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Mar 3 - 18, 2001

Return to Paradise

Still As Good As Ever

Manfred P.

Keywords: Hawaii, Oahu, Big Island, tourist, travel trip report, travel log, travelogue.

My first trip to Hawaii was in December 1994. It took me a long time -- six and a half years -- to come back, but throughout all this time Hawaii never left my thoughts. It was one of my vacation highlights of my life. How could I ever forget it? Many of my following vacations were measured against it. The first trip to Hawaii became a sweet memory and a yardstick that sets the scale.

Could it measure up to itself? Was Hawaii still as good 7 years later? How would Oahu and Hawaii compare to Maui and Kauai? I had many questions on my mind. I expected things to be different. Different islands, with a girlfriend now instead of alone, and I was different too.

Island of Oahu

Arrival

We touched down at Honolulu International Airport in the early evening. One could tell from the amount of luggage that this was not the same trip as the one in 1994. Both of us had lots of stuff. It was a mixed business-and-pleasure trip. We would participate in a business recognition event on the Big Island and had decided to add vacation time beforehand. Hence we had two sets of luggage: one for the business occasion and a second set for our adventurous private exploration of the islands. First thing we did is getting rid of the business luggage at the airport luggage storage facility. With less luggage not only my shoulders but also my soul felt a lot lighter. Now each one had just one single backpack. Now the vacation could really begin.

I was dark when we walked out the airport and the first impression was not too favorable. While we were waiting for the bus it started to rain and a homeless person wrapped himself up in plastic sheets to spend the night on the bench at the bus stop. Poor guy. It is obvious that there are also poor people in paradise. Darkness, poverty, rain, not what comes to mind when you think about paradise.

We checked into one of the cheapest hostels at the end of Waikiki. It was sort of a backpacker place. The guy at the front desk was either stoned or drunk. He had problems communicating, not to mention problems finding and handing us the room key. Filling out the guest card was too difficult for him in this stage. Repeatedly he said that everything was cool. And cool it was. We walked three floors upstairs passing by the lingering clouds of pot smoke that made us enjoy the abstract and surreal murals more that were painted onto the staircase walls. Seemed like the mural depicted some saga about the creation of the islands, erupting volcanoes, goddesses, and lots of deep sea. It was late and we fell right into bed.

The First Day and Waikiki

In the morning we got up, the rain was gone and as far as we could tell from the window with the closed curtains it was sunny. A new day, a new beginning. The first thing to do was without doubt to see the beach and breathe the salty ocean air. That wish was easily made reality. Our hostel was just one block from the southern Waikiki beach, a bare 100 yards from our room.

Waikiki. What images come to your mind when you hear this magic word? Close your eyes and let them form. Thinking about the old TV series "Hawaii Five-0"? Still hearing that catchy theme tune of the series? Or maybe something not quite that old: "Magnum PI"? In my mind form high rise buildings and the statue of that famous Hawaiian surfer who was royalty. The Duke Kahanamoku Statue. At least his nickname "Duke" is easier to remember than his last name. The high-rise buildings are unique, but even more so the people. It is a distinctive mix of Polynesian, Japanese and Caucasians. It can't be confused with Hong Kong, Macao or Monte Carlo. The beach is well groomed, to well groomed. You might even get the wrong idea that it is an artificial beach. What used to be an uninhabited swamp once, houses now hundreds if not a thousand low skyscrapers. It is modern; it is a wee bit glitzy. While it is packed with hotels, tiny Japanese-filled supermarkets and shoppers it is still small, of convenient size and with enough greenery to compensate for all the concrete, steel and glass used in creating the high rises.

Right behind Waikiki in the east is the Ala Wai Golf Course, to the south the Zoo, Kapiolani Park and the Diamond Head and to the north the park around the Fort DeRussy. With the ocean to the west, Waikiki is actually encircled by nature. The air is fresh and it is a pleasure to walk about. The Fort DeRussy has been turned into a military museum and the retired people gather in the adjacent park in large numbers to do exercises with a professional training. It is obvious that they are taking their stretching exercises serious, and some seem to be even more flexible than I. I should joint them. Instead we stroll into the dozens McDonalds for a cup of coffee.

Waikiki is not big, just 2 miles long and about half a mile wide. The width is limited because this part is separated by the Ala Wai waterway, a canal that was once used to dry the swampland. With those dimensions it is easy to see all of Waikiki on foot. And so we walked from the southernmost point to the northernmost point -- the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor -- all along the beach. For some stretch you walk close to the wide beach boulevard. The most striking thing was the high density of stretched limousines. I can't recall having seen so many of these long white or black Lincolns in such a short time. Their rental seems to be a good business. But why would you want to take a limo during daytime when you can walk with your bare feet in the sand and enjoy the sunshine?

Along the beach is also a small little spot with several benches and tables, restrooms, a couple of public telephones and roof covering the area. While at daytime it is used by beach goers at nighttime it is the home to a group of homeless and their shopping cart. At least they are not lonely; there was a couple passing the time playing a game of chess at midnight.

Honolulu

Honolulu is a big city and has a city atmosphere. Most likely not what you come to Hawaii for. Many districts are rather boring and bland business or residential areas. The area I liked best was the strip along the coast. The Honolulu Harbor with the Hawaii Maritime Center and old ships like the Falls of Clyde. Despite the fact that the harbor is also the port for some gigantic cruise ships the water remains crystal clear with tropical fish visible from the piers. Right next to the harbor is the Aloha Tower. For me the Aloha Tower is to Honolulu what the Statue of Liberty is to New York.

If you like walking you can walk all the way from the Ala Moana Beach Park where you can dip into the ocean or have a little picnic to the Aloha Tower, most of it is actually on or close to the coast. The stroll will take you a couple of hours though.

There are two more things I liked in Honolulu. The first is a must-see on any organized tour, and its picture shows up on nearly any brochure of Hawaii. I am talking about the partly gilded statue of Kamehameha the Great. Kamehameha was a Hawaiian king, most likely the best known one. The reason why he is so famous is that he was the first person that united all islands that up to his time was continuously engaged in rival tribal warfare. It is a very memorable statue; once you see it you will not forget it for a long time. Its appearance is based on two colors: black and gold. While the king is black his entire robe, long tunica-like clothing, is painted gold. Add to that a gilded head adornment and you have a unique statue.

Just a couple of minutes on foot from it is the Kawaiahao Church. The church might not look like much: gray in color, British English in style, with four white columns decorating the entrance. It is a simple church with a plain design and layout, mid-sized dimensions and only few decorations. As a matter of fact, the four columns and the clock above them are the only decoration. I liked it because it is simple. However, I might not have remembered it were it not for a different reason. The entire church is built of coral blocks. Coral has been lifted from the sea floor, cut into rectangular shapes and used as bricks to build the walls. 100 years ago they didn't have coral protection laws as we have them today. That fact though makes it memorable.

Vicinity of Honolulu -- Diamond Head

Directly south of Honolulu and Waikiki is the volcano crater Diamond Head. You can see it from anywhere if your view is not obstructed by a high rise. Most likely however is that you see it from the first time when your plane lands at Honolulu International Airport. For decades, since 1909 to be precise, the crater has been used for military purposes. Even today the military has some small-scale installation on the crater floor. In recent times the major, or should I say, the most interesting portion has been turned into a National Park. The official way to get there is of course on the road. I never like the "official ways" too much. I always have to do it "my way". Diamond Head was no exception. While approaching the volcano I noticed some marks in the soil, it looked like someone had scrambled up the volcano here. We tried that too. On all four trying not to slide down in the gravel and dust of this steep incline we scrambled to the top of the crater rim on its western most side. Don't try this in regular shoes. From here we had a good view of the crater rim and the crater bottom. The road leads into the crater from the northeast; the parking lot at the entrance of the national park cannot be missed. From there a line of ant-sized people followed a trail to a concrete structure on the southwestern side. We followed the rim southwards towards the viewing concrete platform in the distance. It turned out to be more difficult than I thought. But with patience we managed without major incidences. Along the way we had good views of Waikiki and Honolulu. Eventually we reached the former bunker that had been turned into a viewing platform. Here we also met up with the rest of the tourists and a bunch of "No trespassing" signs. From the platform the views not only reach the northern areas that we had enjoyed all along the rim, but from here it is also possible to view the southern beach not-surprisingly called Diamond Head Beach. The platform is also the highest point of what is left over from the volcano: at 760 ft it is not impressive but high enough to see far into the distance.

Vicinity of Honolulu -- Pearl Harbor

You have seen the movie. Now it is time that you see the real site. Dec 7, 1941, a lot of Americans remember that day, I don't. Neither do I remember the date of D-Day or any other war related event. In comparison to the Sep 9, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, Pearl Harbor was small. Fewer people died in Pearl Harbor and the economic impact was smaller. Today, 60 years later Pearl Harbor is big. It is the most visited site in all of the Hawaiian Islands. It is also the most visited national park in the US. 1.5 million visitors come to the Arizona Memorial each year. Will we see 3 million visitors visiting the WTC Memorial in 2061?

It is a solemn procedure. You can compare it with visiting a church. Semi-silence sets in as a boat of the Park Service brings you on a 5-minute ride to the Arizona Memorial. The park ranger has a serious facial expression. As you disembark onto the white memorial it gets even quieter. The Stars and Stripes are moving in the wind. The sun is glistering on the crests of the small waves. And only feet below you is the Arizona, sitting aground in the shallow harbor waters of only 40 feet. Within its several-inches-thick iron walls are whatever is left over from 1,177 seamen that were on board when it sank. You are in fact on top of a cemetery. Building war memorials doesn't do us any good if we don't learn from wars and try to avoid them.

Vicinity of Honolulu -- Mt. Tantalus

Another beauty of Honolulu is that you can leave it so easily. It only takes one hour of walking and you are in a different world, in the midst of jungle, with your thoughts far a way from the city. For those who want to spend a full afternoon or maybe even a full day hiking you can start in Makiki Heights. Leave your transport, public bus or car, behind there and walk up either Makiki Heights Drive or Round Top Drive. Makiki Drive is shorter. Those stressed people who have no time to share can take their car all the way up to Mt. Tantalus along Round Top Drive. This makes a beautiful cruise that is at its best just 30 minutes before sunset.

Another place from where you can approach the rainforest is a bit more northeasterly at the -- what appears to be defunct -- Lyon Arboretum. Manoa Road leads to the arboretum. We used public bus 5 to get there. No matter where you start, Makiki Heights Drive, Round Top Drive, or Manoa Road, eventually all trails connect. That means you can start anywhere and end anywhere. In the center of this network of trails is the Mt. Tantalus, highest point of the region with its 2,013 ft. If you want to do the whole loop, we suggest you do it counter clock-wise and start at the arboretum such that end up at upper Makiki Heights, e.g. Round Top, jut before sunset.

As soon as you leave the arboretum behind, you dive into the wet world of the rain forest. The soil is muddy, little light reaches the floor, and hence you walk in the shadow. Gentle half-darkness surrounds you. Roots constantly cross the trails and everything is wet and slippery. Following the trail we reached the Manoa Falls. Here the trail starts climbing. The environment starts changing a bit, on a few occasions the view opens up but the biggest change is the change in vegetation. Now you walk primarily through a bamboo forest. Once we reached the top ridge we headed eastwards towards to Nuuanu Valley Lookout. The name already indicates that here again the views open up. It is on top of the ridge but for most part you can only see down into the northern valley where the Pali Highway crosses the island east to west. After enjoying the sun and the views we turned back and followed the same ridge westward. The forest is a lot less dense here and resembles more a regular forest than a rain forest. Shortly before reaching Mt. Tantalus a dead-end road meets the trail. Mt. Tantalus is right next to this maintenance road. It is not a spectacular peak; I wouldn't even call it a peak at all. While the summit is not at all impressive, the views can be. You can see ugly Pearl City, busy Honolulu and even the tourist Mecca Waikiki from here. Diamond Head also appears very close. From here it is only downhill from now on. Our option was to take Round Top Drive. For those coming early enough they can make a stop-over at the Puu Ualakaa State Park that is only one mile off the drive.

Southern Beaches

The southern beaches are the most populated beaches of Oahu. This is not because they are the best or the most beautiful, I think this is just because they are the closest to Honolulu and Waikiki. There are from east to west: Sandy Beach, Hanauma Bay Beach, and the beach in Maunalua Bay just across the Koko Marina and its shopping mall. If you look for solitude don't come here. We hiked on foot from Sandy Beach to the Koko Marina. All this is a single volcano landscape. The ground is made up of sharp reddish and black lava rocks. There is little vegetation. Only some thorny bushes grow here and the little grass that you can find is dry and brown. Except for the beaches the coast is made up of steep cliffs. Half of the distance we had to walk on the more or less busy road as the steep cliffs made it impossible to move forward along the coast. The other half we walked on volcanic rocks right along the coastline but always above the cliffs. Our constant companions inland were the two volcanoes Koko Head and Koko Crater.

Halona Blowhole was on our way. Waves spouted through a hole in the lava rocks by the cliffs shooting a water fountain of 20 feet into the air. This periodic performance that occurs with about every third set of waves is popular with onlookers.

Hanauma Bay is a state park, with fame all over the world. Smoking is illegal throughout the state park, i.e. no smoking on the beach. I liked that but that is not what it is famous for. It is renowned for its marine live. Colorful fish swim up to you and touch your feet. There are so many that you don't even need to dive or snorkel. Just standing knee-deep in the water will be enough for you to see colorful fish. This is the top snorkeling spot of Oahu. While crowded it is still worth visiting to enjoy the wide spectrum of underwater colors.

Eastern Beaches

There are too many beaches in the east to count them all. In my count there are about a dozen major beaches and many of them are little state parks. A public bus runs all along the main road on the eastern shore, so it is very easy to do beach hopping. That is more or less what we did. We went up and down portions of the eastern coast several times.

I preferred the eastern coast to the western coast for its climate and flora. The eastern portion of Oahu, or any other Hawaiian Island in general, catches most of the rain. Here is common to have a short daily rain shower very day. The vegetation is lush and green. Everything grows. The western half is dry, more brown and with a lot less vegetation. Temperature-wise I don't think that there is a big difference between the east and the west, we certainly didn't notice any difference.

On the eastern side of Oahu we also discovered what became our favorite beach. Maybe it was just coincidence. We spent the first night outside of Waikiki here, we liked it so much that we stayed more nights and even returned again to the beach later at the end of our stay on Oahu. Had we spent the first night outside Waikiki somewhere else, maybe that other place had become our favorite beach. But that is destiny. Waimanalo Bay Beach for us is the number 1 beach on Oahu.

Waimanalo Bay Beach is a nice long beach, light brown soft sand, trees to provide shade, and above all hardly any people. During the week this was a desert place and we had the beach all to ourselves. On weekends locals come here to hang out, but still the numbers are reasonable small. What you will not find here are palm trees. If palm trees are a must for your perfect beach then you must go further north.

Waimanalo Bay Beach was excellent for us. With a permit from the park service you can camp here. We had our tent under the first row of trees at the waterfront. At night the waves whispered a lullaby and in the morning they were our morning shower. Paradise! After the wake-up swim in the ocean and playing a while with the waves we sat down to dry under the sun while enjoying our breakfast on the beach beside the tent under a tree. The food just tastes better if you have this majestic scenery stretched out before your eyes. To me it certainly does. And in the evening you can see the moon rise and the stars appear on the night sky. When it gets cool you get into the tent and the sleeping bag while focusing your senses on the sounds: the wind on the tent walls, in the tree branches, the waves. And as you calm down within yourself you can perceive more and more sounds. From the ocean waves to the branches touching each other. How pleasurable.

If you like beaches with lush green grass as well as soft sand then you have to visit Hauula Beach. Hauula is a tiny village, with only few houses and some left over of the historic Lanakila Church. The beach is a state park. You are surrounded by palm trees, grass perfect for picnics, making a BBQ or playing frisbee, and a sandy beach and the clear blue ocean. Anything else your heart can desire?

Another beach that we made our base for a few days was Malaekahana. It is nice, but doesn't have any very distinctive features. It is similar to other beaches on Oahu. It is a couple of miles long, offers blue-green water and light brown soft sand, and is visited by only few people. The waves are of average height, which makes them nice to play with, as they are not too large to hurt you and not too small to be boring. The closest village to the beach is Laie, home of Oahu's Mormon temple. Like all Mormon temples it is beautiful in design, white in color and open to anyone. It is also the tradition of the Mormons to invite you to chat with them. Expect a young woman to walk up to you to ask you about your faith. Some of these Mormons living and working here are not Hawaiians and only spend a few years in Laie to study at this religious center. We spent some time chatting with one of these "hostesses" to talk about God, the world and us mortals. She also showed us some photos of sacred rooms in other temples. Some of them are impressive, even on photos they appear breath taking, how nice must they be in reality. Having enjoyed the air-conditioned visitor center and the talk we strolled around in the neatly kept garden of the temple.

Beaches of the North Shore

The North Shore is known for its high waves and the hottest surfing competitions. Especially during wintertime the waves grow to a scary height of 30 feet. The villages here are to a large extent surfer communities. Surfing dudes form the urban landscape. Even in March the waves are too high to be played with by mere mortals like ourselves. We wouldn't enter the water. The waves were nice to look at, to watch them break, to see a few surfers riding them, but at 20 feet we preferred to have some distance between them and us.

Waimea is the center of North Shore. Around it are places like Banzai Pipeline, Sunset Beach, and Avalanche. Again there are about a dozen beaches and for most part when one stops the next one starts.

If you look for a grassy spot on or near the beach for your BBQ I suggest Pupukea Beach Park. It has rocks and tide pools, a lovely view that put some smiles on our faces. Due to the rocks it is not the best spot for swimming, but in turn a supermarket is across the street making it easy to go shopping for forgotten items for your BBQ. Another place for BBQ with tables, showers and the whole infrastructure is Waimea Bay Beach Park.

Some of the beaches are two miles long, so it is always easy to find a spot that is not too crowded. Generally speaking we found the beach on the North Shore less crowded than the beaches in the south but more so than the beaches in the east. My favorites were the Pupukea Beach, simply for the reason that we shopped at the supermarket there several times and afterwards our shopping exercise got enriched by the sun setting over the tide pools. We sat down on the lawn to watch the sunset and prepared the first snack from the freshly bought supermarket items to satisfy our appetite and thirst. The second beach I liked was Waimea Bay. It is large and located close to a river stream. Over time a lake has formed right behind the beach. This means you have water on both sides of the sandy beach, the ocean in front of you and a lagoon behind you. The views are splendid as well, bushes, trees and palm trees.

Not far from the Waimea Bay is Puu O Mahuka heiau, a spiritual place once used by the Hawaiian high priests. It is uphill, built on a place overlooking the ocean and in particular of Waimea Bay, which was said to have sacred waters. Further back on the horizon the coastline fades away in the haze of the ocean and simply dissolves. For most part steep cliffs interspersed by bays and beaches form the coastline to the south. While standing at this sacred place, the heiau, you feel an ancient priest yourself. It becomes easy to imagine their blood flow through your veins, to feel their power over ordinary people. These priests were the leading caste, their word was command to the poor farming community. Besides the spirits not much is left at this sight. The structures were built in wood and none has survived. The only time witnesses that still exist today are the lava rocks that were used as the base for the wooden structures. Many of these black and red lava rocks are strewn around on the site, but they have not been worked into any special shapes, so they appear like regular rocks. An offering tower of 10 feet has been recreated with a few wooden poles. Lemons, coconuts, papayas and leis have been placed there as donations to the gods. It is a place especially close to the spirits they believed.

More beaches await you at the southern end of North Shore. The best base for seeing them is Haleiwa, a small town that has everything for tourism: restaurants, super markets, galleries, a gas station, a yacht harbor, beaches, parks, and all this in a village of just 2,500 people. Right in town are 3 beaches with calm waters suitable for everyone including small children.

If you want the longest and least populated beach of Oahu you can find it between Waialua and Kaena Point. 10 miles of beaches, mile after mile of sand. You can walk for miles or hours without seeing a single soul. We have done it. We walked from Waialua to Mokuleia and then back to Waialua again. We didn't make it further because it was simply too much distance to cover. We might have done 3 miles each way; that was enough for us. There is no public transport here, so if you want to see the whole beach you have to have lots of time or bring a car. If driving you won't see much of the beach as the beach is hermetically sealed of by a never-ending row of beach bungalows. It is actually quite sad. While the beach is public land, they made it as hard as they possibly could for you to reach the beach. They built house after house right on the beach, each yard touching the yard of the neighbor and all yards being private property and protected by fences it is impossible to get from the street the last 20 yards to the beach. You constantly see the beach and the ocean between the houses but you can't cross the yards. We walked on foot close to 45 minutes until we found the first and only beach access path, a narrow 1-yard path fenced in on both sides by yards. It takes just one yard of real estate to make an access path. Why not make more of them? There might be a few further on, but in all the walking we did this was the only one we found. It is a shame I think. The rich people do all in their power to keep you out, and even more interesting is that from all these houses 90 per cent are empty anyway, because they belong to people that only spend 2 weeks a year here. So you walk for miles along a row of ghost houses, empty and unused.

On the other side is the beach, empty as you can imagine. In a way a ghost beach. Silent. It's only you, the waves and the wind. The stretch of beach is rather narrow, but as I said before, endlessly long. In some places the ocean is coming so close to the houses that the waves have started to wash away their backyards and their private beach access stairs. I didn't feel sorry for the owners though. This sentiment will not surprise you. The beach itself changes from sand to small pebbles, but throughout the distance we covered it was always nice to walk on. As the houses are so close to the water there is also no room for trees or palms. Overall, that makes it just an average beach, not too attractive for the average Joe or Jane.

Western Beaches

Between Kaena Point and Kahe on the west side of Oahu is another string of a dozen beaches. This is the dry side of the island. The hills and cliffs are ragged and brown in color without much vegetation. The backdrop to the beaches is more desert like. To me that means that the sensation that forms in your heart is less tropical, less upbeat. It is just my personal preference; to me the eastern beaches have more appeal for their green rainforest backdrop. The little town of Makaha was preparing for a surfing competition. It appeared to be a local event. The main road was lined with pickup trucks and vans and RVs. People seem to spend the full weekend here, and many of them in their cars it seems. The volunteer were setting it up the stage and music was playing over the speakers. A gang of Japanese youngsters was also on the beach. Everyone was open, very friendly and warm. Good vibs.

The friendly people we met on the beach watched our backpacks while we went inland to visit the Kaneaki Heiau. This heiau has been encircled by a gated community of the developers. At the entrance gate they informed us that one is only allowed to enter by car. We tried to argue with the security guard, but it was impossible. On foot you cannot enter even if you deposit your drivers license or passport. You have to have a car to enter the gated community. I have never heard of a more stupid rule. That's why I hate the "official way". I didn't get an opportunity to break the stupid rule this time, but I sure was boiling inside. Back at the beach we talked about this with the people we made met before. These locals told us that there is an infrequently used trail, or at least some sort of a dry riverbed that bypasses the fences of the gated community and supposedly allows you to get all the way to the Kaneaki Heiau. We were too lazy to give it a second shot, but should I ever come back I will certainly do it just to break the stupid rule.

Island of Hawaii, Big Island

From Honolulu we flew to Kona on the Big Island which is the unofficial name of the Island of Hawaii. As the name already indicates the Big Island is by far the biggest Hawaiian island. As a matter of fact all the other joined together would easily fit into the size of Big Island, with room left to spare. The Big Island also has the highest volcanoes. These are tall mountains that allow you to go skiing. Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea are the highest peaks, both between 13,600 and 13,800 feet high. With the center of the island formed by such high volcanoes it is no surprise that there are no roads in the center of the island. Well, there is one exception; there is a single road crossing the island east to west. But for most part virtually all traffic flows around the road that circles the island more or less close to the coast. Close to the coast is also where nearly all cities, towns and settlements are.

Oahu was a small island with excellent public transport. On Oahu you can get on any spot of the island with a public bus within three hours and for $1. The Big Island is a stark contrast. It is a large island, it hardly has any public transport and without your own set of wheels you will not get anywhere. We had no choice, we had to rent a car.

The Big Island is also split into East and West, again the East is the wet region that catches all the rainfall and the West is the dry area. There are two large towns, you guessed it, one is the center of the East, the other the center of the West. Kailua-Kona is the focal point in the west, and Hilo its equivalent in the east. Each has its own airport, etc. The two sides make for perfect rivalry. The climatic difference are really extreme, due to the height of the volcanoes. While in Kona on the coast it rains on less than 10 days a year, in Hilo it rains on an average of 275 days a year. Talk about a drastic contrast. Now you can really understand that the west coast is an absolute desert, while the east coast of the rainy wet and muddy rainforest side.

The West Coast South of Kona

The whole western coast, including the stretch south of Kona, is a single desert. Nothing grows here if it is not planted by mankind and watered on a regular basis. Most of the landscape is dictated by two elements: black lava rocks and hotels/condos. Our eyes switched back and forth between these two elements as we drove around. Our eyes were met with a black lava rock moon-like surface, a dry black desert, a curious and extraordinary landscape, an uninviting and hostile environment, a place where the sun beats down on you and you have no place to hide, where walking is difficult because of all the sharp edges of the jagged lava rocks that are just waiting to cut your skin open. The other impressions were hotels and condos built on top of these lava fields, with soil shipped in on barges and artificially created golf courses that are kept alive with immense sprinkler systems.

As a rule of thumb the further south you go the less desert-like it gets. Desert or not, there are many beautiful spots to be found here. It can also be quite romantic to sit on a lava rock overlooking the sea and watching the sunset. Bring a towel though to keep your butt comfortable.

A must-see is the Kahaluu Beach. Once you get there you will ask: why? It was about the least attractive beach we had seen so far. It was very small, maybe 200 yards long, it was crowded and hotels on all sides encircled it. Why would anyone come here? You will know the answer once you put on your snorkel mask and step into the shallow water. This is an amazing place. It teems with colorful fish and even better, you can very frequently find green sea turtles here. It is a thrilling sight when you lay eyes on the turtles for the first time. We took turns in watching the turtles and watching the valuable on the beach. I was in awe. It was also the first time for me to see these animals in their natural habitat.

The next village south where we spent some time was James Cook Town. This featureless village lies several hundreds of yards above sea level and is the trailhead for the James Cook Monument trail. It is an unpaved trail used by horses and quads and the occasional hiker. As you can imagine it is all downhill to the coast. It was an easy hike and occasionally there was even shade offered by some taller bushes. The rest was a rocky trail over old lava. As we got to sea level we met up with the very simple James Cook memorial. It is nothing more, nothing less, than a plain white obelisk with a commemorative inscription. There was also a less commemorative inscription below the brass plaque. This one was made with spray paint and read "Whitey go home". Nationalist tunes bubble up sometimes. Anyway he was the first westerner set foot on Hawaii and he paid a high price for that. He was killed here by the natives.

The memorial itself is not worth the hike. Just hundred yards to the east the rocky beach ends and a wall formed by steep clicks raises from the water. In this vertical wall are caves that hold royal remains. It is said that these are burial grounds of Hawaiian royalty. It is also said that some of the bones of James Cook are hidden in the caves. A spot between the cliffs and the memorial carries the inspiring name of Queen's Bath. But the name sounds a lot better than the place. The bushes and trees reach right to the waterline and vicious mosquitoes infest the area. The attacks of the blood-sucking animals were too much for my girl friend. She relocated. The best place is the ocean. It is safe from the biting mosquitoes and the place with the best views. This is the number 1 spot for snorkeling on the Big Island. We couldn't get enough and stayed in the water as long as possible. We were freezing and shivering by the time we left the water to relax on the small pier next to the memorial. I am not a flora expert, so I have no idea what these fish are called, but I do know that they are beautiful. The most popular one is a small all- yellow fish. Schools of a dozen of this fish are zigzagging through the water. The water is not very deep and below you is coral. One well-known Hawaiian fish that is easily found here is a fish with blue lips, a yellow-black triangle on both sides, red fins and a white belly. Other unique fish that we saw included a needlefish that was maybe 2 to 3 feet long. One type looked like a zebra with white, yellow and black stripes. Another one was iridescent, shimmering in all colors of the rainbow. Between the rocks red animals were hiding. These red animals where round, with dozens of red 2-inch long tips.

Most people that want to take advantage of the best snorkeling spot of the island don't come here on foot using the trail. They come here by boat, from places as far away as Kailua-Kona. We ourselves returned to this spot for snorkeling on a small boat from Kona. Our charter trip lasted 3 hours, one to get to this snorkeling spot, one to snorkel, and one to get back. On the way back the guide and captain explained the coastline to us and showed us some rock formations.

We were working our way south on our counter-clock wise trip around the island. We didn't have to drive far, just 4 miles onward is the Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historic Park. This site was the former grounds of royal residences and temples of the high priests. Few things are left from the former Hawaiian natives. There are a few polished rocks left that have been used to play a checker-like game with white and black coral stones, and there is a long wall left that separated the royal grounds from the remaining area. This wall was made of black lava rocks and was 1,000 feet long and 10 feet high. This wall, most of it, is still visible today. The rest has been recreated to the best guesses and with an imaginative touch. The hut of the high priest is one of these recreations. The frame of the hut is made of wooden poles; thatch is used for the roof, and so on. The hut of the high priest is right next to a shallow beach in a beautiful bay. In front of the priest's living quarters are fear-inducing statues. It is not clear to me if these scary looking statues represent the daemons, the gods, or were just modern abstract art of their times. The only thing that is clear is that they were not self-portraits. In all cases they are just recreations, who knows, maybe the original statues looked very different. All jokes aside though, these statues are called "kii" and represent the ancient gods. I guess there is no different between daemons and gods anyway; daemons are just bad gods. While in the western culture we usually think of gods as "good gods", gods in many cultures really encompass both the good and the bad, good gods and daemons.

Our first black sand beach was in Hookena, some additional miles south. We even spent the night at this beach. The campground was bursting full but the people were very friendly, sort of a big family. In the morning the soft and fine black sand gave us a foot massage and got stuck between our toes.

The South Coast

We continue on our counter-clock wise route around the island. South of Milolii the road doesn't follow the coast anymore but runs some 6 miles inland. There are no more views of the ocean, it gets wetter, and vegetation starts to grow more abundant. One you leave Hookena there are also few villages along the road, it becomes a more quiet, more isolated place. Close to the southern most tip of the island there is Green Sands Beach. It sounded interesting but we skipped it. It was late in the afternoon, close to sunset and we preferred to find a campsite.

The first place beyond the southern tip of the island is Whittington Beach Park where the road meets up again with the coast. Whittington Beach Park has something special to it. I liked it. It was kind of peculiar. The mood of the moment was somehow different. It had rained just an hour ago, it was late in the afternoon, the day was setting, and it was windy. All of this made it cool, even chilly. Besides us there were only one couple that was on a bike tour around the island and was preparing to spend the night here in a tent and a small group of youngsters under a tree in the parking lot appearing to hang out or to get drunk. The parking lot was surrounded by soft green grass, and a few tiny gently rolling hills that ended where the cliffs of the ocean started. The air was wet and fresh. Further to the right was an old rotting pier. It might have been a hundred years old and now it was a rusty brown skeleton of crumbly iron and concrete. There is no beach or place to swim, this was not the time for a swim anyway. We tried to stay warm by putting calories into our stomach, i.e. munching on some self-made sandwiches, while watching the waves powerfully clash against the rocks.

If you want to go for a swim you have to drive to the next stop. Punaluu. Here you find everything for the modern tourist. A long black sand beach, lined with palm trees, showers, restrooms, picnic facilities, and a small camp ground. We spent the night here, it was very windy and a short rain shower added sounds to the night. Not so bad, inside the tent it was warm and dry. In the morning we had several visitors: green sea turtles. Three or four of them were on the beach. They come here to feed on the algae. Each one of these large animals weighs approximately 200 pounds (100 kg). It is no surprise that on land they are rather helpless and slow. After moving forward a few yards they must rest due to exhaustion. But once in water they move like birds with wings through their element. Once under water they gracefully glide weightlessly through their space.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

In the southeast is a quite unusual national park, the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It tries to showcase that volcanoes are not just a thing of the past and we can see them in action. They are changing the Hawaiian landscape every day, today and tomorrow. In the higher regions with more rain fall the black lava is contrasted with green vegetation. In the lower elevations close to the coast, it is a black desert and as wide as the eye can see the earth is covered with dry black lava. We crossed a crater and it was a reminder of hell. Steam vents let out sulfuric smelling hot air and gases in literally hundreds of places. The surface is partially flat, partially cracked open like it is preparing to swallow up innocent victims. In little cracks small plants try to add a positive aspect to the sad landscape. These plants fight for their survival in the hot, dry and hard soil.

At night we went down to the end of the road near Holei Sea Arch. The volcano has rolled over the road and swallowed it up for miles. In three miles distance we could see the red flow of the lava. It looked large and scary but the park ranger explained that this stream is less than one yard wide, even though it appears a lot bigger. One can walk up to it and stand at a distance of a few feet from this red, slowly flowing lava stream with minimal risk.

On a later helicopter trip over the Big Island we also passed over some active volcano peaks that were pouring out massive amounts of smoke and steam. These plumes were up to a mile long. From the air we could also see how the lava had overrun villages and roads on its way from the crater to the sea. Outbursts are quite frequent. At least one village gets wiped out every century. Home insurance must be difficult to obtain on the islands.

Not far from where the road ends at Holei Sea Arch is the most interesting site of petroglyphs on the island. Petroglyphs are found in many places, here in the national park, on the north west coast and in many other places of the island. But in no other place are so many different shapes and forms as here at Puu Loa. There are thousands of them. Most of them are just geometric patterns like circles and squares. Another specialty of theirs was a triangle man, which is repeated all over the place in many sizes.

To pay tribute to the creators of the petroglyphs the park rangers had placed a sign at the site of the highest concentration of this art form. The sign read: "Remnants of the powerful people that once lived on this island". The locals didn't quite agree with this sentence and turned it into: "Remnants of the powerful people that ONCE liveD on this island", crossing out the superfluous letters.

The East Coast

The heart of the east coast is the town of Hilo. Hilo, like Kona on the other side, has everything: airport, shopping malls, hotels, beaches, and -- yes -- an average of 275 rainy days a year. And since we were talking about volcanoes before. In 1984 the lava flow from Mauna Loa stopped just 8 miles outside of Hilo.

Given the amount of rain there is little tourist boom here. And the number of 275 doesn't seem to be a lie. When we were in Hilo it rained. Nonetheless I prefer it to the always- sunny black lava desert of the west coast. A very good example of the beauty of Hilo and its countryside are the Akaka Falls north of Hilo. Here you get the opportunity to experience the beauty of a rainforest. Nothing is artificially planted here, this is an "as is" jungle. The plants are growing densely and the mix of species is immense. We found bamboo plants of 50 feet and fern giants taller than humans. The predominant color is of course green, but there are plants with red leaves, as well as blossoms in red, yellow, and white. It is a maze. I love to get lost in a place like that. To add another star to this attraction, there is a waterfall of 440 feet in the center of this all. It is a miraculous place, despite or maybe because of the rain. Bring an umbrella if you are afraid of a sprinkle.

The West Coast North of Kona

My impression about this part of the island is primarily shaped by the exclusive luxury hotels. There are wide open spaces of nothing, black lava rocks that is, and every few miles is an isolated luxury resort surrounded by its parking lots, its golf course, its tennis courses and its well cared for artificial lagoons and waterways. Everything is clean and in perfect shape. The lawn is neatly cut at its perfect height. At night soft light illuminates all walkways and Hawaiian-style torches are places between the hotel and the beach. It is Disneyland for the adults.

Hilton, Four Seasons or whatever else their names are you can find them here. This is called the Gold Coast, for the never stopping sunshine.

But these hotels are built to also benefit the average Joe and Jane. By law these hotels must provide beach access roads, and they do. It is very easy here as a regular tourist to do a day trip and to spend an afternoon on any of these beaches. You can spend them on any of the "hotel" beaches or you can stop at the state beaches. We stopped at the Spencer Beach park in the north, which is a big facility, with grassy lawns, showers, and a long sandy beach but also a lot of people.

Another beach we visited was at the Holoholokai Beach Park. The beach is rock and not so pleasant for swimming, but therefore few people are here. Right next to it is a mid- sized collection of petroglyphs. Another group of petroglyphs is 3 miles south near the Hilton hotel. Not so impressive, but the beach is nice here. It is needless to say that you won't have the beach to yourself.

If you are in the area and want to see sea turtles try the beach right in front of The Orchid at Mauna Lani Hotel. They come here frequently to rest or to swim in the tiny bay next to the hotel. Our business recognition event took place exactly in this gorgeous hotel. Hence, we spent the last days of our Hawaiian vacation here. My employer went all out and treated us like royalty. Days of laziness and bliss. During daytime we watched the turtles with our snorkeling gear or strolled to the neighboring beaches. At night the company organized festive dinners with Hawaiian dance and dinner show. The frosting on the cake was the helicopter ride that took us from Kona all along the coast passing by the northernmost tip of the Big Island to Hilo and on to the volcanoes. What can I say, days of luxury.

Missed Pieces

The Big Island is large and we skipped several areas. We didn't see the Puna area with its handful of black sand beaches, nor did we visit the lush WaipoValley or North Kohala, the northernmost tip of the island. The later two regions we saw from the helicopter ride. But hey, one can never see everything. This way at least we have another reason to come back in the future.

Things I Learned

Ever seen a 360-degree rainbow, a full-circle rainbow? A rainbow that is completely closed? Do you think that that is physically possible? I would have said "No, that's not possible." Now I know better, it is possible, and I have seen one with my own eyes. While we were in the helicopter flying over the northern coast of The Big Island it started to drizzle lightly. Sure enough a rainbow formed, but from the helicopter's view it was a complete circle, many yards in diameter, maybe 100 yards, and of course at some distance from us. I was in awe. This was too unreal for me. It was like seeing an extraterrestrial event. I drew the conclusion that while it is not possible to see a full circle rainbow from the ground, it is possible to observe such phenomena from the sky, i.e. planes, helicopters, etc. I am a skeptic. It turns out that I was wrong again. After not having seen a full circle rainbow for 34 years, my entire life, now within one year I have seen two, and the second one I saw while standing on the ground. Now I draw the conclusion that one can see full-circle rainbows anywhere (while on the ground, while in the air, etc.) as long as the sun and the raindrops happen to be in the right place.

Did you know that pineapple plants only give fruits twice in their lifetime? The first time the desired fruit grows after two years and the second time in the third year. Thereafter the plant becomes useless for the farmer. Now you think that it is a lot of waiting for a fruit. 2 years. Yes, a lot of time. However, if you want Macadamia nuts you will need even more patience. The tree needs 7 years, yes that is seven, to grow the nut. Now you know why a box of macadamia nuts is so expensive in the supermarket. It takes a lot of waiting, making their harvest more expensive. Also the nuts are so hard that people have difficulties in opening them. That is supposedly the reason why for a long time macadamia nut were not commercially grown. I envision the guy who tries to open one with a small hammer; unsuccessfully. The small hammer is just not enough to crack the really hard shell. He then reaches for the sledgehammer, and the result of course is that while he has success in opening the shell, the nut and crumbs of the shell are now all squished into an unappealing and inedible paste.

Good Bye

What else did I learn? The second time around was as enjoyable as the first time. Of course it was different, that was expected. Hawaii is still a great destination and it sets the standards. Despite its popularity and despite the masses in Honolulu Oahu makes an easy and excellent get-away destination, with lonely beaches and lots of solitude. It has it all: good infrastructure, lovely coastline, and lots of campgrounds. The Big Island is primarily a moon landscape formed by the volcanoes. The rainy east is my favorite part and that is where I would return to on my next to the Big Island. What is next? Molokai and Lanai? Or returning to one of the already visited islands? Tough choice.

Aloha! What a powerful word. It can express so many things. "Hello" and "Welcome". But also "Good Bye". Additionally it is also one of the words for "Love". What a better ending could I find, than saying "Aloha" to you.

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Travel with Manfred