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- Black and Green Sand Beach near the south end of The Big Island, Hawaii.
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- Pu’u O’o crater from a helicopter on The Big Island, Hawaii
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- Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle resting at Punalu’u Black Sand Beach Park on the Big Island, Hawaii.
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- View from Royal Sea Cliff Kona by Outrigger on the Big Island, Hawaii. Same balcony as the partial ocean view!
Aloha! It has been nearly a year since we went to Hawaii and nearly a year since I’ve written a blog entry. Gasp! Time to get back on track. The Big Island is our favorite of the islands we have been to (The Big Island, Maui, Oahu). It is beautiful in a mostly non-traditional sense, covered in lava fields from centuries ago to just days ago. The coast line is consequently a bit more rugged than the other islands but that is not to say there aren’t fantastic beaches to visit.
The two best known cities are Kailua-Kona and Hilo. Both are drastically different from each other and special for different reasons. The Kailua-Kona side of life is sunnier, drier, and more “resorty” while the Hilo side is lush and frequently rainy. Entertainingly enough however, while we were there it appeared to be the other way around!
We did a bit of off-roading to see a green sand beach, took a bus tour of the island where we had the opportunity to get a great overview and history of the island, went kayaking and snorkeling, and took a helicopter ride over Pu’u O’o. I also recommend a stop at the the Extreme Exposure gallery when you are in Hilo. Bruce and Tom are great guys who are excellent photographers and are extremely knowledgeable about all the island has to offer.
One of my favorite discoveries, and this is going to sound completely silly, are the Malasadas. Delicious! The easiest way to describe it is a doughnut on steroids with your choice of filling. The dough is so much better than your every day doughnut though so my description doesn’t entirely do it justice.
Mahalo!