Hawai'i Island isn't just big, it's still growing. The Island of Hawai'i is the youngest island in the Hawaiian chain and is also by far the biggest, providing a vast canvas of environments to discover a variety of unrivaled natural wonders.
This is the home of one of the world's most active volcanoes (Kilauea), the tallest sea mountain in the world at more than 33,000 feet (Maunakea), the most massive mountain in the world (Maunaloa) and the largest park in the state (Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park). All but two of the world's climate zones generate everything from lush rain forests to volcanic deserts, snow-capped mountaintops to beautiful black sand beaches. Whether you're looking for a romantic getaway or a journey off the beaten path, you'll discover it all on Hawai'i, the Big Island.
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Hawaiʻi is said to have been named for Hawaiʻiloa, the legendary Polynesian navigator who first discovered it. Other accounts attribute the name to the legendary realm of Hawaiki, a place from which the Polynesians originated, the place where they go in the afterlife, the realm of the gods and goddesses.
Captain James Cook, who called them the "Sandwich Islands", was killed on the Big Island at Kealakekua Bay. Hawaiʻi was the home island of Paiʻea Kamehameha, called Kamehameha the Great, who by 1795 united most of the Hawaiian Islands under his rule after several years of war. He gave his Kingdom of Hawai'i the name of his native island, and the islands in chain are known collectively as "Hawaiian Islands".
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Kailua-Kona town is the visitors center for the Kona Coast region. The town is located just about midway down the west coast and seven miles south of Kona International Airport at Keahole via the Queen Ka`ahumanu Highway. Kailua-Kona has a number of significant adventure activities and attractions. It's the place to be on the Big Island.
From Kona, there is easy access to the numerous Kona coffee farms and mills where you can sample a complimentary cup of Kona brew and learn about Kona's famed coffee industry. The small up-country town of Holualoa on the old Mamalahoa Highway 180 is a colorful art colony with numerous art shops, studios and galleries in the old buildings lining the narrow, winding main street. There are also attractions like Kailua-Kona's Hulihee Palace on Alii Drive and Ahuena Heiau.Then there are Kealakekua Bay and Captain Cook's Monument, about 12 miles south, Pu`uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, 20 miles south, numerous old heiau (temples) and other historic sites and beaches along the Kona Coast. Keauhou Bay, Kailua Bay and Honokohau Harbor are busy boating centers for snorkel/dive cruises, sailing cruises, deep sea fishing charters, rafting and submarine excursions and parasailing adventures.
The Big Island is one of dramatic contrasts with lush rainforests and cascading waterfalls in the east, the coffee plantations, crystal waters and golden sands of the sun-blessed west and the macadamia nut orchards and is home to the only active volcano in the islands. Not to be missed, a tour of Volcanoes National Park, where an 11 mile drive encircles the still active Kilaueau Crater and for the experience of a lifetime, fly by helicopter over red hot lava flows. Finally, a must visit is Dolphin Quest for a swim with the Dolphins.
