Why da
Big Island?
You
maybe asking yourself, why vacation in Hawaii, and why the BIG
Island? As you know, I lived on Maui for a year and while there,
traveled to many of the other Islands. 
Every
Island has a unique personality and each has
special features, but none have the quantity and variety of the BIG
Island!
From
lush jungle to barren black lava beds, to rolling
hills of golden
grass, to white and black
sand beaches, to snow covered peaks, to throbbing
and
cracked slabs
of
earth
spitting-out hot lava, to clear, warm waters teaming with fish -- all the
colors
of the rainbow.
A
brief description of Hawaii, Hawaii:
Not only is the BIG Island of Hawaii, the Orchid
Isle,
the largest island in the Hawaiian chain
(more than
twice the size of all the other islands combined), it is also
the youngest, least populated, and boasts the southernmost point in
the United States. It's made up of five different volcanoes, the most of
any
Hawaiian island, and is getting larger every day due to the current
and continuing
eruption of Kilauea: the most
active
volcano in the world! The BIG Island is overlain with scores of
ancient lava flows and trimmed with dozens of beaches in a
rainbow of colors from
white, to amber, to
gray, to black, to olive
green.
Mauna Loa is the largest single mountain land mass this side of Mars,
and Mauan Kea is the tallest mountain in the world (over 33,000' from
its base). Diversity best describes the island's geology and
climate. In fact 11 of the world's 13 climatic zones are to be found
here, from tropical rain forests and sparkling waterfalls, to
snowcapped mountains and desolate moonscapes, to sprawling ranchland
and rolling meadows. Indeed it is this vastness and diversity that
gives the BIG Island its charm. The BIG Island is also rich in
history. Here is where 
King
Kamehameha, who united all the islands under one leader; lived, ruled
and died. Here is where the first missionaries landed and where the
very first Christian Church in Hawaii was
constructed (see it in downtown Kailua Kona). Here is where Captain
James Cook met his untimely death.
A visit to the BIG Island will fill you with wonder and awe as you
experience this island of beauty, history and extremes. If you
would like to "tour" the island I suggest you use the Maps
page below. Aloha
Kailua
Harbor
