The Big Island of Hawaii is well named - it could hold
all the other islands put together, with room to spare. The entire
island has the population of a medium-sized town, with 150,000
people (half what it was in Captain Cook's day) and a low level of
tourism compared to Oahu or Maui; despite its fair share of
restaurants, bars and so on, this is basically a rural community.
The development that will surely come may put an end to that, but
for the moment there are sleepy old towns all over the island,
unchanged for a century. The few resorts are in the least beautiful
areas, built on the barren lava flows of the Kona coast to
catch maximum sunshine.
The Big Island is, in fact, growing, its southern shore inching
ever further out to sea, thanks to the Kilauea volcano,
which has destroyed roads and even towns, and spews out pristine
beaches of jet-black sand. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park ,
which includes Mauna Loa as well as Kilauea (though not
Mauna Kea , which is further north and higher than either at
13,796ft), is absolutely compelling; you can explore steaming
craters and cinder cones, venture into the rainforest, and at times
approach within feet of the eruption itself. The summits of Mauna
Loa and Mauna Kea have the clearest air on earth - and astronomical
observatories to take advantage of it - but down below, when the
tradewinds drop, the island is prone to a choking sulphurous haze
known as " vog ."
As befits the birthplace and base of King Kamehameha ,
more of the ancient Hawaii survives on the Big Island than anywhere
else in the islands. Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical
Park preserves a "place of refuge" for kapu -breakers
and defeated warriors, and there are further temples north along
the Kohala coast, while Waipio Valley , where Kamehameha
spent his youth, remains as lush and green as ever.
Flights to the Big Island arrive at Hilo on the rainy
east coast, or the much less genuine but inoffensive resort of
Kailua (often referred to as Kona) on the west. If you don't
rent a car , you may not get to the interesting sites; one
bus daily links Hilo and Kailua, and organized bus tours go to
specific attractions, but public transportation is all but
nonexistent.