In light of our efforts to take advantage of being on the west coast to hit up all of the closer destinations, we planned a second trip to Hawaii this year – this time, we went to the Big Island!

As usual, a couple of the food highlights I looked forward to were:

  • Poke
  • Shave ice
  • Spam musubi
  • Hawaiian BBQ

We were there for five days and wanted to cover as much of the island as possible without being stressed/constantly on the road, so we shaped the trip around spending time in the Waikoloa/Kona area and then nearby Volcanoes National Park and Hilo. We flew into Kona, spent three nights in Waikoloa and then did our final two nights in Hilo.

For the time we spent in Waikoloa, here’s what we did:

  • Fair Winds boat cruise to go snorkeling in Kealakekua Bay (near Captain Cook monument)
  • Coffee farm tour at Heavenly Hawaiian Coffee Farms (free tour, but very informative and nice people)
  • Lunch at Kona Brewing Co (no tour for us, as the timing isn’t particularly convenient)
  • Lunch at Umeke’s for fresh fish (poke, fish and chips, etc.)
  • Explore different resorts:
    • Mauna Kea Beach resort – free parking at the beach parking spot (very beautiful setting, lots of famous art)
    • Westin Hapuna resort – free valet parking for any visitors dining, we did the breakfast buffet (very beautiful building with incredible views of the ocean)
    • Hilton Waikoloa village – free valet parking if dining, and they have a large property with a fun mini-tram/monorail to ride around (it’s the least beautiful of the resorts but the tram/monorail is entertaining)
  • Eat acai bowls at Barefoot Zone
  • Devour shave ice at Ululani’s and Kona Wave Cafe not too far from the airport
  • Shop/browse a little at Queens’ Marketplace, which is a nice strip mall
  • Visit Waialea Beach, which is secluded and quieter than the big resort-side ones

On day three, we drove to Hilo. Along the way, we stopped in:

  • Waimea for breakfast
  • The Hamakua Harvest Farmers Market for snacks/produce
  • Waipio Valley lookout for beautiful views of the oceanside cliffs
  • Honomu Goat Dairy to see baby goats
  • Akaka Falls
  • Rainbow Falls

The next day – our one full day in Hilo – we went to Volcanoes National Park. We were supposed to do a helicopter ride but it was rescheduled due to unclear weather and we ultimately opted to take the refund rather than waiting around for the revised timing. The park was amazing – there were chances to walk around and see where prior eruptions had left earthquake damage and there was a good contrast of fresher and older lava that had cooled down. We were able to drive down to the coast, which constitutes the newest part of the island as that’s where lava flow had cooled into more land. I thought it was incredible, as you could look back at the mountain/volcano from the coast and see darker trails where the lava had flowed down. It was extraordinarily beautiful, and within the park itself, we felt at least three different climate zones. Very exemplary of the island overall, and such a memorable experience.

On the drive back to the airport from Hilo, we would have liked to see the Maunakea observatory, but there are currently lots of protests going on (Aug 2019) and we weren’t actually able to stop.