 | The Kona coastal area offers some superb beaches without the crowds
encountered on the other popular Hawaiian islands. |
| Accommodation varies from tenting, to B&B's, to timeshares and condos,
house rentals, and a wide variety of hotels and resorts. |
| If you are a golfer, you will have to work at playing each course before
you leave. |
| If you are a shopper, handcrafts, home craft foods, big box stores,
tourist traps, art and music are all easy to find. |
| Restaurants vary from the usual mainland fast food outlets, to little
cafes and eateries hidden along the highways and byways, and even a few high
end restaurants are available for those special occasions. |
| Entertainment is a bit thin, but there are some clubs and bars in the
bigger hotels which will keep you entertained into the late hours, and a few
floor shows are available. Luaus are the Hawaiian floor shows, which can
include dinner or not, and be "authentic" or just glitzy - there are lots of
choices. |
| Sightseeing on the Big Island is mostly based in the Kona coast area, so
if you want a helicopter tour of the volcano, ride a submarine down to see
the reef, watch the stars and see the observatories atop Mauna Kea, or
snorkel from a sailboat, this is the place to do it from. |
Here is a travelogue of some activities during my three trips to the Big Island.
The
Atlantis
Submarine is based in Kailua-Kona harbour. It takes you down
100 feet to see the reef offshore and the fish. Reservations can be made
online, or call their reservation line (800) 548-6262. It takes a couple of hours by the
time they take you out to the sub from the harbour, do the submarine dive to the
reef, and return you to shore. Parking is very limited along Ali'i Drive,
so I would suggest using the King Kamehameha Hotel parking lot, since it is a
very short walk to the departure point and Atlantis office from the hotel.
We head south from Kailua-Kona town:
About 10 miles south of Kailua-Kona is the community of Kealakekua. First
stop is a tour of the factory of Macademia Nuts of Hawaii (Phone
808-322-2770). Watch for the roadside sign - the building is only a block off
the highway, and it is a right turn (going south). This is the new
competition to Mauna Loa, so why not support them? They have high quality (and
some innovative new) products at competitive prices. We stocked up on the mac
nut brittle - yum!
Along the highway, you will
likely notice hedges that are bright red in colour. These are poinsettias, which those of us in northern climates try to
nurse along at Christmas time. These poinsettias are 10 to 20 feet high, and seem to have
their characteristic red fronds on display all year round!
Take
the turn off to Pu'uhonua o Honaunau and turn onto
Painted Church Road. Just a couple of minutes' drive from the highway
intersection, and you will find Saint Benedict's Catholic
Church, aka Painted Church. Take some change with you to donate to
the upkeep of the church. Worth a look.
Puuhonua o Honaunau - a place of refuge
and serenity. This is my favorite location in
the whole of Hawaii - not just on the Big Island. Good mana
here. I suggest you bring a lunch and spend the day. Small
entrance fee is charged, but the pass is good for seven days, so plan to return
if your time on the Big Island allows...there is a very nice picnic area
available.
Potholing along the black lava rocky shoreline presents some fascinating tidal
pools that are safe to explore.
Next stop is Ho'okena Beach Park. When I visited here in 2001, the Spinner Dolphins were putting on a terrific display in the outer part of the bay. There is a nice small beach, good swimming, and what looks to be OK
snorkling, however I didn't go in the water. Parking is limited.
Next stop is Mioli'i Beach Park, about 15 miles south along the highway.
The park and picnic area is a pretty location, with an easily-walked volcanic
rock coastline. I had intended to park here and take the 20 minute walk to Honomalino Bay (a mostly deserted black sand beach), but the signs reading "Private Road", "Do not trespass" and
"Stop - kapu" convinced me to not bother. Even though the guidebook says it is not private, if the Hawaiians living here don't want me around, I'll find other places to visit.
Once we leave the South Kona area, and start heading east along the south coast of
Hawaii toward Kilauea, the speed limit increases, and the road becomes mostly straight.
Coffee and macademia nut plantations abound in this area. Coffee is more
commonin the Kona area, and macademia nuts are more common further south. Things start to thin out as we make time toward the volcanoes. The
lava flows make themselves evident - they go on for miles and miles, and in this region,
they are much younger than flows to be found on other Hawaiian islands. They are
incredibly BLACK. You may be say "well duh, of course lava is black",
however until you see this for yourself, its hard to appreciate just how black it is!
The lookout near
Hawaiian Ranchos offers a spectacular view of the southwest coastline.
This is the part of the coast where you will first encounter strong winds off
the Pacific Ocean.
Last stop for gas is at Ocean View if you plan to drive south to Volcanoes
National Park.
Carry on to Kilauea Volcano and
Volcanoes National Park, or return to Kailua-Kona and have a look at the Big
Island's North Coast.
