Hawaii was on my bucket list for many years. During our world trip we decided to make this one of our first stops to shorten the flight to New Zealand. We spent more than two weeks there exploring the different islands. The first island we visited was the Big Island of Hawaii. There is so much to see and do and is full of adventure. Here are a few of the highlights:

Green Sands Beach: Green sands are made from the peridot stone when ground down. Our first stop. After turning off the main road we headed to the southernmost point in the United States. We drove as far as we could drive without having a 4WD vehicle. We heard the locals set up shop and offer rides in their pickup truck to tourist who do not want to make the 2.6 mile walk on a dirt/stone road out to the green sands beach cove.*

Since we had a full day planned we opted for the ride with our new friend. Along with eight other tourists we were loaded into the back of the pick up truck and set off on what would be quite a bumpy ride. After about 20 minutes of bumps and achy butt from sitting on 2X4's and holding on for dear life we finally made it to the cove.

The beach surpassed anything I could imagine. From the top of the cove the sand glistened like glitter. We made the short hike down to see the sand up close and swim. The sand was even prettier up close. It had a green hue to it but looked more like gold in your hand. After a swim we hopped back in the truck and made the bumpy journey back to our car.

* Update: We have since discovered that it is illegal to drive to the beach.

Punaluu Black Sands Beach: Black sands are made from lava rock that has been ground down super fine by the waves. We made the short drive down the road and luckily this beach was right off the highway. The black sands were super neat to see but naturally hot on the feet. We were greeted by some sea turtles hanging out on the sand.

When we entered the water we also found a sea turtle swimming right next to us. The water was chilly and the sand ended shortly after entering the water leaving a mixture of rocks and sand.

Volcano National Park: We intentionally wanted to arrive later in the evening as we wanted to see the lava spewing from the crater. We didn’t plan for how many trails there were to hike through.

Our first stop was the lava tube. The tube was created when lava flowed through creating an underground tunnel. It was a short hike of about 15-20 minutes and cool to see all the caved out areas the lava flowed through.

On our way to the Jagger Museum (the lookout point for the active lava) we stopped at a few lookout points surveying the crater from a far. We also got out and felt the steam coming from the steam vents. Hot and smelly.

We arrived at the Jagger Museum while the sun was still up. I threw on some pants and we both grabbed our jackets for what was going to be a cold night up that high. When we arrived the lava was not spewing and we couldn’t see anything. After patiently waiting (staring at the crater hoping to see a glimmer of something) we finally starting seeing red lava. As everyone gathered to watch you could hear the lava crashing back into itself almost sounding like waves crashing. Such a neat sound. We posted up at a prime spot and waited for the sun to go down. The lava got more intense as we waited. While our pictures do not do the lava justice we have a pretty awesome memory of it.

Volcano National Park: Lava flowing into the Pacific Ocean: We were given directions as to where the best place to see the lava flowing into the ocean at the end of Highway 130. We drove as far as we could and decided to rent bikes rather then walk the 4.6 mile gravel road. We arrived around noon, which was not the smartest idea since it was hot and we are surrounded in black lava fields.

With the wind blowing the smoke was covering the lava flow from view. However, every few minutes, if you were patient, the smoke would clear and you could see the lava spewing out and into the ocean. The sounds were amazing! Once again the pictures do not do it justice. But it is something I will never forget. This was probably my favorite activity on the big island.

The Poke Shack- My favorite dish in Hawaii is Poke. It sounds like “Poh-keh.” Poke is usually made with raw cube sushi grade tuna or salmon mixed with soy sauce, sesame oil and seeds, and other spices served over rice. This was hands down the best place we ate on the Big Island of Hawaii.

⁣⁠Hamakua Macadamia Nut Farm. This turned out to just be a cannery and not a farm full of trees. The tour was self led and lasted about 2 minutes looking at the canning machines. Not what I wanted but we made the best of it and tried all the samples.

Onizuka Center for International Astronomy: We had read that the center sets up telescopes during the day to see the sun and then at night to see the planets and moon. The Big Island does their best to help eliminate light pollution making it perfect for stargazing. Our rental car climbed (struggled) the 9,000 feet up the mountain and the temperature dropped from 80 degrees to 60 degrees. When we arrived the staff didn’t even have the telescopes out. We did some shopping at the gift shop and went on our way….disappointed.

We had a great time on the Big Island of Hawaii and after visiting Maui and Oahu it is my favorite island. It was laid back, few tourists, and just beautiful.

Travel Tip for the Big Island of Hawaii - If you are planning to do a similar trip I recommend staying in Kona for a few nights and doing the north side plus beaches and staying in Hilo for a few nights to do the volcano park and staying in the rainforest. Staying in Kona for the entire time creates lots of driving. We spent many hours in the car and it burned us out quickly.