Big Island Adventures

Rainbow Falls

After a wonderful week on Kauai, we're now on the Big Island also called Hawaii.  Its nickname reflects the fact that this is the largest of the Hawaiian islands.  We're staying in Hilo on the east side.  Monday was our travel day between islands so we didn't do or see a lot; however, yesterday was chockablock full of adventure.

We started off visiting Rainbow Falls.  Frequently, the sun shining on these falls creates rainbows, but our day began with overcast skies so no sunlight to refract.  Still a lovely double falls only 10 minutes from our house.

Akaka Falls

After the falls, we started driving the scenic drive along the Hamakua Coast north of Hilo. Sections of the drive meander through the middle of lush topical forest.  For much of the route, you are seeing the ocean, and there were multiple viewpoints to stop and admire the views.  We took a brief detour from the scenic drive to visit Akaka Falls, a 422-foot waterfall that is the most famous on the Big Island.  We were fortunate to nab a parking space right by the trailhead for the short hike down to the overlook.  The waterfall is the centerpiece of Akaka Falls State Park, another area of lush tropical forest.

We then finished our drive up the Hamakua Coast and headed across the island to the west coast.  What a stark contrast!  The west side is much drier as evidenced by a lack of vegetation and the landscape is dominated by lava fields.  There are oases of green and trees scattered throughout the section of the west coast we visited, but the predominant view was that of old lava fields.

We visited two National Historic Sites -- Kaloko-Honokōhau and Pu'ukohola Heiau.  These two sites are along the 175-mile Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail along the west and south coasts of the Big Island.  It was created in 2000 to protect and interpret traditional Hawaiian culture and natural resources.  Here we learned about King Kamehameha I who consolidated all of the Hawaiian island chiefdoms under one rule, as well as how they managed to survive and thrive in such a harsh volcanic landscape.

After all the sightseeing, we attended a traditional luau which I will post about separately. We finished our adventures with a gorgeous Hawaiian sunset before our 90-minute drive back to Hilo.  A beautiful end to a fantastic day.