"Land of Fire and Ice, the Unspoiled Hawaii" Hawaii (Big Island) by dlytle

There are 132 islands in the Hawaiian chain of which 8 are major islands (Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Niihau & Kahoolawe). But by far the island of Hawaii is the largest (all the other islands put together are about half the size of the “Big Island”) and most diverse of all the Hawaiian Islands. There are only 150,000 people spread out over 4,000 square miles so there are great open spaces between the settled areas. This island has two meaningful nicknames; “Orchid Island” due to its profuse tropical flower industry and “Volcano Island” because this youngest of Hawaiian Islands is still growing land-mass via its several active volcanoes.

This island is truly diversified. It has one of the most active volcanoes, known as a "drive-in volcano"; rainforests; skiing in the winter on Mauna Kea; and white, black and green sand beaches. For sports enthusiasts, the Big Island is known as the Golf Capital of Hawaii with eighteen spectacular golf courses and several more now in the making. And it is home to the Senior PGA MasterCard Tournament of Champions as well as the Ironman Triathlon World Championship. The Big Island is also home grounds of the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament held in Kona, the Billfish Capital of the world. The best snorkeling and scuba diving is found along the Kona Coast where there are more species of tropical fish than can be found anywhere else.

The climate on this big island is one of its biggest assets. There are said to be 13 climatic regions on earth and the Big Island has all but two, the Arctic and the Saharan. On the windward, northeastern side of Hawaii you have the cooler, moist air which comes with the trade winds. When this cool, moist air rises and compresses against the tall volcanic mountain of Mauna Kea, massive amounts of rainfall occur. This supports a rain forest ecology with some of the wettest weather in the world. This also means that sun shiny days are comparatively rare around Hilo.

On the leeward, northwestern side of Hawaii you will find a much dryer but far more sunny climate. That is why this area, around Kona, has some of the world’s most exclusive resorts, many historic sites, incredible fishing, the unique Kona coffee plantations, and a majority of the tourist trade.

And of course, Hawaii is home to five world-renowned volcanoes (Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, Kilauea, Hualalai, and Kohala) and is home to one of the most fascinating National Parks in the world. The islands of Hawaii were formed by a “hot spot”, where magma rose from far below the ocean floor gradually building up until it eventually spilled above the surface becoming lava at that point. Each of the Hawaiian Islands are moving westward at a rate of about four inches per year. At present, the southeastern corner of the big island sits directly over this “hot spot”.

It might surprise you to know that one of the big island’s volcanoes is the tallest mountain and another is the most massive mountain in the world. Mauna Kea, “White Mountain”, is the highest insular peak in the world reaching heights of 13,796 feet above sea level but rises more than 30,000 feet from the ocean floor. It is now a dormant volcano that last erupted long before the pyramids in Egypt were built. The most massive mountain in the world, at 10,000 cubic miles, is Mauna Loa or “Long Mountain”. Comparatively speaking, it is 10 times larger than Mt. Rainier in the state of Washington in the USA. And it has erupted a number of times in recent memory so it is not dormant.

And even as you read this there is another Hawaiian Island being formed about 20 miles off the southeastern coast of the big island. Loihi seamount is a volcano located about 3,000 feet below the surface of the ocean and presently growing towards the surface. However, it will be tens of thousands of years before it breaks the surface and becomes an island. Then Loihi will become the youngest island in the Hawaiian chain.

Come visit this enchanting island and discover for yourself why it has more return visitors than any of the other Hawaiian islands!

Lava flowing into Highcastle Beach

A land of fire and ice, the Big Island of Hawai'i offers a splendid range of geographic wonders, from the spectacular lava flows of Kilauea Crater to the snow-capped peaks of Mauna Kea. Here are lush valleys, many remote and unpopulated, and ranchland where cattle roam free. The desolate lava flows along the Kohala Coast are punctuated with oasis’s of green, where grand resorts give the area the name Gold Coast. To the south, coffee and macadamia nuts grow in verdant farmland.

The Big Island is a study in diversity. There are snow covered mountains minutes away from beaches covered with white, black and green sand. There are lush tropical rainforests as well as barren lunar-scaped deserts. Rolling pasturelands give way to lava fields. Laid back culture flourishes in small towns, while state of the art technology and research takes place at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and the world-class Mauna Kea Observatories.

But Hawaii is best known for its fiery volcanoes.

Kilauea is a drive-in volcano but sometimes it can be a volcano to run away from as fast as possible! Energetic explosions of solid rock occur every few decades to centuries, about as often as Mount St. Helens erupts. The sizes of these explosive eruptions range from mere snorts (Pu‘u‘O‘o in 1987, 1991, and 1996) to powerful steam explosions in the caldera (Halema’uma’u in 1924). Even more impressive is a series of explosions that significantly impacted areas beyond the caldera (Keanakako‘i explosions in 1500-1790) and truly mammoth explosions that shot heavy rocks more than 13 km (8 miles) into the air (the newly recognized Kulanaokuaiki tephra, ca. AD 800).

The Pu`u`O`o-Kupaianaha eruption of Kilauea, now in its nineteenth year and 55th eruptive episode, ranks as the most voluminous outpouring of lava on the volcano's east rift zone in the past five centuries. By September 2002, 1.4 miles (2.3 km) of lava had covered 68 miles (110 km) and added 220 hectares to Kilauea's southern shore. In the process, lava flows destroyed 189 structures and resurfaced 8 miles (13 km) of highway with as much as 81 feet (25 m) of lava.

Beginning in 1983, a series of short-lived lava fountains built the massive cinder-and-spatter cone of Pu`u`O`o. In 1986, the eruption migrated about 2 miles (3 km) down the east rift zone to build a broad shield, Kupaianaha, which fed lava to the coast for the next 5.5 years. When the eruption shifted back to Pu`u`O`o in 1992, a series of flank-vent eruptions formed a shield banked against the uprift side of the cone. Continuous eruption from these vents undermined the west and south flanks of the cone, resulting in large collapses of the west flank.

In May 2002, a new vent opened on the west side of the shield and fed flows down the western margin of the flow field, sparking the largest forest fire in the park in 15 years. These flows reached the ocean near the end of Chain of Craters Road in July 2002, and now as many as 4,000 visitors per day flock to view flowing lava up close at Highcastle Beach.

Snow covered cinder cones on Mauna Kea

Snow in Hawaii?

As amazing as it may seem, snow blankets the summit of Mauna Kea every winter.

Mauna Kea ("White Mountain") is the highest peak in the state and its slopes are generally snow-covered in winter. The volcano rises about 5600 m (about 18,000 ft) from the ocean floor to the surface and continues up to a height of 4205 m (13,796 ft) above sea level, making its overall height from its base on the ocean floor to its summit 9,800 m (32,000 ft), higher than any other mountain in the world.

The summit of Mauna Kea is home to a dozen world-class observatories.

Heavy storms commonly deposit several feet of snow during the winter. Minimum nighttime winter temperatures at the summit are around -4 degrees Celsius (25 degrees Fahrenheit); maximum daytime temperatures are about +4 degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit), but wind chill and the high altitude can make it seem much colder. Between April and November the weather is milder, with daytime temperatures varying from freezing to almost 15 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit).

• Pros:Abundant, spectacular and unspoiled nature,and the sheer variety of all there is to see, to do and to feel
• Cons:A very laid-back, island time island. Lots of Black everywhere you look.
• In a nutshell:The warmth of the authentic Aloha spirit here will nourish your soul!