Punaluu
In an earlier post, I talked about my favorite place on the Big Island, South Point.  In it, I mentioned Papakolea, the green-sand beach.  I thought I should probably make you aware of a much more  accessible black-sand beach.  (If you remember, reaching Papakolea required a 2.5 mile hike each way or a 4-wheel drive […]

When you leave the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, you will be turning to the left to continue your circle the island drive.  Just a few miles down the road, if you turn right at the sign that directs you to the golf course, you will find the Volcano Winery.
I doubt that this little winery will […]

Visit one…two…or all of them?
One of the biggest mistake many first-time visitors to the Aloha State make is to try and take in too much of the island experience with too little time.  While on paper, it might seem like you could spend a week and island-hop until you’ve taken in the six major islands, […]

Saturday, June 4, 2011, is the American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day!   In recognition, a recent post in The National Parks of the Pacific blog highlighted the only National Trail in Hawaii, Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail on the Big Island of Hawaii.  This 175-mile trail runs from near the northern tip of the island, […]

Hilo…lots of rain also means waterfalls
As promised in an earlier post, this post will discuss the Big Island town of Hilo, which retains the look and feel of downtown from 100 years ago, including many of the original buildings.
Hilo is known for being rainy all the time…it does get over 70″ of rain annually, which […]

Looking at a map, its easy to think that you can make a leisurely day trip, driving around the Big Island of Hawaii, on Hwy’s 11 and 19 that circles the island. You would be badly mistaken in attempting to do so, unless simply driving is your goal.

Akaka Falls Entry Fee
The latest fee resulting from the economic hard times is the Department of Natural Resources’ new $5 per car entry fee at Akaka Falls State Park on the Big Island (higher rates apply to commercial tours and buses).  So, yet another free attraction will now generate some badly needed revenue from visitors […]

Big Island, Part 2 of 3
While you’re in Hilo, you might want to make a short side trip to Rainbow Falls, located just outside of downtown Hilo along the Wailuku river.   It is one of the more accessible waterfalls on the Big Island.  I will post another article later with more information about Hilo.
One Hilo […]