A trip to the Big Island, July 2006.
To see the Hawai'i and more of my photos go to Flickr.
Since my brother lives in the Kailua-Kona area, and neither my wife nor myself have been to Hawai'i, we thought it would be a good excuse to take a trip and much needed vacation to Hawai'i, also know as the Big Island. Although only there for a week we decided to try to see the main sites of the island like Volcanoes National Park, The Place of Refuge, the Waipi'o Valley, and of course, its famous beaches. Read on below for a quick summary and continue for the pics.
We stayed right in town at the Kona Reef just off Ali'i Drive. Great setup in front of the surf spot Hon'ls. Condo was basically oceanfront with a lanai right on the water. Didn't realize, however, that Ali'i Drive is the only way through downtown. Traffic not so hot. In fact traffic in and out of the whole Kailua-Kona area is terrible. They call it the "Kona Crawl." Besides that minor setback, Kailua was going to be home base. Read more and see the pics...
We struck out for The Place of Refuge around 11:00 or so. Had the snorkeling gear packed but where to go before heading to the Place of Refuge? Saw a place called Manini Beach on the map just north so headed there. A bit hard to find but once there was well rewarded with a secluded and laid back atmosphere off the beaten path for sure because really it isn't what a Californian would think of as a beach per se. MOre like a coral point in a huge cove with a keyhole to enter the water to snorkel. Read more and see the pics...
On the way to the volcano from Kailua you have two choices - the north road through Waimea and Hamakua to Hilo or the south road through South Kona and South Island. You can take the trunk road but my brother highly advised against seeing it's supposedly a bit sketchy. We opted for the northerly route. A beautiful day and uncharacteristically sunny and clear for the north coast and Hilo side which is almost always rainy. The Hawai'i Tropical Botanical Gardens is just outside of Hilo on a site of an old Hawaiian village. Read more and see the pics...
We arrived at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park around 2 or so. Tradgedy had struck right as we got through the park gates. Our brand new digital camera's lens got stuck in the out position. Ironic because the last camera was replaced because of the exact same problem. Anyhow, a trip to the Volcano House Hotel fixed the problem with the ever handy disposable cameras, which by the way, take pretty damn good picture for slightly more than the cost of a roll of film. Read more and see the pics...
Containing the second highest waterfall in world, Waipi'o valley is definitely a must see on the north coast of the island. A valley about a mile wide and six miles deep, it is flanked by cliffs of up to 1,800 feet and its beauty is staggering. Rainfall is abundant on this side of the island and the valley is dotted with various water falls and streams meandering into an outlet at the black sand beach. You can hike down the nearly vertical road of a mile or for 40 bones you can take a tour. Depending on your tolerance for sweating buckets and physical conditioning most people take a tour or if you have a 4-wheel drive you can drive the road yourself. Read more and see the pics...