For most of our past tours, where we would spend each night was mostly a mystery, something that would unfold depending on how far we had travelled, the weather, what was available, and how we felt. The extent of our planning was limited to maybe having figured out the first and last nights, and a general idea about how much we would be camping, and cooking,

But Hawaii - oh Hawaii. We were shocked to learn that for camping you must have a reservation and permit, that you obtain by sending in a letter (a letter!) or by signing up and paying online. There is no just showing up, no staff on site to greet you. Until, that is, someone rousts you out in the night for a look at your permit. At least, that is how we understand it right now. Once we are actually there we will be alert for any possible wild camps, and will also be able to report first hand about permits, and what kind of staff is to be found when at the various camping spots.

As it stands, we are the proud holders of seven camping permits for county and state parks, and nine hotel reservations. We are planning on four camping nights in the Volcano national park - which is no longer free, but at least no advance reservation is required. That leaves three nights in and around Hilo - the ones we had been planning on spending in Pahoa. We can camp at either the Wild Ginger or Arnotts without reservation, or maybe we will try sleeping inside for these nights too there if the weather is bad.

Making the reservations was a real nightmare. The county parks and the state parks use a similar, but not identical online system, and you need to go through the rigamarole and pay separately for each night. Then you get to print your permit each time and try to stay organized with all the paper in a file somewhere.

This is a good spot for a tip of the hat to Mark and Debbie Mansell, who documented their trip around the island in 2012. The blog has a map for each day's route, and a separate page showing where they stayed for each of their twelve nights. They also show what the road is like in each section, making this a very valuable resource.

The Mansells reported that they had a great time, and that they returned last year. However, with the camping thing, the authorities seem to be doing their best to discourage cyclists. Motels/bed and breakfast are very thin on the ground outside of Kona and Hilo, and pretty much non-existent on the southwest and northeast sides of the circle. So unless you are doing Ironman distances, the ten county parks, fourteen state parks, and the national park can be critical for a cyclist to have a place to stay. However they have now coupled the impediment of the permit system with grossly inflated prices.

When we started out on the County website, it demanded $42 per night from us, for sites that sometimes do not even have water, and where other services and facilities are often dicey. At first we thought it could be a problem with the web site, and we sent in an inquiry about whether $42 could be right. A rather deadpan reply confirmed that this is the price.

The first thing you can do, in a free market society, when a price is too high and/or a product or service is poor, is to "vote with your feet" and simply not buy. That is what we did with Hawaii the past two years. But, free market or not, you can also pipe up and tell people exactly what you think.

So, we wrote to the mayor, who is the head of the county government. We pointed out what you get for how many dollars (or euros) in other international destinations, and asked for the rationale for Hawaii's system and pricing.

What we got was a response from an assistant, saying that our question had been forwarded to "Parks and Recreation". After about a month, with no reply, we wrote again to that assistant. Here is what we said:

"Aloha Reed,

With regard to our message below, we have yet to receive any acknowledgement or response from Parks and Recreation. The original communication was to mayor Billy, and now we find we are waiting to hear from some unknown third party. Not so good, really.

The kind of things we are interested to find out are:

When did the current fee structure go into effect. What kind of research was it based on?

Do you know, or care, where you stand on price and quality in relation to other major tourism destinations.

Have revenues from foreigners increased or decreased since increasing the fee levels.

Since these are questions more about the Island economy, and relations to the outside world, we would actually be more interested to have the mayor's take on it, rather than viewing it as a matter of park administration.

Thanks for your attention.

p.s. we are watching developments in Pahoa with some interest and concern for the residents."

The reply to this was essentially, "tough".

The quadrupling of the camping fee is quite recent. Here is a 2012 article from the Vancouver Sun , praising camping in Hawaii as a "frugal" option.

Also, although the prices are all the same, some camping spots apparently are well serviced. For example, Hookena, administered by a community association, is said to have wonderful beach camping, new showers and restrooms, picnic tables and abundant fresh water that make this county park a "gem worth seeking out." (Hookena seems to have gone both up and down - with some reports of confrontations with locals, and problems with drug dealers - mixed over time with the good reports.)

The Mansells commented that they had had only good experiences in the camping. However they already had their plane tickets for their second visit to the island when they found out about the camping fee increases. Still they seemed to conclude that "paradise is worth it". I guess we in turn will see. Just how many tropical flowers, ocean views, and volcanoes blowing up will it take to overcome that feeling of being ripped off?

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