Hawai'i (The Big Island)
Hawai’i – The Big Island
Loading image...
Hawai'i (The Big Island)
Hawaii is more than twice the size of all the other Hawaiian Islands combined. The Big Island of Hawaii is, geologically speaking, a youngster. And with the help of lava flowing from Kilauea volcano, it's still growing. So, unlike the other islands in the Hawaiian chain, the Big Island hasn't had time to develop many sandy beaches along its shores. Although they are few in number, the beaches of the Kona and Kohala coasts (especially the bright white strand at Hapuna Beach State Parks) are beautiful, and the black-sand beach at Punaluu is otherworldly. This is a very special island, because some of the most sacred Hawaiian sites can still be seen here. Driving around the Big Island, you may come across petroglyphs and ancient Polynesian stone temples called heiau.
Highlights
What the Big Island does have in spades is big-game fishing (particularly at Kona, the self-proclaimed "Marlin Capital of the Pacific"), golf (on about 20 championship courses), vast ranch lands (including the 225,000-acre Parker Ranch, which dates to the early 19th century), incredible hiking (150 miles of trails in Volcanoes National Park alone), and great natural beauty (the 400-foot cascade of Akaka Falls, for example. At 4,038 square miles, it's a huge island, and since resort development is concentrated along the Kona-Kohala coast, there's a lot left to explore, from lava deserts to steaming rain forests.
Geography/Environment
Hawaii has 11 of the 13 known climatic zones of the world. The Big Island offers the world's most active volcano, waterfalls, black-sand beaches, tropical rainforest's and even snow-capped mountain peaks!
Activities
Great honeymoon activities include championship golf, horseback riding, sport fishing, snorkeling, diving, hiking, exploring and helicopter tours.
Climate and Weather
Although Hawaii's busiest tourist season is during winter (December to February), this has more to do with the weather elsewhere, since many visitors are snowbirds escaping cold winters back home. You don't find much nicer weather anywhere in the world. Near the coasts, which you almost always are, average highs are a pleasant 80ºF (27ºC), and the difference between summer and winter temperatures is only 10ºF. The rainiest period is between December and March. It also matters on which side of the islands you are. In general, the driest, sunniest conditions and the calmest waters are on the southwestern side of the islands. The northeastern side of the islands receives decent rainfalls.
