Rented a car for 10 days, drove the entire loop around the island, ate poke, swam with sea turtles, saw the lava flow, gazed at stars atop Mauna Kea ... just awesome !
Trip Highlights
Snorkeling Kahalu'u
Green Sand Beach
Snorkeling Kapoho Tide Pools
Lava Flow - hike from Kalapana
Stargazing atop Mauna Kea
Swimming with Sea Turtles near Hilo - Richardson
Waipi'o Valley - Hike down and halfway up other side
Hanging in Waimea - Sunday Markets, drive to Kohala Beaches, drive to Hawi and North Kohala
Poke from Da Poke Shack - Kailua-Kona, HI
Lava Flows - 2 hour hike from Kalapana
Sea Turtle at Richardson
Top 3 Resources for Planning this Trip
Hawaii The Big Island Revealed: The Ultimate Guide Book by Andrew Doughty
If you bring one travel resource, bring this book! After reading 3 other popular guidebooks, this one was clearly the best suited to our interests. It highlights the gems and tells you what can be skipped, as well as revealing local spots and adventures that others didn't even touch upon. There are detailed maps that help you find everything and plan your trip region to region.
http://userealbutter.com/2011/05/15/big-island-hawaii-travel/ Wonderful Blog with an excellent post including a week long itinerary with sights to see and food to eat !
yelp - to find current reviews, places nearby to eat, activities, and where the heck things are (it's great to travel within the USA for once, so we can actually use our phones!)
Most Appreciated Gear
- Sunscreen and Swimsuits
- Snorkeling Set (dry snorkel and short fins) - The Cressi Palau set had a much better dry snorkel than the US Diver set, and the fins protected the toes and were more comfortable
- Waterproof Camera
- Petzl Tikka XP2 LED Headlamp
- Compressible Puffy jacket for Mauna Kea stargazing (yes really; you will appreciate warm clothes and a wooly hat for the top of Mauna Kea which can drop to freezing at night)
