I have landed on the Big Island, Hawaii at night, during a hurricane watch and without my luggage. I had traveled for 30 hours and KLM decided I only needed my luggage until Amsterdam. And left it there. In KLM’s defense, I had only one hour layover in Amsterdam and it seems this is too short to load a luggage on a transoceanic flight. Luckily for me I never-ever let anything ruin my vacations, not even Lane the hurricane who was patiently waiting for me to arrive.
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After checking in at the hotel, I obstinately spent my next few hours walking and shopping at Walmart, the nearest department store that I could find. “Nearest” being a relative word (about 45 minutes walk) but I am from Europe, we are walkers in Europe and everything is really close by. However, walking alone at night on the Big Island made me realize two things: Kailua Kona neighborhood is very safe and you really-really need a car on the Big Island. Also… I found some organic and eco-friendly toiletries to buy at KLM’s expense (haha) so everything was already looking brighter and brighter. I returned to my hotel and slept like a baby (thanks to Royal Kona Resort who has really good rooms and comfortable beds) and the next day I went on to discover the island.
There are 8 major islands in Hawaii but I chose to visit only 2 this year: the Big Island and Oahu. I specifically chose them in this order because the Big Island is the Adventure Island how I like to call it, a place where you can be really active and climb volcanoes, watch the lava flowing, explore the numerous waterfalls, go ziplining, horseback riding while Oahu -the heart of Hawaii- is very commercial so I planned to relax there and do some shopping, enjoy the local cuisine and visit all the historic places. With God’s help I plan to go back very soon and spend at least a month island hopping in Hawaii (this time I have my heart set on Kauai, Lanai and Molokai).
Back to the Big Island, walking on Alii Drive, the heart of the historic village and where you can find good restaurants and all sorts of charming shops, you immediately discover the Mokuaikaua Church, the first and oldest Christian church in the Hawaiian islands, built in the 1830’s. It is small, charming and smells of wood.
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The sun was bright, the ice-coffee heavenly (Kona coffee is world renowned), so I kept on walking, activating the tourist syndrome in me and just snapping pictures of everything.
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I even got very excited to find the Bubba Gump restaurant: I actually thought this is where the Forrest Gump movie was shot but it seems not, it is just inspired by the movie and decorated as such. Probably used already to deal with pesky tourists such as myself, the staff invited me to go in and snap a few photos.
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The Hulihee Palace has a magnificent view over the ocean and was once a summer vacation home for Hawaiian royalty. Today the palace is a museum showcasing artifacts from the era of King Kalakaua and Queen Kapiolani. One fun fact: it seems that the Queen was not very fond of sleeping in the big house preferring a grass hut on the palace’s grounds to rest. I wonder what the Queen would have thought if she had to spend a few nights at the Buckingham Palace…
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The Big Island roads are welcoming, in very good condition and you can see almost everywhere reminiscences of past volcanic eruptions: Pahoehoe lava (liquid, smooth lava) and Aa lava (contains chunks of angular pieces of lava and apparently made the Hawaiians shout A-aaa when it was hitting them so that’s how it got its name :-)).
One of the most beautiful experiences I had on the Big Island were the roads: they just emanate an exhilarating feeling of freedom. Experience it for yourself and drive on the famous Saddle Road to reach from Kona to Hilo. You will enjoy the beautiful scenery and meet the island’s volcanoes on the way: Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, Kohala and even Haleakala in Maui. This is also the access road to Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain in the world and you can read about it on my blog here. Even though driving on these roads makes you want to push the pedal to the metal, I would caution you not to do so: you don’t want to be one of those overly enthusiastic tourists that end up with the car upside down on the side of the road (believe it or not I have seen it).
Stop and enjoy the atmosphere of the little towns of the Big Island. Talk to the locals, they are awesome people!
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There are so many beautiful waterfalls on the Big Island but some are private and so you have to book a tour to be able to see or even swim in them if you are lucky. The most famous ones that are open to the public are the Rainbow Falls (first picture below) and Akaka Falls (442 feet/135 meters, second picture below) however you may only photograph those, not swim in them.
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An absolute must on the Big Island is to visit Waipi’o Valley, also known as the Valley of the Kings. For one because the drive there is spectacular: you go from the land of the sunshine to the wet and foggy part of the island in just a couple of hours. This was the capital and permanent residence of many ancient Hawaiians and is still inhabited today by a few taro farmers although it is predisposed to flooding. This is were the most famous Hawaiian king, Kamehameha the Great, was raised and proclaimed as the future ruler of the islands.
The valley used to be sacred for the Hawaiians who built many temples here and during the times before the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778, Waipi’o was the most fertile and productive valley on the Big Island of Hawaii.
A steep road (the steepest of its length in the US) leads down into the valley and only hikers or 4×4 vehicles are allowed. Fines (also steep!) are given to those who venture into the valley driving “regular” cars. They do get caught because they have to call the tow truck to help them up again. I highly recommend going with a tour guide for the history lessons and the many legends you will find out. I have to admit that the best part of the valley for me was the 4×4 drive through the river 🙂
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The entire island is amazing, full of gorgeous sunset colors, good food, adventure opportunities and most importantly: beautiful people. Unfortunately, due to the hurricane Lane and the recent devastating eruption of Kilauea volcano, I had to cancel a few of my plans such as a helicopter ride, horse riding and exploring the National Volcano Park but I don’t regret it: I had plenty to do and to discover. At the time I am writing this article, all of the above activities are resumed.
This island has something special for every tourist type: from visiting coffee plantations to surfing to hiking volcanoes and going into lava tubes. I recommend visiting the island between October and November to avoid the affluence of tourists and the hurricane season. This is also when generally room rates take a significant plunge (if you’re traveling on a budget). If you are into surfing, the best time to visit is between December and March, but this is also when the prices are higher. Good to know perhaps for the sports fans or even competing athletes is that the triathlon competition Iron Man Championship takes place in October on the Big Island and is a fun thing to watch!
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I came and I left the island in the middle of a hurricane watch but I didn’t leave the same way I came: I may have had my luggage with me this time but I was leaving behind a piece of my heart.
As I was standing at the airport waiting to board and gazing at the hula dancers frozen in stone, Lane-the-hurricane was approaching Oahu, my next destination. To be continued..
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