HAWAII - the big island - must do/see things?

[Craig 930 RS]

Heading over to the big island of Hawaiiin the not too distant future.......

We will do a Blue Hawaiian helicopter ride, Luau, snorkel -

Beginner surf lessons? Where?
What other must-sees?

Fire away with any ideas --- thanks!

[Steve Carlton]

There's lots of things to do there, and I don't claim to know the best ones. Some suggestions:

The Mauna Kea stargazing tour

Maybe the Dolphin Quest at the Hilton

Visit the Volcanoes National Park

[Hugh R]

If you go to the volcano, plan on a very long walk, several miles over recent cooled lava, absolutely no shade on the way there or back.

[Gogar]

If you can scuba, you should try the night-time manta ray dive on the west side of the island. Freaky but cool. charleskieffner might have some pics.

The black beaches of Waipio:


Angel falls is cool, near Hilo.

[alf]

If you Scuba, do the Manta Night Dive and then do it again.

Best local food is found in a strip mall by the Sheraton in Kona, fast food joint called L&L. I found it on my last day there and wish I found it earlier. Better than the one in Maui or Renton by far. I would eat there everyday next time.

Get the "Hawaii The Big Island Revealed" guidebook.

Oh and bring a GPS.

[87coupe]

The big island no ka oi!

+1 for Waipio


You can also go horse back riding along the rim of the valley


You can experience the mantas for free. From just after sundown till 1-2am the mantas feed directly in front of the Sheraton Keauhou resort (the resort pumps plankton out a tube). You can go to Keauho bay, walk around to the beach on the bay side of the hotel and swim/snorkel/scube around the corner to the ocean side of the hotel, there are spotlights on the water so the mantas are easily seen.

Have dinner at the Four Seasons Pahu i`a restaurant
blue cheese macadamia nut crusted Prime Dry-Aged New York Steak .. deeeeelicious!



Where are you staying?

[Mo_Gearhead]

Hike WAY up..and see the snow!

[t951]

We did a coffee bean farm tour, that was cool.
The Volcano national park was a blast.
We did a helicopter over the lava as well. Totally worth the money.
There was a local brewery that we toured.

[lendaddy]

You haven't experienced Hawaii until you've partied with Lendaddy and his lovely wife at a Luau, I highly recommend bringing them along.

[scottmandue]

Don't think there is much surfing on the big island.

Hapuna north of Kona is probably the nicest beach on the island.

The best snorkeling is in a cove just south of Kona with a protective reef... unfortunately I can never remember the name of it.

And if you love nature plan on spending a whole day exploring the volcano.

[John_AZ]

You could go to the southern most point of the U.S. but its waisted time. You will see a cliff and fishermen. The adventure is finding out you made the wrong turn and your driving on dirt roads for hours. Not preferred by rental car companies. Enjoy paradise and dry out.

John_AZ

[charleskieffner]

sorry at different puter so i dont have manta pics here. if not certed diver DO IT! only live once. used to say hawaii was best diving on planet after numerous trips there and extensive dives done. but as time moves on you seek different dives and the latest was barbados. lots more life/clearer water but hey it the carib/atlantic and sees alot less people than hawaii has over the ions.

hawaii has had human impact for along time now and sea life has dwindled in "normal" dive shop areas. if advanced diver do the kona lava tubes. seldom entered by divers and its what hawaii was in times passed. common cattle boats dive areas are over used. kona tubes are numerous and alot unexplored. but theres a drawback...........the dreaded invisible kona surge. and it can kill you real quick. if near vent it can send you skyward and leave you high and dry above water flailing on a volcanic reef....MEGA OUCH! want to dive on perfect glass day no swells no rollers no nothing.

a real kick is get rental car and buzz around island. start 5AM i mean it! by the time yer done shopping stopping etc. at all the sights kona to kona it will be roughly 11pm when you get back. thats why they call it the big island.

some cool winerys to check out. waylans gallery in kona fer sea art.

lim bong liquores is a standout south of kona on way to south point.

if jesse colin young playing kona theatre check him out. he lives there and does charity gigs.

fish joint painted baby blue and white on left side of highway before south point is a must eat fish place. killer fish. and beers.

suishi is obviously fresh dont miss.

kona pale ales are to die for.

coffee plantation at kealakakua(cooks murder site) has bueno kona coffee. three cups and you will think yer on speed for the day. good stuff.

hilo tsunami museum well worth it.

sandwich isle divers located in downtown kona is hot ticket dive shop. nice boat only hold 6-8 divers. steve mykelburst is dive master owner. camera friendly and also will charter boat dirt cheap to nail marlins. steve is a fishing FOOL!

lots of islanders killed one another in past days. lots of sacred grave sites. locals will kick yer ass if caught on sacred ground. severe meth problem on all islands. rural beaches at night are a no no. keep all valuables in hotel safe. common drill is locals see you and yer honey and notice local rental car stickies. you go to beach, they rip you off knowing full well yer there for only 5 7 10 14 days and will not come back over for court date. bad problem.

this is WHALE TIME! bring binos.

consider it a once in lifetime trip. get up at 4am......haul ass doing what you like, hit the rack at 11pm..............and you will see/do alot and thank me.

remember 3 cups of pure 100.0000000% kona coffee will feel like you strapped yer ass to a saturn 5 rocket!

only known cure for the above is an 18 pak of kona pale ales or longboards! LOL!

[targa911S]

Two words...Maui wowie!

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by targa911S

Two words...Maui wowie!

Puna butter!

[scottmandue]

I also highly recommend...




...spend a day doing nothing, find a nice beach, find shady area, sit and take in the sights, sounds, smells of Hawaii... get up periodically and jump in the ocean to cool off... maybe have a beer or two... buy food off a local vendor... and do nothing.

YMMV

[charleskieffner]

impotent thangs to know..........

1) the herb is a FELONY there as in where i live in AZ. (1) seed (uno) = FELONY! i wasnt born yesterday and did not fall off turnip truck.

2) they are HELL on DUI's DWI's or whatever you call drunk driving where yer from.

3) cops use personal vehicles and majority like 90% are under cover. ie. hawaiian shirt/shorts/flippy flops/snubby .38

4) so as you haul ass past some POS rusty vehicle with a maui wowie sticker on bumper and a hawaiian hippie dude in it, you may be pissing off local cop. the local cops are friendly and have great advice on where to go and what to see, but if its a native cop and you as a haiole pull some dumbass stunt............expect NO MERCY! they love hanging white boys, dumbass drunk white boys OUT TO DRY!

5) guns are an absolute no no unless hunting wild goats or feral pigs. season open year round. .30-.30 winchester is best weapon. feral pigs are monsters. refer to hawaii game and fish or dept. natural resources.

6) do not fish reefs. fish have ciqudara(sp) organizm fish get from plants and pass on to humans. can be fatal. eat fish only from blue water. blue water =SHARKS=MANOS.

7) do NOT SWIM early am nor dusk or dark. MANOS(mr.tee-gar shark) is known to take chunks out of peoples.

[9dreizig]

Damn Charles, can I go to Hawaii with you next time?? you've got it down..
Have you pig hunted over there?? Always said I wouldn't go there without doing that..

[John_AZ]

Hay charleskieffner,

You sure you not mix up Pureto Penasco, Mexico-ie. Rocky Point with Hawaii???? Next you will tell to offer dinero to get out of jail.
John_AZ

[scottmandue]

I agree with Charles 100% on herb (I was joking about the puna butter) local PD and DUI.

Although I presume you are too smart to try to score weed off a stranger, drive drunk, or speed in a unknown area.

If any tourist tried to score weed you would most likely be buying from a police officer (bad) or a junkie/crack head (worse).

When I am there I can't resist going for a swim first thing in the morning when I wake up and one last splash before the sun goes down. Perhaps I have not been nibbled on because I stick to the shallows... or maybe the sharks are on a low cholesterol diet.

[87coupe]

Originally Posted by charleskieffner

1) the herb is a FELONY there as in where i live in AZ. (1) seed (uno) = FELONY! i wasnt born yesterday and did not fall off turnip truck.

That's incorrect. HI has similar laws to CA in this regard. Both have medicinal laws, and both classify possession of less than an ounce as a misdemeanor.