Travel Journal: Big Island – The Youngest Hawaiian Isle

My first impression of Big Island wasn’t that it was beautiful or a picture perfect vacation destination. My first glimpse of the island was the mountains towering over fields of lava stretching as far as the horizon. This wasn’t at all what I expected. I had never seen so much lava in my life, and it was incredible. This post is about my experience while on Big Island, and why it has become one of my favorite islands.

Kua Bay

On the first day, my husband and I had two scuba certification dives scheduled at Kua Bay Beach (also known as Maniniowali). It was located on the west coast and only a 25 minute drive from Kailua-Kona. Kua Bay was surrounded by white sand with a pathway of lava rock leading down to the blue water. When we got there, several families were having picnics and enjoying the day at the beach. We were happy to find well-maintained restrooms near the parking lot and outside showers a short distance from the water.

The water at Kua Bay was cool at 76 degrees and had visibility of 60 feet. We quickly became comfortable with the temperature as we began our dive and descended to our maximum depth of 36 feet. We came across a wall of coral that seemed to reach at least 20 feet in height from the ocean floor. I never imagined coral could grow to this size. We saw so many varieties of colorful fish swimming around the coral. After we ascended from our final dive of the day and returned to the shore, there was a beautiful glowing sunset over the bay. Diving Kua Bay was the best experience our first day on Big Island.

Exploring Hilo

We took a break from diving the next day to explore Hilo, the largest city on the island. The Hilo region of the island has an average rainfall of 130 to 200 inches per year. This creates a very lush environment with rainforests and waterfalls. To get there, we drove east on Saddle Road for the picturesque views of the island. The road takes you directly between two volcanoes: Mauna Kea, the largest volcano in Hawaii and Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano on earth.

Fun fact: Mount Everest in China is known as the tallest mountain in the world, but Mauna Kea is actually the tallest mountain when it is measured from it’s underwater base.

Before we made it to Hilo, we stopped to see the Kaumana Lava Tubes that were formed from an eruption by Mauna Loa in the 1800s. At the entrance to the park there was a picnic pavilion and restrooms. A very steep concrete stairway lead us down to the entrances of the caves. Inside, it was very dark and damp, so we explored a short distance with our phone flashlights and then headed back. The caves are part of a 25 mile long lava tube, with two miles open to the public. Closed toe shoes, bright flashlights, and extra batteries are a must for this hike.

When we made it to Hilo, we traveled to Rainbow Falls Lookout. These falls plunge 80 feet in front of a lava tube cave. A rainbow can be seen in the falls on early sunny mornings. It was easily accessible from the road and there were two lookout areas overlooking the falls. If you travel up the stairs, you’ll find several banyan trees that seem to have come right out of a scene from Jungle Book. They were tall and every branch intertwined with the other to the point that you couldn’t distinguish what was one tree and another. It definitely brought out the kid in me and I couldn’t resist climbing some of the lower branches.

We stopped for lunch at Cafe 100 to try the Loco Moco, a local favorite. The dish is made up of a bed of rice, topped with a hamburger patty, brown gravy, and topped with an egg. It was delicious! You can order a variety of Loco Mocos with different types of meat and vegetables. Getting a Loco Moco is definitely a must try while in Hilo.

After lunch, we traveled from Hilo to Akaka Falls State Park. The entrance to the park was a short distance from the parking lot, and led to a panoramic view of the valley. We followed a paved trail through the rainforest for access to an overlook of the falls. The forest was lush and filled with life, and we often stopped to get pictures of the bamboo trees and tropical flowers. The pathway lead us to an overlook of the steep valley below and we caught a glimpse of the falls. We were amazed at how incredible they were, and how they rushed down the mountainside an impressive 442 feet.

Getting Scuba Certified on Big Island

We planned to complete our final two certification dives on our 8 year anniversary in Kailua-Kona. We were excited to get started knowing that after our dives we would finally have our open water certification. My husband was pretty calm the whole time, but I was definitely feeling the nerves. I always had a few “water fears” and I knew I would have to face them. It was a challenge for sure, but my love for diving inspired me to keep pushing myself.

Our first dive of the day was at Mile Marker 4, just south of historic downtown Kailua-Kona. There was a parking lot just before the mile marker, but we went on a little further and found a place to park right off the road. Entry to the water was rocky and slick, but it was calm and beautiful once we were under the water. We saw a variety of fish and spotted a turtle swimming at the bottom. The highlight of this dive was swimming through our first underwater lava tube cave. Once we made it through, there was an opening and the sun was shining down onto the bottom. It was beautiful and unforgettable.

The final dive spot was at Crescent Bay near Honokohau Harbor. It is also known as “Dog Beach” because locals often take their dogs there to swim and play in the water. This beach was surrounded by large lava rocks leading up to the water. Entry was much easier at this location than the last. The water visibility was 60 feet and we could see all kinds of marine life, including 2 king rays and lots of different varieties of fish. At one point we heard a loud noise, and we were surprised to see a silhouette of a boat drifting above us. The highlight of this dive was spotting our first tiger shark. It swam at a distance and was very calm. On the way back from our dive, reality started setting in from what we had accomplished. After one full week of online training, 5 pool dives, and 4 open water dives, we were finally certified divers.

Waipio Valley

The next day we traveled north of Kailua-Kona to Waipio Valley. There was a small parking lot at the end of the road that appeared as though you could drive right into the valley below. It was very busy, so we parked in the overflow just a short walk from the lot. We went to check out the overlook and we were amazed at the view. Mountains stood as high as 2,000 feet over a lush valley and curved around the coastline below. It was absolutely beautiful. A very steep, rugged, and windy one lane road led you to the valley below. At a little over half a mile long, this road is the steepest of its length in the US. It is only open to four wheel drive vehicles and we didn’t like the idea of trying to drive it. Most rental car agreements won’t allow you to take your vehicle into the valley because of how dangerous of a drive it is.

We decided to brave the road on foot and within just a few minutes, we realized that it was going to be a tough hike. At the bottom, the paved road turned into dirt and split into a three way. We went right to go toward the coastline. It was a short walk through the valley and we saw local taro farms along the way. At Black Sand Beach the sand was much more coarse than regular sand and the waves were very rough. We walked along the rocky coastline and found a waterfall flowing down a cliff into the ocean.

Dusk was approaching, and we needed to start heading back to have enough time to get uphill. We had hoped to see Hiilawae Falls, the tallest waterfall in Hawaii, but we didn’t have time. We agreed that we would definitely come back to see the falls on our next trip. The hike back up knocked the breath out of us, but as our heart rates neared their max, a local in a pickup truck offered to give us a ride the rest of the way up. We were relieved! I had no idea that Waipio would be as incredible as it was, and it was crazy to think that we saw such a small part of it. We will definitely be back to experience more of this magical place.

Kealakekua Bay

My husband and I are both avid coffee drinkers, so visiting a coffee plantation was on our list of  things to do while in Hawaii. On our way to Kealakekua Bay, we stopped at Greenwell Coffee Plantation. The plantation was established in the mid 1800s and is known for their coffee that is 100% Kona. The farm was located on a hill with a variety of colorful flowers and lush plant life. 

There was a small open air shop where people gathered for plantation tours and had bags of the Greenwell coffee to purchase. Coffee carafes were lined up for sampling in order of strength and body. Their coffees were bold and flavorful and we quickly found a favorite to take home. We were greeted by a friendly employee that asked us if we were interested in doing a tour, but when we told her that we were just there for a short visit, she eagerly offered to give us a short history. She pulled out of her pocket coffee beans in 8 different stages of production and explained how they make their coffee. Our short visit to Greenwell was well worth the stop, and we were excited to bring home Kona coffee to share with friends and family. 

After visiting the plantation, we drove south of Kailua-Kona to Kealakekua Bay (also known as “Captain Cook Bay”) to snorkel at the famous statue. In the 1700s, Captain (James) Cook sailed thousands of miles to uncharted places and mapped them in greater detail than ever before. The famous statue is located where Captain Cook arrived on the island and lead the Westerners to make the first recorded contact with the Hawaiians.

We took a double kayak across the bay to the statue, and when we got there we jumped in the water to explore the reefs. The kayak rental company asked us not to dock on the land where the statue was, so we had to get on and off the kayak from the water. It was a little challenging, but we figured it out fairly quickly. The water was calm within the bay and reefs surrounded the shore near the statue. There were a variety of tropical fish feeding on the reef, and nearby the sea floor faded into the dark waters.

Our trip to Big Island was an adventure and there was always something new to see or do while we were there. The island was very interesting and unique from the other Hawaiian islands. This was one unforgettable trip and a destination that I cannot wait to come back and experience even more.