Aloha, Magic of Hawaii đ
âHawaii is paradise, born of Fireâ â Rand McNally
We consider ourselves fortunate to be able to work from home, while the pandemic struck hard in many parts of the world. But, monotonous schedule of WFH got us really tired, thats when we knew it was time for a break to revitalize ourselves. We started exploring where should we go? We remembered the beauty and peace we had experienced in Maui, during our visit in 2019. This was time to explore one of the more unexplored island, the Big Islands of Hawaii - youngest and largest island in the Hawaiian chain.
Within next few days, we booked our flights and stay, took COVID test within 72 hours of boarding the flight, and began our adventure! At the airport , Alaska airlines representative informed us that we got bumped to first-class being Alaska MVP member. We were both thrilled to travel first-class for the first time in US. The flight experience was quite COVID regulated and food was delicious.
We landed around 9:00 AM on Saturday, picked up a rental car and reached our Airbnb (in Kona- west of island), to freshen up before stepping out to explore. Our very sweet hosts welcomed us, showed around the property and shared with us some must-do local experiences.
It was a beautiful sunny day, just apt to be swimming in the waters. We spent our afternoon swimming in warm waters at Magic Sands beach, a mile from our place. We had lunch at a vegan restaurant called Herbivores, great reviews on Yelp and would definitely recommend their yummy Jackfruit Nachos.
Sunsets in Hawaii are extra special, with light breeze and sparkelling waters. We spent our evening at Hapuna beach (north of Kona) â the largest of the islandâs white sand beaches. Lots of happy faces around, someone reading a book, few swimming and some enjoying the sunset, washed away our tiredness from a long day.
Mansi (my wife) always wanted to visit the local farmerâs market, have fresh tropical fruits and meet local people. On Sunday, we stopped at Pure Kona Green Markets on our way towards south of island, had delicious banana bread, got fresh avocados (more creamier than California avos) and mangoes (just like the ones in India đ)
You can very well experience the micro climates of the island on the scenic drive to the south point, as the landscapes keep changing from lava rocks to tropical lush green forests, every few miles. By the side of highway, we saw a local old man selling fresh coconuts. We took a stop to have some and it reminded Mansi of the Bangalore (India) days when she used to have coconuts on her way back from work. The old man was really sweet and gave us beautiful handmade hats. It is always when you speak to a local person would you know how the place has changed so much over a period of time. He mentioned that due to a large number of unlicensed fishermen and climatic changes (trash from Japan collected in deep waters around the island), they hardly get any good catch and it affects their livelihood.
Today, was the day to explore very unique beaches of Big Islandâ PunaluÊ»u beach (black sand) and Papakolea beach (green sand).
Two reasons for the popularity of PunaluÊ»u beach are: the gorgeous black sand and the fact that you can often see endangered Hawksbill turtles and green turtles basking in the sun on the beach. At the beach, we met a 52 year old lady, soaking in sun. She had moved to Hawaii from Colorado around 5 years back, dealing with cancer, still full of life. She was elated to mentionâ âFind happiness in little things, like Hawaiian bread at Punaluâu bake shop nearby â the southernmost bakery in USA đ
Itâs actually very interesting to know that there are only 4 green sand beaches in the world! And Papakolea beach is one of them. The green color of the beach is because of the green olivine crystals that are washed out of the old cinder cone next to the beach. The last 2.5 miles to the beach are muddy, unpaved terrain. So, either, you hike or take a ride with a localite. It is one of the most beautiful beaches weâve seen, a mosaic of greens and blues.
After a long fruitful day, we enjoyed our delicious dinner at Black Rock Pizza in Captain Cook, watching the sun go down and thinking âBeautiful sunsets do need cloudy skies!â
For next 3 days, we worked from 6am to 2pm (thanks to 3 hour time difference between PST and HST), and explored some local experiences during the evenings.
Kona is known for world-renowned coffee that is exclusively grown on the slopes of two volcanoes on the Big Island. The porous and mineral rich volcanic soil combined with the often sunny mornings but rainy afternoons, little wind, and mild nights give coffee from the Big Island a unique taste. On Monday, we joined Greenwell farms coffee tour to learn more about Kona coffee plantations and taste some of their delicious fruity and nutty coffee.
After our tour, we headed out to Puâuhonua O HĆnaunau National Historical Park to experience traditional Hawaiian culture. Set on the rugged and beautiful south Kona coast, this âplace of refugeâ was a safe haven for those that broke the Kapu laws, which in old Hawaii were punishable by death. The park had well marked cultural depictions, making navigation really easy. If you love snorkeling, Two Step beach in the same park is known for snorkeling in deep blue crystal-clear waters, spectacular coral seabeds, hundreds of multi-colored fish and green turtles swimming in shoals. After the walk around, we sat down relaxing and watching the colorful birds making their way back home.
On Wednesday, we bid farewell to our Airbnb hosts in Kona and planned to reach Hilo via north route, visiting Waipiâo valley on the way. Waipiâo valley is wilderness interspersed with taro fields and is named after the river that runs through the valley. The views from the valley look-out point are mesmerizing, but, take the next step -hike down to one of most unexplored black sand beach. The hike is about 1.3 miles (~900 ft gradient) from valley lookout point and as you get down, a little walk towards left reveals a beautiful view of the tallest waterfall in Hawaii. Path towards right takes you to the beach. We spent some peaceful moments there, hiked up and reached our next stay by late evening.
Hilo is Hawaiiâs largest city, and interestingly the rainiest city in the USA, which makes it tropical, lush and fills the surrounding forests with colorful flowers and waterfalls.
Pepeekeo is in north east side of Big Island, about 10 miles above Hilo. We stayed at Hamakua Guesthouse in Pepeekeo for rest of the trip. This was one of the most unique stays, completely off-the-grid, powered entirely by solar energy. Being in the middle of forest, we felt very connected to nature, with sounds from birds, waterfalls and native fauna. We felt that we could wake up to this feeling every morning.
Next day, we went to see the waterfalls â Akaka Falls and Rainbow Falls.
The Akaka falls, located just north of Hilo, are accessible via short 0.4-mile stroll through the lush rainforest filled with wild orchids, bamboo groves and draping ferns. The Rainbow Falls (in Hilo), have a cultural connection to the time when Maui (Hawaiian demi-god) saved his mother Hina (moon goddess) from a wicked giant lizard.
In the evening, we had dinner at Pineapples restaurant in Hilo downtown. Remember to make a reservation to enjoy their delicious food and live music.
In Hawaiian religion, Pele is the goddess of volcanoes and fire and the creator of the Hawaiian Islands. Halemaumau Crater, Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii Volcano National Park, is believed to be her home. Friday, we wanted to explore the Volcano National Park, which is home to one of the worldâs most active volcanoes â Kilauea and Mauna Loa. There are many sights to cover in the park, so definitely keep a day for it.
Some of the most unique features of the park are Kilauea volcanic crater (erupted in 2018), Nahaku Thurston Lava Tube, Kilauea Iki trail and Holei Sea arch. From the eruption in 2018, the lave inside the lava lake of Kilauea crater still glows and can only be seen after the daylight ends.
Nahuku Thurston Lava Tube is a 500-year-old lava cave, located on Kilauea Crater. It was formed when a river of lava gradually built solid walls. And when it stopped flowing and passed downhill, this spectacular cave came to the view. Kilauea Iki (iki means little) trail is an exciting and easy hike that crosses warm fifty year old lava with steam issuing from cracks in the earth. It is these volcanoes that make the land mineral rich, resulting in lush green landspaces on the island. Also, due to micro climates, the temperature drops significantly in the night, do keep a jacket if you plan to spend the evening in the park.
On Saturday, we went to Hilo Farmers Market. It lures both locals and visitors with Hiloâs freshest finds at affordable prices. Youâll find a colorful selection of locally grown fruit, vegetables, herbs, island jams and jellies, macadamia nuts and delectable baked goods. Besides fresh produce, local vendors also sell their hand made delicate art, jewelry and souvenirs.
The Big Island of Hawaii provides some of the most astounding stargazing opportunities to be found anywhere on earth â so good, in fact, that Mauna Kea, the dormant volcano houses the largest research observatory in the world. The peak, about 14,000 feet above sea level, making it the highest point in Hawaii, provides a clear view of the constellations. We could not have returned home without this experience! We booked the stargazing tour for Saturday night with James, who is also a former analog astronaut. We drove through the clouds, to a location shared by our guide, around an hour from Hilo and 7000 feet on Mauna Kea. Beyond that, he took us further up in a 4X4, for a unique stargazing experience on the hills of Mt. Mauna Kea. It was the best stargazing experience we had!
The Big Island is a true paradise, and has uniquely featured white, black, and green sand beaches. It easily becomes the first choice for outdoor adventures, volcanology interests, and diversity. The island spans 8 out of the worldâs 13 climate zones and the activities you can enjoy there are almost as distinct. We had some of the best vegan/vegetarian food on the island. Because everyone on the island is so connected to nature, being eco-friendly becomes the first choice, may it be a restaurant or local vendor.
We dearly hope you get a chance to visit this beautiful place and find your peace. As they say â âA day without ALOHA is just another Mainland dayâ.
Mahalo!
-Manav & Mansi
