Kapehu Falls Big Island Guidebook

Kapehu Falls is located in the beautiful area of Pepeekeo, a community nestled on Hawaii’s Hamakua Coast. We have the best of both worlds: a quiet, rural environment with quick access to the conveniences of downtown Hilo.

The property is a great location for checking out sunrises and sunsets, and also for star gazing! You may notice few street lights as you’re driving around the island, even in the more densely populated areas. This is by design: lighting is kept to a minimum because of all of the telescopes on Mauna Kea.

The kitchen has cookware, glassware and dinnerware to help you make meals, and the refrigerator and pantry typically have a standard assortment of condiments and spices. Check out what we have in the house before you make a major grocery shopping trip.

You can pack light for your trip – shorts and T-shirts work well for the weather. Socks are also great to be worn around the house since the property can get chilly in the evenings. For the same reason, we recommend you bring at least one item with long sleeves (such as a light jacket or sweatshirt) since it can get cool and windy around the property and in the area, even in the summer. Higher elevations, including Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, can get very cold. Long pajama bottoms and a long-sleeved shirt are also helpful for cooler, windy nights.

If you plan to go exploring outdoors, we do recommend you buy some inexpensive water shoes (not flip flops) while you’re here, which are usually available at Target, Walmart, Long’s Drugs and other retailers. These come in handy if you head to the beach or access the private waterfall on our property. We have plenty of beach towels and some water gear, umbrellas and yoga mats. Make sure you bring a hat and have sunblock. We usually have sunblock on property. Keep in mind Hawaii now outlaws sunblock containing oxybenzone and octinoxate.

Our water supply comes from our rainwater catchment system. The water is purified with filtration and UV light, making it pure and safe to drink. Most guests choose not to buy bottled water for this reason. Water in plastic bottles comes with two burdens: an additional "deposit" you pay at the grocery store, plus an inability to recycle the bottle now that the county recycling authority has stopped accepting plastic.

Since we are remotely located, you’ll need to have a vehicle while you are here. Ridesharing is available and pretty easy to access when you’re near downtown Hilo (you can access ridesharing from the front gate, but it usually takes a while since we have few drivers in the area).

Plastic shopping bags are outlawed on the Big Island. Most retailers will charge you for paper bags, or they'll have reusable canvas bags available for purchase. Bring canvas bags when you go shopping (we normally have a few in the kitchen for guests' use).

Call to confirm operating hours before venturing out, especially if you’re making a special trip. Many stores, attractions and restaurants have unpredictable hours in this part of the state, especially with COVID-19.

Medical resources are scarce on the Big Island, so the county has been especially cautious about COVID-19. Take the pandemic seriously and do your part by wearing masks, washing your hands and practicing social distancing.

Check out these terrific local websites, which are chock full of information about the Big Island. - www.LoveBigIsland.com - www.BigIslandHikes.com