It’s 6 a.m., Thursday, in Kealakekua. The sun has yet to break through the morning haze lazing over the small town on the slopes of dormant Hualālai volcano, just south of Kailua-Kona. Not a car is in sight on Māmalahoa Highway, winding through town. On the pastures below the Kona Historical Society’s H.N. Greenwell Store […]
On your next visit to Pololu Valley Lookout, at the end of the Big Island’s northernmost highway, do the following. Take a seat on the lookout’s rock wall. Close your eyes. Inhale the salt-kissed air of the meeting of rugged North Kohala and Hamakua coastline. Exhale slowly. Then open your eyes and take in the
Rob Pacheco wipes up the coffee he spilled in the cab of his massive Toyota Tundra but keeps driving. He swears he’s not in a rush. Pacheco, the owner of Big Island adventure tour business Hawaii Forest & Trail, is simply really excited to get to the upper elevations of Hualalai, the 8,271-foot westside volcano
The calm, clear waters of Kealakekua Bay have been called one of the best spots for snorkeling and scuba diving in the main Hawaiian Islands. Situated roughly 12 miles south of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island’s sunny west side, the 315-acre bay is the island’s largest sheltered natural bay, and a protected marine-life conservation area.
Two active volcanoes. A temple built on the orders of Kamehameha the Great. A seaside place of refuge from death and danger. A coastal preserve of Hawaiian culture and endangered wildlife. An ancient foot highway spanning 175 miles of coastline. Welcome to the National Park Service sites of the Big Island—a collection of five distinct
The view from my laptop should be this good every morning. A sweeping vista of the south Kona coastline and the teal waters of Kealakekua Bay from more than a thousand feet up the slopes of Mauna Loa. In the lush rainforest and fruit trees on either side of my veranda rocking chair, all of
