The Recipe for the Perfect Roadtrip in Hawai'i

What's your recipe for a successful road trip? If I hop in the car for the day, I require the following ingredients: fun roadside attractions, breathtaking landscape, lots of snacks and a bit of history. I want to be good and tired by the end of the day and ready to unwind.

I found all of that and then some on the northern coast of the island of Hawai'i. Hop in the car with me and see how to do a roadtrip, Hawai'i-style.

Every good roadtrip needs something that makes someone in the backseat yell "hey, stop the car!" No need to build the world's largest tourist trap, in Hawai'i you've got waterfalls.

Rainbow Falls is a quick stop off on your way in or out of Hilo. Here you can get a quick photo-op and thanks to the astute eye's of one of my travel companions, Wasabi Prime, you'll spot apple bananas growing in plain view.

Hop back in the car and just as you're getting settled, there's a second, even bigger waterfall just thirty minutes down the road. For $5 per car, you can stretch your legs at Akaka Falls with a bit of a hike and some nature time.

As you wander the paths, you can gawk at the canopy of trees and bamboo.

Or pause for a moment to check out the brightly colored flowers that pepper the paths. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for geckos in shades turquoise and jade.

There are plenty of opportunities for roadside respite or you can enjoy the scenery from the comfort of your car as it changes from blue to green to brown and black.

Don't forget to stop overlooking the ocean. Here we spotted a gaggle of surfers catching some great waves and migrating humpback whales breaching off in the distance.

As you cross over the northern route, you will see rolling green hills, blue skies, blue ocean, ridiculous palatial estates and regular old houses, white fluffy clouds and cows in the pasture. The scenery seems to change in the blink of an eye.

All that hiking and looking has drummed up an appetite. You're probably starting to wonder where are those snacks are that I was talking about. You could fill up on a plate lunch or fried chicken, but why not try a malasada at Tex Drive In?

A malasada is a Portuguese donut (Why Portuguese? In the 1800s, sugar plantations brought over workers from all over the world.) Tex’s serves up excellent examples of the sugary, fluffy pillows of fried dough.

Normally, I'd go for the austere plain version of the stuff, but I couldn’t pass up the variety of fillings at Tex's. Bavarian cream, chocolate, pineapple or strawberry?

I settled for one filled with a guava jelly. Covered in granules of sugar and filled with a sticky center, you're going to make a mess. A mess well worth it for a sampling of a true local treat. Just don't forget to have a napkin close by, or maybe four. Can roadside snacking get any better than this?

Oh, but it can and just a few moments later I was eating again. This time, it was a proper meal at Village Burger in Waimea. To say that it was good would be an understatement. Here, you'll find a focus on local ingredients from the top to the bottom of the burger, and everything in between. Locavore burgers are a good match for Hawai'i, with ranches and produce just down the road and a community full of artisan bakers, ice cream makers and farmers to support Chef Edwin Goto's vision. (If you don't believe me, check out the photos on their facebook page.)

The first difficult decision is choosing what burger to try. From the anything but standard ranchers beef to a widely touted wagyu burger. There are burgers made from local Hamakua mushrooms, Ahi tuna and even taro. Once you've tackled that tough decision of patty choice, you're onto another one, what extras do you want on top?

I waffled and waned and settled on the red veal burger because of it's tempting condiment, tomato marmalade. I pondered what extras I wanted to put on top. Should it be a slice of buttery avocado, cheese, bacon or a broken egg? At what point does it become too much? I opted to keep my flavors simple and added slow cooked and caramelized sixty minute onions. Only after I ordered did I realize that there were daily specials, which could be anything from a surf and turf burger or a mouthwatering kalua pork. All for the best, I think I may have caved under the pressure of picking the perfect burger. My selection was stellar, however, tender veal topped with a sweet and savory marmalade, a far cry from it's distant cousin, ketchup. And, those slow-cooked onions, I'd take those over candy any day.

What would a burger be without fries? Village Burger's handcut beauties were my ideal size, not too thick and not too thin and a lovely golden brown. If you're feeling adventurous, opt for the tasty "goop" on top. A pesto-like smear of basil, garlic and parmesan takes already great fries and makes them irresistible.

You’re in a burger joint, so be sure not forget the shake. Locally made Tropical Dreams ice cream is swirled up with fresh, local strawberries. It's taste shouldn't shock you, heaven forbid strawberry taste like strawberry. But in our land of drab fruit-flavors and fast food shakes, this milkshake will rock your world.

Roll me out, I'm done. And already dreaming about a return visit to try another burger. Until then, I find myself wandering to their facebook page to keep up with the latest creations. Last week, it was burgers topped with a ripe tomato dried for two days in olive oil, salt and pepper. Dubbed "an out of body umami experience," it made me long for a teleportation device.

Ok, so your belly is full, roadside attractions fulfilled and a whole lot of breathtaking scenery has filled your eyes. Now it's time to find a bit of history. As you hit the Kohala Coast, you'll spot the Pu`ukohola Heiau National Historic Site perched on the hillside.

I'm a firm believer that history sticks with you when you hear the stories of yesteryear surrounded by it's scenery. Here, you're at one of King Kamehameha's heiau (or temple) built after he received a prophecy from a priest (or kahuna) to build this temple and dedicate it to the god of war in order to assist in his goal of unifying the Hawaiian islands.

You can't walk amongst the heiau itself, however, it's sacred land, after all. But you can wander the park and the visitor's center and hear the great story of the temple's birth from a park ranger.

So sit down and listen. If you happen to run into this ranger, he's going badger you until you do. But it's worth it, to hear the story of the King as the wind whips by and you overlook the ocean below. Stories of warriors past and Hawaiian legend come alive and make your visit to Pu'ukohola Heiau an unforgettable one.

As you hop back into the car and head down the coast, you'll find yourself winding through the black fields of recent lava flow and over to town of Kona. At this point, you'll start to feel yourself winding down. It's time for something to eat and a tall, frosty drink.

I checked into the Royal Kona Resort and headed straight to Don's Mai Tai Bar for, what else, a mai tai. Made from the original 1933 recipe, a refreshing mix of rum and lime juice sipped in front of the sunset mark the end to a well-spent day.

After a long day of travel, one mai tai might not be enough or you might not be able to choose just one. A mai tai flight might be more your speed, with samples of their many mai tais on the menu, including a fiery-colored Pele's Volcano with hints of pineapple and orange or a "Topless" mango-infused mai tai.

Maybe your road trip takes you from west to east. Well, you can spend your day doing the same exact things. Instead of the mai tai on the water, I recommend you end the day at Kaleo's Bar and Grill in Pahoa. Grab yourself a ice cold draft beer from Kona Brewing and settle in for some good local eats. I had a lightly seasoned poke topped with avocado, succulent kalua pork and cabbage and topped the meal off with some lilikoi cheesecake. Not a bad way to end the day, not at all.