January 15, 2015
Most Hawai‘i Island HELICOPTER TOURS originate from Kailua-Kona or Hilo. But there is one company that flies out of Waikoloa on the Kohala Coast. BLUE HAWAIIAN HELICOPTERS maintains a PRIVATE HELIPORT in the high-end tourist area, making it convenient for…
January 15, 2015
It would be a mistake to rely on synonyms or metaphors to describe a FLYING TOUR of Hawai‘i Island. One could say it’s like a mythical ride on a magic carpet, or a scene from a James Bond thriller, with…
January 15, 2015
More than a century ago, a Big Island sugar plantation manager introduced MACADAMIA NUTS to the island. Although native to Australian rainforests, mac nuts thrived in Hawai‘i, and the state became the site of the world’s first commercial plantations. Today,…
January 15, 2015
The Hawaiian volcano goddess Pele also deserves kudos for her pioneering work with THERMAL PONDS; long before anyone invented hot tubs, Hawai‘i Island was gurgling and steaming with naturally heated models fueled by WARM THERMAL SPRINGS. These naturally heated hot…
January 15, 2015
Hawai‘i Island’s cerulean waters are teeming with life. LIVING CORAL can be found in 57%of the waters surrounding the island — the highest percentage in the main Hawaiian Islands. Where there’s coral, there are fish, and there are island TOUR-…
January 15, 2015
Travelers are finding that one of the best ways to discover the “real” Hawai‘i Island is to sign up for a VOLUNTEER PROJECT and get their hands dirty working with local residents on CONSERVATION ASSIGNMENTS. Register for afternoon or multi-day…
January 15, 2015
Sport fishing on the Kona Coast is big business. Many anglers come to pursue the storied 1,000-pound Pacific blue marlin and other hefty catches of broadbill swordfish, yellowfin tuna and mahimahi. Since water depths drop off to 6,000 feet just…
January 15, 2015
While South Kohala attracts most tourists, just 11 miles upslope is a land developers forgot. NORTH KOHALA is lush and green, sparsely populated and a breath of fresh mountain air in a landscape barely touched by contemporary influences. And nowhere…
January 15, 2015
PARASAILING in Kailua Bay is an easy-to-master thrill ride in a gorgeous surrounding. The water in the bay is so clear you can almost see the ocean floor, and most days, you’ll be drifting through cloudless blue skies. The activity…
January 15, 2015
The LARGEST ORGANIC COFFEE FARM in the United States is located 3,200 feet above sea level in a mist-cooled rainforest about 7 miles from Kailua-Kona. Here, Trent Bateman, a mainland transplant who left a career in engineering to come to…
January 15, 2015
MADAME PELE , the legendary HAWAIIAN VOLCANO GODDESS, is currently asleep at her home inside her favorite volcano, KĪLAUEA. While activity could always pick up at a moment’s notice, the recent eruptions have ceased and there is no visible molten…
January 15, 2015
Nearly 180 years ago, a young, New England missionary couple arrived in Hilo. It was here that they spent the next 50 years of their lives. Today, LYMAN MISSION HOUSE is the oldest wood-frame building on Hawai‘i Island. Built in…