Hawaii Island - The Adventure Island

Hawaii Island is about 2.5 times the size of all other islands. Really impressive: here you meet 20 of the 23 climate zones of this earth. As if that were not enough, the highest mountain in the world is also located here. About 6,000 meters of Mauna Kea lie below the water and 4,200 meters above.

The west coast is a semi-desert and characterized by black lava scree. In the northwest at Hapuna Beach State Park is one of the few white beaches. Most of the others are black lava beaches.

South of Kona you can taste one of the best coffees in the world directly on the coffee plantations. Nearby is the Place of Refuge, a truly magical place and a well-preserved temple complex of the Polynesian natives. Ka Lae is the southernmost point in the U.S. and home to the verdant Papakolea Beach.

On the east coast you will discover many waterfalls in the rainforest. If you drive along the coastal road from Hilo to Waipio Valley, you will also pass many exotic gardens. The hilly highlands in the north are home to what was once the largest ranch in the United States. In the meantime, however, the Parker Ranch has been divided into smaller parcels.

From Hilo you will reach the highlight of Hawaii, the Volcanoes National Park. At its heart is Kilauea, which has been continuously active since 1983. Most of the time the volcano is peaceful and you can get closer to the lava flow than anywhere else in the world. This island inspires with nature and culture.

Hawaii Island

Hawaii Island is the largest of the islands and has everything to offer from a volcano to palm-fringed beaches and exotic gardens. The name-giving island stands above all for untouched nature and Polynesian culture. Our editor Wolfgang has often been on the island and shows you the most beautiful sights and takes you to his highlights on Hawaii Island.

On Hawaii Island you can expect a unique feature: although the island is comparatively small, you will find 21 of 23 vegetation zones here! Tropical rainforests are represented as well as dry deserts or high alpine, snow-covered peaks. All this is combined with the culture of the indigenous people and a lot of Aloha. That's how I imagine paradise.

Hilo - the gateway to the tropical east of the island.

There are two major airports on the island and I would recommend you to fly to Hilo first. This is where the island's administration is located and the sleepy fishing village is becoming more and more a lively city where there is a lot to discover.

Worth mentioning is the Imiloa Astronomy Center. The striking architecture consists of three titanium spheres, which represent the three highest mountains on the island (Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa and Hualalai).

The word Imiloa means to discover. In this museum, an arc is drawn from the art of navigating with the help of the stars, to Polynesian culture, and finally to the research of what life in Hawaii will be like in the future.

With lots of interaction, this visit is an exciting experience for young and old.

Otherwise Hilo offers one of the best Farmers Markets of the islands. Besides fresh fruits and vegetables you can also buy Hawaiian handicrafts. The last queen of Hawaii was the namesake of the Liliuokalani Gardens, the largest Japanese garden outside of Japan.

Spectacular waterfalls can be seen at Wailuku River State Park and Akaka Falls State Park, both near Hilo.

Every April, Hilo becomes the capital of hula at the Merry Monarch Festival. In addition to a parade of colorfully and traditionally dressed Hawaiians, a week-long competition is held to crown the best dancers in various categories.

King Kalakaua once said: "Hula is the language of the heart and therefore the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people". If you want to be there as a spectator, you should take care of an accommodation in time, because there are not so many hotel rooms in Hilo.

Between Hilo and Hawai'i Volcanoe's National Park there is another region, which is still an insider tip in parts.

Puna - the easternmost point of Hawaii.

The main town of this region is Pahoa, which is considered unconventional. Pahoa translates as knife. According to Hawaiian mythology, a knife held downward is a sign of strength and peace.

The town sits atop the Kilauea volcano - the 2018 eruption resulted in some homes burning to the ground.

On the beaches of the region you will find some geothermal pools heated by the volcano. In these pools you can relax with a bath. Also very exciting: in the Lava Tree State Monument there are tree trunks that have been petrified by a lava flow.

Another place worth seeing, where the natural force of the volcanoes is clearly visible, is Kalapana. Here, in 1990, a historic settlement of the Polynesian natives, including the oldest temple, was swallowed up by the lava. In the newly formed coastal strip you can still discover remains of the city.

From here you have a good view of the Puu Oo crater and can walk on a 10 kilometer long hiking trail to the point where the lava flows into the sea. West of the region lies - at least in my opinion - one of the most impressive sights of Hawaii.

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park - where new life is born from fire.

The 135-acre park stretches from the steep cliffs on the coast to the summit of Mauna Loa. Legend has it that Pele, the goddess of fire, had a sled race with Poli'ahu, the snow goddess from neighboring Mauna Kea.

Afterwards, Pele had to go into hiding and has since lived inside Mauna Loa, from where she sends the fire that Kilauea has been spewing out continuously since 1983. Normally, the volcano bubbles away peacefully, but when Pele gets angry about something, lava fountains shoot out of the ground - as they did most recently in spring 2018.

However, as long as Pele is lingering, you can get as close to a lava flow in this park as anywhere else in the world. On my first visit, I was lucky enough to see the lava flowing directly into the sea. A very impressive spectacle.

What I find so fascinating about this park is the fact that on the one hand you can see the destructive power of the lava very close, but on the other hand you can see how only a short time later new life is awakening again from the porous rock. The lava has created almost 200 hectares of new land since 1994.

The best place to start your visit is the Kilauea Vistor Center, where you can get the latest information. Here you can also find out where the lava is currently flowing.

From there the 17 kilometer long Crater Rim Drive leads around the caldera of Kilauea. This road will take you to the main sights such as the Thomas A. Jaggar Museum (a geological exhibit on volcanism) and the Thurston Lava Tube (a lava cave).

The Chain of Craters Road takes you to the coast. Along this road there are several places where you can see petroglyphs of ancient Hawaiians. From the end of the road, created by a cooled lava flow, you can then walk towards Puu Oo Crater to see the lava flow.

In total, the park offers 240 kilometers of marked trails and besides lava fields, you can also admire rainforests and petroglyphs while hiking. Enough natural wonders for a stay of several days.

Kau - the untouched south of the island

Now that you have had a look at the national park, the journey continues towards the south, which is only sparsely populated. The Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa keep the precipitation away and so there is a desert to discover here. In the Kau Desert, for example, you will find footprints of warriors who were surprised long ago by one of the rare eruptions of Kilauea.

But also two very special beaches await you here. One is the Punaluu Black Sand Beach, which consists of black lava sand as the name suggests. Almost at the southernmost tip of the island and thus also the southernmost point of the USA in Ka Lae - also called South Point - there is another beach that you should visit.

Papakolea Beach shines in different shades of green depending on the sunlight. For the indigenous people, this beach is a very special place where a lot of energy flows. The people believed that one can recharge one's strength and courage here. The green color comes from the mineral olivine, which is washed out of the basalt of Mauna Loa. Olivine, by the way, is also used as a gemstone or infusion stone in saunas. Since the mineral is heavier than the lava sand, it is left behind when the waves roll onto the shore.

The beach is not easy to find, only a few trails lead here. If you then drive north again from Ka Lae and thus Kona, the landscape quickly becomes greener and you reach a region with many macadamia nut and coffee plantations and a short time later the next region.

Kona - cultural sites and tourist center

If you come from the south, coffee plantations dominate the landscape in this region as well. The famous Kona coffee grows here. When you visit one of the plantations, you will be explained how a cherry is turned into a very special drink. Kona coffee has little acidity and a very unique aroma because of the lava soils on which it grows. For me, it is one of the typical tastes of Hawaii.

On the coast is another place that I count among my favorite places in Hawaii: Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park, also called Place of Refuge. This temple complex was once reserved for nobles, but it was also a place of refuge. If someone from the foot people had broken a kapu (sacred law), with a little luck he could get here and be pardoned.

The site is not only one of the best preserved sacred sites of the Hawaiians, but also a place of power where a lot of energy flows. Even I, as a non-esoteric, have felt energy here. In the early morning this park is yours alone and you can also watch turtles on the beach. However, you should leave before dark, because there are supposedly "nigthmarchers", the spirits of warriors, who roam the grounds at night. You should not stand in their way.

In the neighboring bay near the place of Captain Cook is the place where the explorer first set foot on Hawaiian soil. Today, a memorial commemorates the famous navigator. A bit further north, lies the district of Keauhou. This is where the Hawaiian royal family used to vacation. To make this place the sacred area it used to be, even a hotel had to be demolished a few years ago.

When Captain James Cook landed in Hawaii in 1779, he named the "newly" discovered land the Sandwich Islands in honor of a British lord. At that time, no one knew what a magnificent and diverse world was hidden here.

Since the other Hawaiian islands fit about 2.5 times the area of the island of Hawaii, it quickly got the nickname "Big Island". Since today's inhabitants are more aware of their Polynesian roots again, the original name Hawaii Island is now used again.

The bay is ideal for snorkeling, diving and kayaking. Especially at night there is a lot of activity here, because then you can dive in the water with manta rays. But you can also see some of them from land. With a wingspan of up to seven meters, these animals are really impressive.

Only a few minutes drive further north is the small town of Kailua-Kona. Along Alii Drive there are galleries, souvenir stores, restaurants and some comfortable hotels. Also located here is Hulihee Palace, the summer residence of Hawaiian royalty. On the grounds of the Courtyard by Marriott King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel, you can admire the King's residence. It serves as the backdrop for a very authentic luau. Just 15 minutes further north is the island's second major airport, Kona International.

Kohala - luxury hotels and dream beach

The road to the north of the island leads through lava fields, where not much grows. The coast of this region offers a lot of sunshine and so many hotels have settled here. In Waikoloa there are some of them and also one of the many golf courses in Hawaii. However, the beaches here are rather small and rocky.

The exception is the Hilton Waikoloa Village, a resort so large that they even built a streetcar here that goes from one building to the next. The huge complex is built around a lagoon where you can swim.

If you continue north, you will soon come to one of the most beautiful beaches on the islands. The white beach of Hapuna Beach State Park is the epitome of a dream beach. "Every dream beach deserves a dream hotel" said Laurence S. Rockefeller and so he had a very special hotel built here in 1965, which is still one of the best on the island.

In the very north of the island in the town of Hawi is the birthplace of the legendary King Kamehameha. According to legend, a great leader was to be born when a light with feathers like a bird appeared in the sky. It is believed that this meant Halley's comet.

And it was this king who then united the islands into a single kingdom. If you follow the road further, you will reach Pololu Valley Lookout. From here you have a magnificent view of the north coast of the island. On the way back south, you will drive along Highway 250 through lush green hills to the next region.

Waimea - green hills and grazing cattle

The small town of Waimea is the home of the Paniolos, as the cowboys are called here. Lush meadows where cows graze dominate the picture here. A large part of the region used to belong to the largest ranch in the USA, the Parker Ranch.

It was here that Peter Merriman founded his restaurant. He was one of the first chefs to convince farmers to grow vegetables on the island and founded Hawaii Regional Cuisine.

If you continue east from here, you'll come to Waipio Valley Lookout, another point with a spectacular view. This sacred valley is where Kamehameha grew up. Today, about 100 Hawaiians still live here among taro fields and waterfalls.

At the end of the valley are Hiilawe Falls, the highest waterfall on the island at nearly 400 meters high. A steep road, which is only passable with an all-terrain vehicle, leads down into the valley. If you want to take a closer look, you should leave your rental car and book a guided tour.

Along the Hamakua Coast to Hilo

From Hamakua you can drive along the coast of the same name back to Hilo. Along the coastal road there are tropical rainforests, small towns and many waterfalls to see. This area is very scenic. Thus, you have circumnavigated the island once.

There is another road that connects the east and west coast. However, the Saddle Road is excluded by many rental companies and if you want to drive it, then at your own risk. This road leads you over a 2,200 meter high pass between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.

You will drive a part of this road if you book a trip to Mauna Kea. This is absolutely recommendable. Especially because on this tour you can admire the sunset on the top of the mountain, before you later gaze at the sparkling starry sky with a telescope. A unique experience.

The big island of Hawaii impresses not only with its size, but with a lot of different landscapes and a diversity that can only be seen in a few places in the world. Are you ready to be enchanted by Hawaii and live the Aloha spirit? A hui hou or goodbye in Hawaii.