Have List, Will Travel: Destination - The Big Island of Hawaii

Travel Quotes

Mark Twain said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” Maya Angelou
_____________________________________________________________________________________
....................."One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching." Unknown..................

I would like to welcome new readers to my travel blog. If you are reading this for the first time, then I suggest you first read my introduction which I wrote last November when I started this. It explains why I am writing this and it gives you a little about my background. And most importantly it explains about my list and how it works. To go to that post, click on the following link - http://havelistwilltravel.blogspot.com/2011/11/have-list-will-travel-introduction.html

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Destination - The Big Island of Hawaii

"There is no more beautiful hideaway than this spectacular chain of tropical islands." Ray Riegert

The big island of Hawaii

The island of Hawaii is known as the Big Island. It is nearly twice the size of all the other islands combined and it is still growing. Kilauea is the most active volcano on earth and is still adding acreage to the island. If you sail around the island at night you can see the red lava flowing into the sea. It is the youngest of the islands, and has a range of climates and landscapes. There are some lush tropical areas, and there are lots of open desert areas, and there is a rain forest. There is even snow on the island and a mountain where people snow ski, not something you would associate with Hawaii.

There are two main areas, Kona on the sunny west coast is where most of the big resorts are. There is excellent snorkeling there, and it is sunny almost all the time. There is good shopping, good restaurants, and some very nice resorts and condos. On the other side of the island is Hilo, and it is known for its rain, which means waterfalls and lush gardens. The town is small, and is known as Old Hilo town, which is fitting for it. The hotels on this side of the island are older also, and a little run-down. There is a nice Bed & Breakfast there - The Orchid Tree.

Kilauea Volcano erupting

The main attraction on the island is the volcano. If you are staying in Kona it is an all day trip to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. If you are in Hilo, it will be much closer. Some people like to spend a night or two on that side of the island just to make it easier to see the park. The park has lots of hiking trails and we did a walk through a lava tube, which was quite interesting. There is an 11 mile loop of road that skirts the rim of Kilauea Caldera which has marked stops at steam vents and crater lookouts. You can actually hike out to the lava flow. It is a strenuous hike and potentially dangerous. I have not done the hike, but I know people who have.

Sea Turtle we saw while snorkeling

As for other activities on the island, you can of course book the same tours as you can on most of the islands. There are snorkeling tours, luaus, dinner cruises, and you can do an escorted tour to the volcano park. We snorkeled on our own at the bay in front of our hotel – we stayed at the Fairmont – and it was some of the best snorkeling anywhere. There were sea turtles that came up fairly close to us, and a variety of beautiful fish.