dr_legg:
I had heaps of trouble with this one too, and took me a while to get it.
I think the one thing you should have noticed by now are these little brown sqaures with cracks on them. They look like dirt patches. Dont worry about bombs or the hammer, cause they don't work. Simply walking on them with your iron boots don't help either.
Now this is what's really gonna make you tick. I've put it in spoiler form just for you, in case no one else wants to see it:
Just get on the brown patches, THEN put on your boots. The result is a very satisfying thud through the square.
If you STILL don't know what to do after this:
Have you opened up the massive circular floor in front of Makar's jail? Well, do it, since you don't need anything other than the boots to do it. Jump all the way down (halfway down is the compass, just for reference if you don't know what I'm talking about). There are two doors. One needs a key, the other doesn't. You can't get back up cause you need the hookshot, so obviously, you know that you're gonna get it here. Go to the opened door, and there should be a row of brown sqaure patches, and the spikes going up and down like hydraulics on the stage at the back of the room. Just do that boots trick, and you should fall below. Get the key. Go to the key door, and do the *task*, and voila! Hookshot! Get back up to Makar's jail (the leaf guy), put on your boots, and use the hookshot on the target on the head of the statue. Stand to the side, though, or the thing will just clonk you on the head. Makar celebrates, and off you go to the rest of the level!
OK?