The Big Island  is the newest of the Hawaiian Islands ........ and is adding new real estate on a daily basis.  The Island of Hawaii is a photographers paradise!  The sacred grounds have been restored at Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, or formerly know as The City of Refuge.  The re-created wood carvings leads us to believe this place had great significance in the lives of ancient Hawaiians.  Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is an awesome spectacle of past and present creative forces.  The kupu kupu fern fights for a foothold in recent lava flows.  Steam plumes and gaseous fumes rise from the coastline as molten lava drops into the sea.

According To  early Hawai'ian traditions, there was an ancient time when the air was surrounded with spiritual beings, and only a thin veil divided the living from the dead, the natural from the supernatural.  During that time Pele, goddess of the volcano, came to Hawai'i.  Having traveled for many miles in search of a suitable home for her fire and family, Pele settled in the crater of Halema'uma'u at the summit of Kilauea.  Her poetic name is Ka wahine 'ai honua, the woman who devours the land.  When her molten body moves, the land trembles and the sky is aflame with a crimson aura.  Those present whisper in awe, "Ae aia la o Pele" or "There is Pele".  In her presence, our senses are quickened.  The smell of sulfur is thick around us.  We feel the heat where the steam dances above the earthcracks at Wahine Kapu.  Pele's tears hide in the cinder outfall at Pu'u Pua'i, her golden hair sparkles between the rope folds of pahoehoe lava.

Kupuna Or  respected Hawai'ian elders teach malama o ka'ina, which means  "care for the land and the land will care for you".   Today, the integrity of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the culture of Hawai'i's indigenous people can be protected by leaving everything in its rightful place.  At Kilauea, where the very ground is sacred to the Hawai'ian people, remember to E nihi ka hele .... walk softly!  Many times has a piece of volcanic rock been sent back to the park by a tourist who, ignoring the kapu, picked up a souvenir only to incur the wrath of Pele once back home in the form of bad luck and heartbreak.  Take only pictures, never the lava rock!

Kamehameha I  was born in Kapa`au, Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaii, an event surrounded in island legend.  The royal birth was said to have occurred under the 1758 appearance of Haley's Comet, or Kokoiki, meaning "little blood".  Kahuna witnessing the celestial event prophesied the birth of a child who would become a mighty chief, destined to unite all of the Hawaiian Islands.  At the time, Hawaii was not united and the ruling clans were fighting constantly, and some thought to seek out and kill this mysterious new king.  The name Kamehameha, or "The Lonely One," was bestowed upon him after he was raised for 5 years in seclusion, and then the training began befitting a young ali'i, Hawaiian for Chief or Ruler.  In 1779, he met Captain Cook and upon visiting H.M.S. Discovery, the young king vowed to use foreign weapons and methods to his advantage.

In 1795  in his effort to unify the islands, Kamehameha I attacked Kalanikupule, King of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and Lanai, in 1795.  After taking Maui and Molokai, his war canoes crossed the channel and landed at Waialae and Waikiki, on Oahu. As Kamehameha's warriors pushed up Nuuanu Valley, they were fired upon by 2 cannons causing great loss of life and destruction.  Kamehameha sent a division of his best men to double back and climb the ridge above Pauoa Valley.  A runner was sent to the reserve forces in Waikiki with instructions to climb Manoa Valley and follow the ridge trail to Nuuanu Pali where they would join the other division to capture the cannons.  Stunned by this military maneuver, the Oahu warriors defended their positions in vain and fought to the bitter end.  Some escaped over the mountains, others were pushed over the pali and many, rather than surrender, plunged to their deaths from the 1000 ft. cliffs.  The decisive battle of Nuuanu Pali gave Kamehameha control of the islands, except Kauai, that remained independent. During construction of the Pali road in 1897, an estimated 800 skulls were found at the foot of the cliffs.  October 4, 1897, a blasting operation to dislodge a rock ledge above the Pali road, buried the remains of the Oahu army at the place where they defended the island they loved.  By 1810, all the islands were united under his rule.

What Makes  the Big Island so awesome to visit is that even today, these things of the old Hawaii are still there to be seen and photographed ......... maybe not exactly as they were, but you will be taken back in time at venues like Waipio Valley, Kilauea or the City of Refuge.  A rental car is put to good use on this island especially.  It is BIG and there is a lot worth experiencing.  Each area of the island of Hawaii is different from the other, and the highlands are different still.   Ancient Hawaii is just under the surface everywhere you go here, but today's Big Island is pretty good stuff too.  Lets take a look!

The Kona  side is the dry or western side of the island where 100 foot lava cliffs meet pounding surf head on without benefit of a cushioning beach and every sunset is spectacular.  In Kona, world class sportfishing is king!  Shops are everywhere selling world famous coffee, and every corner store offers Spam and rice in some form or another.  The south drive to Hilo is a days tour for sure, and the "must see" stops along the way include Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the Ancient City of Refuge.  You WILL be moved at both of these parks ....... perhaps in different ways ........ but I am very sure that you will not be the same person upon leaving either one.  Drive north from Kona and you will see the signs to Waimea and Paniolo country.  Cool and pastoral here at 2,500 feet, the grasses are lush, while flower gardens and picket fences punctuate the landscape.   The Parker Ranch is here and is one of the largest cattle ranches in the United States.  Also here is the "White Mountain" or Mauna Kea rising 13,800 feet above sea level.  It's observatories are world renown and generally skiable snow is on the summit along with gift shops selling "I Skied Hawaii" t-shirts!   Order up any one of several visitors guides before you arrive so that you can better plan your time on The Big Island.

Windward Is  a very different zone from the dryer, Kona landscape.  There is much to see and do.  Hilo is the focal point and the scenery is lush and vibrant thanks to 140 inches or more of rainfall annually.  Plantations old and new are everywhere with emphasis on orchids and macadamia nuts.  The 1960's "flower child" movement found root here and remnants of that culter are obvious.  Driving north out of Hilo, one must stop and at least view the Waipio Valley, still secluded and difficult to access.  It is perhaps the most beautiful valley anywhere in Hawaii.  Waipio is six miles long and a mile wide.   It has a handful of residents, fields of taro and fiddlehead ferns, a black sand beach and twin Hiilawe Falls.  Get a glimpse of the valley from a 900-foot perch at the Waipio Valley Lookout.  One can visit  the valley by 4x4, a guided tour or a hardy hiking trail.  The most beautiful of all the valleys of the Hawaiian Islands and one of the most secluded, it is now, as it has always been, very difficult to access.   The walls are a sheer descent of more than a thousand feet. In ancient times a narrow path slanted along the face of the bluffs wherever foothold could be found. In these later days the path has been enlarged, and horse and rider can descend into the valley's depths.  Enough for now, but I hope you get the feeling that this island is Hawaii at her best!  Don't fail to include it on your next visit to paradise.  

O'ahu      Maui       LanaŽi       Moloka'i      The Big Island      Kaua'i      NiŽihau     

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