You can't get there from here

It’s next to impossible to give directions on the island because everything seems to be in a state of constant flux. That’s typically why I try to give directions like “…and then you’ll see a big tree…” - so here goes:

Let’s start at the airport – drive mauka and make a right to go to Kailua town and you’ll be on Queen Ka’ahumanu Hwy, #19 – to your left, at about 1200’ elevation is Mamalahoa Hwy, aka (also known as) Hawaii Belt Road, Hwy #11 – pretty clear so far until you get to just before Kailua town on the upper road when it’s aka Palani Road. Continuing through Kailua town on Queen K it’s aka Hawaii Belt Hwy, aka (Mamalahoa Hwy)(parentheses from University of Hawaii Press map), and changes to Hwy#11. When the makai Kuakini Hwy joins in, Queen K drops out and the road becomes Hawaii Belt Hwy, aka (Mamalahoa Hwy), but stays Hwy#11, and we’re ok until we get to Hilo where the road – this same road that we’ve been on since the airport, is magically transformed back to Hwy#11 but is only known as Hawaii Belt Hwy – a prime example of how the County seat in Hilo takes care of its own and doesn’t really give a damn about the west side of the island. And we’re ok until Waimea (or is it Kamuela?) where we need to take Kawaihae Road (#19) to get back to Queen K (Hwy#19) to complete the circle and here we branch off from Hawaii Belt Hwy, aka (Mamalahoa Hwy), aka Hwy#11, to meet up with it again after we’ve added Palani Road back into the mix at Kailua town. This is why a lot of us use the terms “upper road” and “lower road” just to cut through all of this bull. Even more complicated, of course, is when some of us that have been here for a few decades give directions from places that don’t exist anymore or have been renamed – like “ . . . make a right at where the Kona Lagoon Hotel used to be . . .”

Have fun with it and buy a map – don’t trust Google – they know even less then you do!