The first picture is very roughly 1.5 miles up the road. It is a view looking
back
downhill and south at Pu'u Ahumoa and the road R-15 which goes to it. (Stay on
the main road; don't take R-15.)
Another 5-10 minutes up the road (by foot) is the turnoff for FB-4. Don't
take FB-4 either.
Another 5-10 minutes, and you're almost at the lone sandalwood tree. There
is a short concrete section, then the road takes a big left turn. Here is
the view up the road before the turn:
The sandalwood is on the left (downhill) following the left turn. It's sort
of hidden from view on the way up, but look first for a little clearing to
the left side of the road. The sandalwood is the tallest, darkest tree
in the background of this photo, behind the mamane with the prominent yellow
flowers:
It's easier to see once you're just a little past it. Again, the tallest,
darkest tree in the photo, looking downhill:
Here is a closeup of the leaves and flowers:
Here is how the tree and its surroundings look on the way down the road
(sandalwood on the right of the road going down).
The lone sandalwood is an occasional hotspot for finding palila (see p. 162 in H. D. Pratt, Enjoying Birds and Other Wildlife in Hawai'i, 3rd edition). In my own experience, this spot was very good for palila in December 2007, but not in January 2008.