Fun things to do in Hawaii (Big Island)

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As my wife and I wandered Aliʻi Drive in Kona we came upon Mokuʻaikaua Church; "Hawaii's First Chuch". We decided to enter the gates and take a look for ourselves.

This church is the oldest Christian church in the Hawaiian Islands. It first founded in 1820 by Asa and Lucy Goodale Thurston, Christian Missionariesfrom America that arrived on the Thaddeus to spread their religious beliefs to the "pagan" people of the islands. They began to teach Christianity to King Kamehameha II, and the Queen Regent Kaʻahumanu which led to a simple church being built on this site across the way from the Huliheʻe Palace. The current church was built in 1837 after a fire destroyed the original wooden structure.

The present day church is open to the public and has some old religious artifacts as well as a model of the ship Thaddeus that brought the missionaries to Hawaii. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the church ; its steeple in particular is considered a landmark.

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My first visit to Akaka Falls was many years ago and I had rented a car. After the drive outside of Hilo on 19 we made the left turn onto 220. Only 3.4 miles to go and we’d be at the first intentional destination of the day. This was honestly the late addition to the list that I was insisting on and it was the highlight of my entire day. And so we drove up to the stop sign about ¾ mile in. Made the left turn down the “main street” and then the right. This we followed up the hill until it ended in the parking lot of the park.

Parked and packed we set off. Down the stairs to the Y where we discussed which to do. We decided to do the circle loop and see both falls since we were already here. So to the right we went further down the hill. As we followed the path it took us across a bridge and back up a bit we came to the end of the path. And there wasn’t much of a view from there. Kahuna Falls were across the valley but not a great view. After some pics here we move on up the path towards Akaka Falls.

After about five minutes we crested the hill along the forested path and there was our first glimpse. The mighty 420+ foot drop of the Akaka Falls. Wow. I was so amazed. We stayed here for a good ten minutes taking pics and movies of the falls.

The basin that these falls tumble into reminds me a bit of the area the helicopter on Jurassic Park comes down into. There is a small covered rest area here and a good 10 to 15 feet of fencing you can take pics from.

From here it was a short 750 foot walk back to the Y and up the stairs to the parking lot. It was here where we finally ran into another person. They had just arrived and we were happy we had had the park to our selves.

The park is open 24 hours a day but I highly recommend you come and see it as we did pre 9 am. The sun is shining onto the falls in the morning and this also gives the best light angle for pics.

I recently had the pleasure of visiting these waterfalls with my wife in February 2013. These waterfalls were part of a tour we were taking that day. We were fortunate that it had rained for several days prior to our visit and the falls were amazing full and gushing water...it was so much more than my first visit.

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Because of constant volcanic activity, you'll find a beach with black sands. Located on the southeastern Kau coast, “Black Sand Beach” (Punaluu) is one of the most famous black sand beaches in Hawaii.

Located between Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the small town of Naalehu, Punaluu Black Sand Beach's jet black shores are an unforgettable sight. Coconut palms fringe the upper edge of sand and large honu, or Hawaiian Green Sea turtles, bask on the beach.

The Green Sea Turtles are native to Hawaii. During the past few years, green turtles have begun to crawl out onto the sand to “bask” primarily during daylight hours. It is illegal to touch these protected turtles.

Public transport is at a minimum, so it's best to hire a car at the airport.

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As my wife walked along Ali'i Drive, we came upon the Hulihe'e Palace. This was the former vacation home of Hawaiian Royalty and is now a museum open to the public.

Inside the house is furniture, dishes, paintings, rugs and clothing used and worn by the family of the Hawaiian Monarchs who used this house. The house is situated on a beautiful parcel of land with a sea view. The grounds are very lush and green with many palm trees, fruit trees and flowers.

My wife and I enjoyed the beautiful ocan views from the grounds as well as the breeze off the water.

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Pe'epe'e Falls is about a mile up the road from Rainbow Falls. Most people visit Rainbow Falls so it is a no brainer to continue on to see these falls. I fist visited these falls many years ago and recently returned with my wife in 2013.

Pe'epe'e Falls is not as impressive as Akaka or Rainbow Falls but if you appreciate waterfalls it is worth a look. The falls are surrounded by black lava rock and lush green vegetation. The falls themselves are around 80 feet high and plunge into some smaller pools of water below. The smaller pools of water are called Boiling Pots because of the appearance of bubbles on the surface due to the lava tubes.

There is a trail that leads to the Boiling Pots but our guide discouraged us from walking it due to the recent heavy rain making the area unstable for walking.

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Kona was one of our two stops on the Big Island. We had the pleasure of enjoying a day in Kailua.Our morning began with a breakfast at Splasher's Grill followed by some sightseeing, drinks and shopping along Aliʻi Drive. We had a fun day with great weather.

Kailua-Kona has primarily been a fishing town but in recent years land development and tourism has boomed in the area. Kona is also known for its events such as:the annual Ironman World Championship triathlon, the annual Kona Coffee Festival, and the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament.

Kona Coffee is well known world wide and is one of the more expensive types in the world. Only coffee grown on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa of the Big Island can be called "Kona Coffee". My wife and I are not coffee drinkers so this is lost on us but we do find it makes a great gift for coffee lovers back home.

King Kamehameha I chose Kailua to be his seat of government when he was chief of Kona. It later became the capital of the unified Kingdom of Hawaii and then was moved to Honolulu.

During our explorations we came upon the Kamakahonu royal residence, Ahuʻena Heiau and Huliheʻe Palace are attractions of the former Hawaiian Monarchy. We also explored the first church of Hawaii, Mokuaikaua Church as well.

This area is very beautiful with nice views of the ocean. I can see why royalty chose this spot as their home

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Umauma Falls is a beautiful three-tiered waterfall, it's about 300 feet in total height. This waterfall was the last of many on our tour of Hilo and the surrounding area. We were fortunate to have had several days of rain in Hilo before we visited so this waterfall was in its full flow when we viewed it.

This waterfall is on private property and requires a fee of $6 but was included in our tour price. This was the site of our BBQ lunch as well. It was incredible to have a tasty lunch overlooking the waterfall and hearing the gush of the water as we ate.

with a cumulative height of about 300 feet (90 m). This waterfall used to be accessible via the World Botanical Gardens, but there was a change of management at World Botanical Gardens and in 2008, the Umauma Falls lookout point and its surrounding 90 acres were sold to Umauma Experience, a company that also operates a zip-line. So now the waterfall is accessible only through the Umauma Experience (admission cost to view the waterfall is $6).

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Onomea Bay is considered to be the prettiest stretch of the Big Island Coastline and I can agree with that statement. I have driven this scenic road before and have appreciated the beautiful view of the bay and the lush greenery. My most recent visit to Onomea Bay was in February 2013. We were on a tour and one of the stops was the secenic lookout along the Mamalahoa Highway.

The Bay is beautiful to look out but the water below is definitely hazzardous with crashing waves and sharp rocks. There are many warning signs posted to watch for rock slides and not to swim in the waters.