Big Island Adventure

Did I say the island of Hawai’i does things BIG? Mauna Loa is the World’s biggest mountain and the Big Island is larger than all the other islands put together! Some of the World’s largest Marlin have been caught off the coast of Kona weighing in at 1400+ lbs, The Mauna Loa Macademia Nut farm is the World’s largest, The Parker Ranch is the Nation’s largest private property taking up 10% of the island, Hilo is the US’s wettest city and South Point is the US’s southernmost point…

Volcano National Park is probably the main draw, with the Kailua-Kona strip, Hilo and the lush Kohala Peninsula also major attractions. The Big Island also has a rich history, it is here that King Kamehameha I was born and died – it is also here that Captain Cook met his untimely end over the matter of a stolen boat…

Quick Tips:

Probably the best way to ‘do’ the island is by spending a few days in different locations around the island. Even if it’s just staying in Kona and Hilo, you will be breaking up your travelling distances. It is even possible to stay at the lodge in the Volcano National Park and the Manago Hotel in Captain Cook seems consistently well recommended!

A great resource is The Big Island Visitors Bureau, which you can use to plan your holidays. They also give out "Hawaii's Big Island Driving Tour" which you can get if you call them (808)329-7787. It's a step by step around the island driving tour.

Best Way To Get Around:

Also, if you hire a car and are intending to tackle the saddle road between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, or visit the observatory – make sure the rental firm will allow you on the policy!

Lastly, if you have the cash to splash – this is one of those special places where a helicopter tour is well worth the outlay!

Featuring local Hawai’ian favourites, specialities include delicious burgers, sandwiches and full meals, as well as a sizeable dessert list with such local delicacies as the mac nut cookies. YUM!

Lava Rock Café is very reasonably priced and serves big portions, so that both your stomach and your wallet will still be full when it’s time to go. I plumped for the Teriyaki Burger. OK so it''s only a burger, but what a big and tasty burger! Lava-licious! Check out the Lava Rock Cafe Menu for a ''taster'' of what''s on offer to satiate your appetite after a hard day''s hiking in Kilauea National Park...

This friendly place is also home to the only internet cafe in town, and they have an interesting line in merchandise in the ‘Magma Chamber’. On Thursdays and Saturdays they have live music and it is also important to note that they close early on Sundays and Mondays.

I honestly cannot quite figure out why the Hard Rock Café hasn’t sued over the startlingly obvious similarities between the two establishments! I can only assume it’s the laid back nature of the Big Island that prevents such things from happening…

When we were there, there were several stalls selling various things including coconuts that were ‘scalped’ for a refreshing drink.

The trail is a pleasant self-guided loop walk of about half a mile, which descends into a glade of tropical rain forest. It is best to turn right at the fork as going this way will allow you to save the best till last. At first you seem to go down into a small depression cut by a stream; in this area is a grove of some of the largest bamboo I’ve ever seen, which is fantastic to walk through.

After that the trail heads up a small rise before there is another fork where you can take a slight detour and see another, impressive cascading waterfall called ‘Kahuna Falls’, as a taster to the main event.

Another 10 minutes up the ridge is the star attraction of Akaka Falls! The water free-falls spectacularly over a sheer rock cliff into a pool 442ft below. These are the highest falls on the island and well worth the pilgrimage!

Note: There are no petrol stations nearby, with the closest being back in Hilo.

The road passes fertile farmland, orange and macadamia groves before opening out onto barren grassland dotted with the exaggerated forms of windswept trees. On the right as you travel down, you pass a small wind turbine farm as the constant winds are ideal for generating a lot of wind energy and then an abandoned US Military base used for tracking missiles from the US mainland. If you follow the tarmac road right to the end, you will find that it abruptly disappears off the edge of the cliff as the constant pounding of the waves has reclaimed this part of the coast.

Backtrack a little and you will find steel and wooden ladders descending right over the side of the cliffs down to fishing boats moored below. Much as you might be tempted, don’t use them as a launching point into the sea as the currents are treacherous and the next stop is Antarctica. It is after all called the Halaea Current, named after a Hawai’ian chief who was carried away to his death! Further round the cliffs drop away into a rocky beach where, if you look carefully, you can see ancient pictoglyphs carved into some of the rocks that submerge under water as the tide comes in, at what could be the actual spot of the first landings of Polynesians on the Hawai’ian Islands from their home islands to the south.

There is evidence of human activity here from as early as A.D. 200, such as a large fish pool and the remains of the fishing settlement of Waiahukuni and some heiaus (temples).

A short distance from here is the private car park for the Green Sands Beach.

The nearest town to here is Na’alehu, the southernmost community in the USA! Pretty much every business in this town advertises itself as the southernmost this or that. It is a quiet if religious town (there are six churches for a population of just over 1,000 souls), but is a useful pitstop for petrol and groceries. The best things nearing to attractions in Na’alehu are the ‘Southernmost Community’ sign for photo ops in the centre of town and the fantastic Punalu’u Bakeshop which does great snacks like the ‘local’ Portuguese Malasada pastries. There is an idyllic little garden in which to enjoy these treats, as well as some historical murals to admire.

This place is a hike to get to, it is in a remote and rugged part of the island and, above all, it’s on PRIVATE native Hawai’ian land!

To get there you have to drive to South Point, which is the Southernmost point of the USA. You can then park your car in a designated if run down lot and pay an ‘attendant’ a fee to ‘look after’ the car. People have mentioned driving to the beach (only in a 4x4), but this is actually in effect trespassing and the Hawai’ians that own this land have been know to ‘trap’ cars on the other side of the stone wall that marks the barrier and demand a heavy payment. It really is up to you if you want to take that risk, but I prefer the peace of mind of following the rules in such a potentially vulnerable position!

The walk is about two miles but it is flat and easy as long as you have decent walking shoes. The next ‘spoiler’ I have about this beach is that you literally have to climb down into it, it could definitely be dangerous if you’re not careful and I would not recommend it for small children or the elderly. Frankly anyone with a significant mobility problem is NOT going to be able to reach the beach!

Lastly this is a desolate and windswept place (you pass a wind turbine farm to get here!), it is after all at the bottom end of one of the most remote archipelagos in the World. The ocean here can get extremely rough with dangerous currents further out, there are no coast guards and if you get swept out – there will be no one to help you!

It is a starkly beautiful beach, sheltered by cliffs on three sides - chances are you will get it all to yourself for a good while! The sand is an amazing dark olive (olivine) colour and very soft. The swimming is great and even on a calm day, the waves are great for body surfing or boogie boarding!

If you want an adventure come here, if you just want to relax – go somewhere else!

Punalu’u means "diving spring" and there is small freshwater lagoon behind the beach, which is popular with ducks, to authenticate this name. The black sand is a product of the constant wave action against an old lava flow that went into the sea at this point. The beach is lined with palm trees and is extremely popular with Green Sea Turtles.

You are almost guaranteed to see at least one turtle on your visit here as they enjoy basking on the hot black sand as well as the fact that the beach is a perfect breeding ground for them, which means that camping on the beach is not allowed under any circumstances.

There is a small souvenir and refreshments trailer just by the entrance to the beach.

The Sea Mountain hotel is here and also has a small golf course you can play on, though it is a bit threadbare. A derelict Polynesian style complex that was abandoned after the 2000 ‘Millenium’ flood that swept through this region is just behind the lagoon and serves testament to the power of the sudden floods that can sweep through this area.

The nearest settlement to the beach is Pahala just off the highway towards the Kilauea National Park, which is an interesting small old plantation town. Perhaps one of the most unlikely attractions in the area is the Buddhist temple and retreat center in Wood Valley which was dedicated by the Dalai Lama in 1980.