Aloha from the Big Island of Hawaii
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Big Island Smart Travel Guide © Copyright 2000-2013 By HawaiiActive.com All rights reserved. Reprinting or reuse in any medium is strictly prohibited without written consent of the publisher. Some text and images courtesy of WikiMedia. Published by HawaiiActive.com 44 Nonohe Street Paia, HI 96779, USA 1-866-766-6284 ISBN: Pending TABLE OF CONTENTS Aloha from the Big Island of Hawaii........................................................................................................................................3 Big Island at a Glance ..............................................................................................................................................................4 Getting To, From & Around the Big Island..............................................................................................................................4 Big Island Car Rentals by Hawaiiactive.com............................................................................................................................7 Geographical Information.......................................................................................................................................................8 Weather. Climate, & Clothing Tips........................................................................................................................................15 Big Island Photos...................................................................................................................................................................18 Feature Article: Kona Sunset Dinner Cruise..........................................................................................................................19 Feature Article: Swimming with Wild Dolphins from Kona ..................................................................................................21 Big Island Parks .....................................................................................................................................................................24 Romance & Weddings in Hawaii...........................................................................................................................................33 Things to Do on the Big Island of Hawaii ..............................................................................................................................34 Big Island Accommocations Guide........................................................................................................................................37 Big Island Restaurants...........................................................................................................................................................40 Big Island Nightlife, Arts & Culture .......................................................................................................................................42 Big Island Web Links..............................................................................................................................................................44 Appendix ...............................................................................................................................................................................45 ALOHA FROM THE BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII Aloha, and welcome to the Big Island Smart Travel Guide. We at Hawaii Active want to make your trip to the Big Island the “Best Experience in the World.” So we have created this Smart Travel Guide to make planning your vacation much easier and much more fun. We have included everything from geographical, climate, rental car and accommodation information to restaurants and fun family attractions like the best snorkeling spots and luaus. You’ll also find detailed descriptions of all State and County parks and beaches, as well as nightlife attractions, cultural venues and even a brief survey of Hawaiian history. As an extra bonus, we have included over 50 direct links to other web pages offering a variety of information to further assist you in your planning. Many of the recommended activities in this guide can be booked online at http://www.Hawaiiactive.com, including Golf Course Tee Times at all of the Big Island’s spectacular golf courses. Mahalo, The Hawaii Active Team You can save up 33% when you book your Big Island Car Rental with us at: http://car-rent.hawaiiactive.com BIG ISLAND AT A GLANCE GETTING TO, FROM & AROUND THE BIG ISLAND • Area: 4,028 sq. miles | Persons per sq. mile: 108.2 FLIGHTS FROM THE MAINLAND • Population 186,738 | Native Hawaiians: 12.4% • Haoles: 34.5% | Asians: 22.6% | Hispanic: 11.8% • Alaska Airlines: (800) 252-7522. Direct flights from • Median household income, 2007-2011: $53,591 Honolulu and Maui. http://www.alaskaair.com • Official color: red. | Official flower: red ohia lehua • American Airlines: (800) 433-7300 flies nonstop from • Hilo, pop. of appx.43,6234is the largest city on the Big Los Angeles, Dallas, and Chicago. http://www.aa.com Island and the County Seat. • Delta Airlines: (800) 221-1212 has daily flights from • Kailua-Kona on the west side gets less than 10” of Atlanta, Salt Lake City, and Los Angeles. annual precipitation. http://www.delta.com • Many of the island's major resorts are located in the • Hawaiian Airlines: (800) 882-8811 has direct flights to Kailua-Kona area. Honolulu and Neighbor Island destinations from • Encompassing 4,028 square miles, the Big Island is California and Washington. twice the size of all other Hawaiian islands combined, http://www.hawaiianair.com and itxs still growing. • United Airlines: (800) 241-6522 flies nonstop from Los • Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which includes Angeles and San Francisco. http://www.united.com Kilauea, is one of the state’s most popular visitor • US Airways: 800-428-4322. attractions, offering touring, hiking and camping. http://www.usairways.com • Measured from the sea floor, Mauna Kea on the Big Island stands 33,476 ft. high (13,796 feet from sea level), making it the earths’s tallest mountain. ● Mauna Kea, at 13,796 feet above sea level is the highest point in the State. • Ka Lae, also known as "South Point," is the southernmost point in the United States, located 18:54:49 N, 155:41:00 W. • Kamehameha I, the great king who united all the Hawaiian islands under his rule, was born in North Kohala, near the northernmost tip on the Big Island. Kamehameha died in Kailua-Kona on May 8, 1819. Big Island Special Days In addition to the federal and religious holidays Hawaii has quite a few additional holidays and fun events: Whale Watching Season - Late November through April Chinese New Year - (Varies Jan & Feb.) Prince Kuhio Day - March 26* Merrie Monarch Festival - (Hilo) April O-bon Dances - (Jodo Missions) July thru August Hawaii Admission Day - 3rd Friday in August* Big Island County Fair - Last weekend in September Aloha Festivals - Mid-October (2 weeks) INTER-ISLAND FLIGHTS resorts of Waikoloa Resorts in the morning, you can easily make it to the beaches without waking up at by Inter-Island flights are readily booked from Honolulu to 5:45 to catch the Hele-On bus. As a large amount of various destinations on Neighbor Islands. Flights locals take the spirit of Aloha seriously, hitching is the generally run well under. $100 for one-way fare best way to travel for free throughout the Island. It's between Honolulu and Neighbor Islands and are not just the usual crowd of young people picking up available from: hitchers either. As a note, the district of Kau in the south of the island is very sparsely populated with low • Hawaiian Airlines: (808) 871-6132 or (800) 367-5320 http://www.hawaiianair.com traffic levels, so hitching isn't near as good here as it is • Interisland Airway (808) 836-8080 on the northern half of island. http://www.iflyinterisland.com • Island Air: (800) 652-6541 http://www.islandair.com The Big Island also has many miles of designated • !go Mokulele: (800) 652-6541 http://www.iflygo.com bikeways on the public roads. Bike rental shops abound in all sections of the island. Expect to pay around $10 to OTHER TRANSPORTATION $20 a day for rental. On Big Island, you need a car in order to get to most of BICYCLE RENTALS the interesting beaches, parks or other attractions, or to travel from the Kona coast to the Hilo coast. Places like The following bike shops have a wide selection of rental the green or black sand beaches, or the Mauna Kea bikes, equipment, accessories and provide repairs and summit and astronomical observatories are only service. Contact them for details. accessible by four-wheel drive. Note that car rentals tend to book months in advance, depending on the season. If the major rental companies in Kona or Hilo are fully booked, you can still hope to find a used car to rent via Craigslist. These are older cars, most with dings or other cosmetic blemishes, but they don't make you look like a tourist. If you only plan to stay around one town, you can also rent a moped or bike. See Hawaii for moped/scooter regulations. Getting around by local bus, bikes, or on foot work well if you're staying in one area. Many budget travelers are unpleasantly surprised by the extremely limited public transport on the Big Island. The county's Hele-On bus is free, but the schedules are mainly intended for commuting. There are some bus companies offering excursions from Hilo to destinations like Volcano, but they require reservations. Hitchhiking is extremely easy & convenient on the Big Island. As most places are near the