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Hawaii, the largest and the youngest of the Hawaiian Islands, has five volcanoes - one still erupting - which have created an island as big as Connecticut and growing bigger daily. The Big Island has a diversity of terrain and climate (11 of the world's 13 climatic environments) unmatched in any one place. When it comes to nature, this island has it all - fiery volcanoes and sparkling waterfalls, black-lava deserts and snow capped mountain peaks, tropical rain forests and alpine meadows, a glacial lake, and miles of beaches with a variety of black, green, and golden sands. Rainfall on the Island ranges from 9 inches a year on the Kohala Coast to 128 inches a year in Hilo. (click here for a map) As the largest island in the Pacific (over 4,000 square miles and twice the size of all the other major Hawaiian Islands combined), the youngest (800,000 years), it is the least populated (30 people per sq. mile). It has the southern most point in the United States, and the nation's wettest city (Hilo), the world's biggest telescope, the ocean's biggest trophy marlin, the highest peaks in the Pacific, the most volcanoes of any Hawaiian island, the newest land on earth, and America's greatest collection of tropical luxury resorts. If you want to get away from it all, this is the least-explored island in the Hawaiian chain. Hikers, bikers, and horseback riders can explore the slopes of a volcano, black-sand beaches, remote valleys and rain forests. Golfers will find top championship courses and less-crowded municipal courses. Water enthusiasts will find that the underwater landscape of caves, cliffs, and tunnels attracts a stunning array of colorful marine life. Beach lovers will enjoy the great surf on the Big Island's beautiful white sand beaches. And, this is one of the best destinations in the world for big game fishing. Many of these exciting attractions can be reached by car, tour bus or boat. The 70-mile long stretch of black lava-covered coast on the west (leeward) side of the island is well known for big fish and great coffee. The word Kona actually means "leeward side" in Hawaiian, and that means full-on summer sun every day of the year. When it's raining on Maui or in Honolulu, the sun is shining on Kona! So if you're a sun worshipper, Kona is the best spot in the islands! The oceanfront village of Kailua-Kona is the center of the area and provides visitors with all the amenities they need without losing its character as a quaint fishing village by the sea. There are delightful shops, modern stores, and lots of good restaurants. From Kailua-Kona one can visit any part of the island from coastal desert to cool, cloudy upcountry where ranchers grow coffee, macadamia nuts, tropical fruit and flowers. In any one day visitors can tour the Parker Ranch, Hawaii's largest working cattle ranch, drive around the island to Hilo and orchid and antherium farms on the slopes of Mauna Loa, visit the black-sand beaches, the lush tropical valleys, the lava flows, the coffee mills, and many other fascinating sites. Our favorite spot in Kona is Sea Village, a condominium complex situated on a black-rock perch overlooking the surf. From there we walk into town every morning. Some days we walk to the end of the pier to watch cruise ship passengers arrive; some days we stop at the Wild boar coffee company for "smoothies," and sometimes we stop at the Farmers' Market for fresh flowers or fruit. Back at the condo, we always make time for a good book or a snooze on a lounge by the pool built so close to the rocky surf that sometimes the waves spray us to keep us cool. |