Lonely Planet Hawaii the Big Island , livre ebook

Hawai'i, the Big Island

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Hawaii, the Big Island
Hawaii, the Big Island's Top 15
Need to Know
What's New
If You Like
Month by Month
Itineraries
Accommodations
Getting Around
Eat & Drink Like a Local
On the Land
Hiking & Biking
Driving
On the Water
Diving & Snorkeling
Surfing
Green Hawaii
Travel with Children
Regions at a Glance

On The Road

Kailua-Kona & the Kona Coast
Kailua-Kona & the Kona Coast Highlights
Kailua-Kona
City Walk
Around Kailua-Kona
Keauhou Resort Area
Holualoa
South Kona Coast
Honalo
Kainaliu
Kealakekua
Captain Cook
Kealakekua Bay
Honaunau
Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park
Hookena & Around
Milolii
North Kona Coast
Honokohau Harbor
Keahole Point
Kaupulehu
Kohala & Waimea
Waikoloa Resort Area
Waikoloa Village
Mauna Lani Resort Area
Puako
Mauna Kea Resort Area
Kawaihae & Around
Hawi & Around
Akoni Pule Highway
Kapaau
Kohala Mountain Road
Pololu Valley
Mauna Kea & Saddle Road
Mauna Kea
Saddle Road
Hamakua Coast
Honokaa
Waipio Valley
Laupahoehoe
Hakalau & Around
Honomu
Pepeekeo to Papaikou
Hilo
Sights
Activities
Tours
Courses
Festivals & Events
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Puna
Keaau
Pahoa
Red Road
Kalapana Area
Kapoho Area
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
National Park
Volcano
Kau
Pahala
Punaluu
Naalehu
South Point (Ka Lae)
Ocean View & Around
Kahuku Unit

Understand

Understand Hawaii, the Big Island
Hawaii, the Big Island Today
History
People of the Big Island
Hawaiian Arts & Crafts
Lei
Landscapes & Wildlife

Survive

Directory AZ
Climate
Customs Regulations
Discount Cards
Electricity
Food & Drink
Health
Internet Access
Legal Matters
LGBTIQ+ Travelers
Money
Opening Hours
Post
Public Holidays
Telephone
Time
Toilets
Tourist Information
Travellers with Disabilities
Visas
Work
Transportation
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
Behind the Scenes
Our Writers

Special Features

Kailua-Kona & the Kona Coast Image Gallery
Kohala & Waimea Image Gallery
Hamaua Coast Image Gallery
Hilo Image Gallery
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Image Gallery
Welcome to Hawaiʻi, the Big Island

Indulge your spirit of adventure on the biggest Hawaiian island. It's still a vast frontier, full of unexpected wonders.


Island Diversity
We doubt that it's possible to get 'island fever' on Hawaiʻi. The aptly named Big Island is fantastically diverse, with miles of highways – and, better yet, byways – to explore. Eight of the world’s 13 climate zones exist here, adding sensory variety as you circumnavigate the island. Gaze at vivid emerald cliffs, swaths of black-, white- and even green-sand beaches, majestic volcanic mountains (possibly snowcapped!), stark lava desert, rolling pastureland and misty valleys, weathered by rain, waves and time. Hawaiʻi is twice as big as the other Hawaiian Islands combined, and its dramatic terrain is ever fascinating.

Volcanic Wonders
Less than a million years old, Hawaiʻi is a baby in geological terms. Here you'll find the Hawaiian Islands' tallest, largest and only active volcanic mountains. Kilauea, on the eastern side, is the world's most active volcano, spewing molten lava continuously since 1983. If you see glowing, red-hot lava, you are witnessing Earth in the making, a thrilling and humbling experience. At 33,000ft tall when measured from the ocean floor, Mauna Kea is the world's tallest mountain, and its significance cannot be overstated – as a sacred place to Hawaiians and a top astronomical site to scientists.

Ancient History & Modern Multiculturalism
Ancient history looms large on Hawaiʻi, a place of powerful mana (spiritual essence). The first Polynesians landed at Ka Lae, the windswept southern tip, still raw and undeveloped today. Kamehameha the Great, who unified the Hawaiian Islands, was born in Kohala and died in Kailua-Kona. Hula and oli (chant) are deep-rooted here, and Miloli‘i on the Kona Coast is perhaps the last Hawaiian fishing village. During the sugarcane era, traditional ways became intertwined with those of immigrant cultures: Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Portuguese and more. This legacy is palpable in the mix of languages, foods and festivals. The most striking element of this multiculturalism is the pidgin vernacular.

Roads Less Traveled
Thanks to its sheer size, Hawaiʻi has lots of legroom. Enjoy the delicious freedom of the open road, where the journey becomes the main attraction. From east to west, the island has multiple personalities, and it's worthwhile experiencing them all. While the 'Gold Coast' – South Kohala to Kailua-Kona – caters to travelers en masse, most island towns are rural and exist primarily for residents. Even the capital seat, Hilo, is a former plantation town that's still slow-paced and populated by kamaʻaina (people born and raised here). Ultimately this down-home localness marks the real Hawai‘i. Don't miss it.

View from the summit of Mauna Kea | MARISA ESTIVILL/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Why I Love Hawaiʻi, the Big Island
By Luci Yamamoto, Writer
Growing up in Hilo, I took my island home for granted. Didn't everyone wake to birdsong, homegrown bananas for breakfast and the unmistakable silhouette of Mauna Kea in the distance? Didn't everyone gaze at an unobstructed blue horizon and fall asleep to the rat-a-tat of pounding rain on metal rooftops? It wasn't until I explored Hawai‘i as a writer that I finally appreciated the island's uniqueness. The power of Pele and nature is phenomenal here, from fiery volcanic eruptions to otherworldly lava deserts – and the unpretentious nature of the local people is palpable. I love the Big Island for its small-town heart.
Hawaiʻi, the Big Island's Top 15

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
The eerie glow of a lava lake, secluded palm-fringed beaches, ancient petroglyphs pecked into hardened lava, and miles of hiking trails through smoking craters, rainforest and desert – you'll never run out of fascinating wonders at Hawaiʻi's number-one attraction. The park is also one of the island's top spots to experience traditional Hawaiian culture at hula dance performances, annual festivals, concerts and talks. After dark, warm up by the fireplace inside the landmark Volcano House lodge, perched right on the rim of Kilauea Caldera.

ALEXEY KAMENSKIY/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Mauna Kea Stargazing
It's breathless and breathtaking to be in the rarefied air of Mauna Kea , Hawaii's highest mountain and most sacred spot. Once the sun goes down, the stars come out – and so do the telescopes. Mauna Kea is one of the world's best astronomical sites, and the clear skies make for good amateur stargazing as well. What you see through visitor telescopes, whether at the visitor center or on a tour, you won't soon forget. For a trophy experience, be here during a meteor shower.

LAURASLENS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Kona (& Ka‘u) Coffee Farms
When Christian missionaries planted Kona's first coffee trees, they were only an ornamental floral fad. Eventually, though, thanks to ideal climatic conditions along South Kona's rain-kissed 'coffee belt,' Kona coffee became a successful gourmet crop. Today rural byways still wind past small, often family-owned plantations, the larger of which let visitors drop by. Since the late 2000s, however, Ka‘u coffee growers have won top awards in major cupping contests, becoming the Cinderella of Hawaiʻi coffee. You can find local coffee islandwide, but look for 100% locally grown labeling – on bags of beans and on cafe menus.

Kona coffee beans | AVPROPHOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Puʻuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park
Imposing kiʻi (deity statues) watch over ancient temples at this historic site – known as the Place of Refuge – which is a visceral introduction to traditional Hawaiian culture. There's no better place to gain an understanding of the kapu (taboo) system that once governed life across the Hawaiian Islands. Back then, breaking a kapu often meant death – unless you made it to a pu‘uhonua . The bones of ancient chiefs are interred in a thatched-roof hale (house), emanating protective mana (spiritual essence). Snorkeling is banned here, but Two-Step is a prime spot nearby.

BIRDIEGAL/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Waipiʻo Valley
You can linger at the scenic viewpoint overlooking this lush green valley , but the waterfalls, wild horses and wilder black-sand beach beckon. But first you must reckon with the dauntingly steep access road. Then you can explore the valley on foot, on horseback or even in an old-fashioned mule-drawn wagon. Intrepid hikers can proceed along the King's Trail or reach for the most spectacular panoramas along the grueling Muliwai Trail – head up, up and up even higher for the money shot.

MARISA ESTIVILL/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Snorkeling in Kealakekua Bay
It's all true – Kealakekua Bay is a giant real-life aquarium of abundant tropical fish, honu (Hawaiian green sea turtles) and spinner dolphins. Tourist brochures hype this as the best snorkeling in the state, and you'd better believe it. Eco-conscious regulations, such as restrictions on kayaks, are helping to preserve this underwater paradise. If you're a confirmed landlubber, it's still worth hiking down to this historically significant spot, where Captain Cook perished.

JAMES R.D. SCOTT/GETTY IMAGES ©


Top Experiences
Chasing Lava
Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes, is notoriously fickle. But if you're lucky, you may get the chance to see live lava crawling over and under newly birthed land. Lava usually flows inside or around Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park , sometimes plunging into the sea, sending a steam plume over a mile skyward as hot lava mixes with roiling surf.