Waipio Valley is dotted with waterfalls and taro patches and framed by towering cliffs. There's a spectacular lookout above a black sand beach.

You goin' down?" The question came from inside a battered pickup truck to my right. Inside, a scruffy guy in his 40s, with a bushy auburn mustache and a ponytail protruding from a sun-bleached baseball cap, sat drinking Smirnoff Ice and smoking a clove cigarette. He had serious dude written all over him.

You goin' down?" The question came from inside a battered pickup truck to my right. Inside, a scruffy guy in his 40s, with a bushy auburn mustache and a ponytail protruding from a sun-bleached baseball cap, sat drinking Smirnoff Ice and smoking a clove cigarette. He had serious dude written all over him.

Re: "Wet and Wild" (Nov. 3), I concur on the beauty of the Waipio Valley on the Big Island. But for those who truly enjoy guided horseback riding, the Waipio Na'alapa two-hour ride is a must. My son Carl and I try to go horseback riding wherever our vacation takes us. The ride through the rivers in the Waipio Valley is our most memorable. MICHAEL KREMER Fountain Valley

No visitor to Hawaii should miss the compelling Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Kauai's Waimea Canyon and the Big Island's Volcanoes National Park. But some of the best things to see and do are less well known. Here are 10 of my picks for underrated attractions. Waipio Valley, Hamakua Coast, the Big Island: In the tsunami zone and thus sparsely populated, the remote Waipio Valley is dotted with waterfalls and taro patches and framed by towering cliffs. There's a spectacular lookout above a black sand beach.

Sightseeing: Scenery on the Big Island from lush tropical growth to desert-like terrain. Recommended visits: the bay south of Kailua-Kona, where Capt. James Cook met his Waterloo and the orchid farms at Hilo. Kona Arts Center, P.O. Box 272, Holualoa, Kona, Hawaii 96725, (808) 322-2307. Tours of the Waipio Valley are available through Waipio Valley Shuttle & Tours, P.O. Box 5128, Kukuihaele, Hawaii 96727, (808) 775-7121.

Your article ("Wet and Wild," Nov. 3) on Waipio Valley brought back wonderful memories for me. I was born in Hilo and lived in Honokaa, my dad being the plantation doctor for Honokaa Sugar Co. and Paauhou Sugar Co. Many times I rode horseback, Dad on a mule, down the old rocky and steep road when he was called to see a patient. Waipio was beautiful then, and I am happy to read that it still is. MIRI LOU CARTER DAVIS Cathedral City

The wreckage of a sightseeing airplane that had disappeared with 11 people aboard was found Tuesday strewn across a rugged cliff in a remote valley on Hawaii Island, authorities said. Rescuers who rappelled from a helicopter recovered six bodies, which were taken to a temporary morgue in Honokaa, the nearest community, said Neil Gyotoku, a spokesman for Hawaii County Civil Defense. There was no immediate sign of survivors. The crew of a Hawaii County Fire Department helicopter sighted the Scenic Air Tours Hawaii plane above Waipio Valley on the island's northeast coast, according to Hawaii County Fire Battalion Chief James Higashida.

A search helicopter today found the wreckage of a sightseeing plane carrying 10 tourists and a pilot in a valley on the northeastern tip of Hawaii island. Authorities said there were no survivors. The crashed orange Scenic Air Tours twin-engine Beechcraft C-18 was sighted in the vicinity of an 1,800-foot-high waterfall in the picturesque Waipio Valley at 6 a.m., the Hilo Fire Department said. It had been missing since Sunday. "From aerial survey, there seemed to be no known survivors," Fire Department Battalion Chief James Higashita said.

Your article ("Wet and Wild," Nov. 3) on Waipio Valley brought back wonderful memories for me. I was born in Hilo and lived in Honokaa, my dad being the plantation doctor for Honokaa Sugar Co. and Paauhou Sugar Co. Many times I rode horseback, Dad on a mule, down the old rocky and steep road when he was called to see a patient. Waipio was beautiful then, and I am happy to read that it still is. MIRI LOU CARTER DAVIS Cathedral City

Re: "Wet and Wild" (Nov. 3), I concur on the beauty of the Waipio Valley on the Big Island. But for those who truly enjoy guided horseback riding, the Waipio Na'alapa two-hour ride is a must. My son Carl and I try to go horseback riding wherever our vacation takes us. The ride through the rivers in the Waipio Valley is our most memorable. MICHAEL KREMER Fountain Valley

You have an open day on the Big Island. You've already seen the lava spilling from Mauna Loa, you've had your fill of the fancy hotels of the Kona and Kohala coast, you've prowled the tidy ranch town of Waimea and the weather-beaten grid of Hilo. So you bear north on Hawaii highways 19 and 240, and soon you stand at a startling overlook, staring down 900 feet at jungle treetops, a black-sand beach, free-roaming horses, a few scattered rusty metal roofs, a couple of 1,000-foot waterfalls.

Sightseeing: Scenery on the Big Island from lush tropical growth to desert-like terrain. Recommended visits: the bay south of Kailua-Kona, where Capt. James Cook met his Waterloo and the orchid farms at Hilo. Kona Arts Center, P.O. Box 272, Holualoa, Kona, Hawaii 96725, (808) 322-2307. Tours of the Waipio Valley are available through Waipio Valley Shuttle & Tours, P.O. Box 5128, Kukuihaele, Hawaii 96727, (808) 775-7121.

Emergency crews descended by ropes from helicopters Wednesday to recover the last four bodies from the steep terrain where a tour airplane crashed over the weekend, killing all 11 people aboard. Delphine Clemenz of Torrance, Calif., was identified Wednesday as one of those on the Scenic Air Tours flight. The twin-engine Beechcraft was en route Sunday from Hilo Airport on Hawaii to Kahului on the island of Maui when it slammed into the 1,800-foot-high escarpment at the back of remote Waipio Valley.

The wreckage of a sightseeing airplane that had disappeared with 11 people aboard was found Tuesday strewn across a rugged cliff in a remote valley on Hawaii Island, authorities said. Rescuers who rappelled from a helicopter recovered six bodies, which were taken to a temporary morgue in Honokaa, the nearest community, said Neil Gyotoku, a spokesman for Hawaii County Civil Defense. There was no immediate sign of survivors. The crew of a Hawaii County Fire Department helicopter sighted the Scenic Air Tours Hawaii plane above Waipio Valley on the island's northeast coast, according to Hawaii County Fire Battalion Chief James Higashida.

Emergency crews descended by ropes from helicopters Wednesday to recover the last four bodies from the steep terrain where a tour airplane crashed over the weekend, killing all 11 people aboard. Delphine Clemenz of Torrance, Calif., was identified Wednesday as one of those on the Scenic Air Tours flight. The twin-engine Beechcraft was en route Sunday from Hilo Airport on Hawaii to Kahului on the island of Maui when it slammed into the 1,800-foot-high escarpment at the back of remote Waipio Valley.

A search helicopter today found the wreckage of a sightseeing plane carrying 10 tourists and a pilot in a valley on the northeastern tip of Hawaii island. Authorities said there were no survivors. The crashed orange Scenic Air Tours twin-engine Beechcraft C-18 was sighted in the vicinity of an 1,800-foot-high waterfall in the picturesque Waipio Valley at 6 a.m., the Hilo Fire Department said. It had been missing since Sunday. "From aerial survey, there seemed to be no known survivors," Fire Department Battalion Chief James Higashita said.