Islands off Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands"Big Isle has it all," says Corky Bryan, a careers panorolo, or Hwaiian cowboys who is now VP at the island's 60,702-hectare Parker Ranch. It is bigger than all the other islands of Hawaii together; it is the only one still volcanic in activity; and it has abundant testimonies of local civilization.
Where Kamehameha the Great founded his empire, the Great Island was the first Hawaii. For many, it's still the true Hawaii. At Kailua-Kona, in 1820, American Missionary Workers founded the first Hawaiian Catholic mission. Today, the Mokuaikaua Cathedral (75-5713 Alii Dr.; 1 808 329 0655; www.mokuaikaua. org), which was reconstructed in 1837 from destroyed corals and rocks of molten stone, is still a peaceful Shrine.
With Ahuena as its head office, Kamehameha captured and united the islands of Hawaii in the early nineteenth cent . Until 1821 the nearby town was the capitol of all of Hawaii's islands. "It is still the capitol for some of us," says Kaleookalani Nakoa, a local born in Hawaii and one of the custodians of heau.
Further southwards along the scenically attractive two-country you will soon be high above the sea, bush and berry areas, which indicate that this is a land of coffe. To foretaste the traditional life style of the plantations that have been around for the last hundred years, visit the Kona Café Liveshadow just outside the Captain Cook Town ('Mile 110'; 1 808 323 2006; www.konahistorical.org).
You will not only get to know the local coffees, but also taste the delicious Hawaiian varieties such as cona-orange, passions and guava. From Kealakekua Bay, a side street can be seen that marks the place where local people knifed the English discoverer James Cook in 1779.
It was only one year after he and his team were the first Europeans to enter the "Sandwich Islands". Return to the highway, stop at the mountain slope near Café Shack (after the 108 milemark; 1 808 328 9555; ), located on a café-plantage.
Except for Kona Cafe, Dinner and Breakfast - try the Benedict Egg Restaurant or Veranda, having sights of 26 mile ( (41 km) of shoreline far below. The same area should not be missed the St. Benedict's, better known as Painted Church (84-5140 Painted Church Rd., Captain Cook; 1 808 328 2227; www.thepaintedchurch.org/history.asp). The 73 hectare National Historical Park of Huuhonua O Honaunau is also close by, and preserves the remains of an old king residency, a holy sanctuary and a hot spring.
Over the next 64 kilometres, the route crosses old areas of land and Eden-like woods with colourful bougainvilleas and hibiscuses in bloom. Soon, the Belt Rd will rise and lower the temperatures to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (1 808 985 6000; www.nps.gov/havo).
The Kilauea Visitor Center provides map and up-to-date information on how to look securely at live streams in the area. The only cars permitted down the precipitous street to the bottom of the valleys and its sandy beaches are four-wheel-driven. Established by the US seaman John Parker, who came to Hawaii in 1809, worked for King Kamehameha and finally purchased property.
It is a favourite of observers who visit the Mauna Kea observatory, the highest summit on the whole archipelago at 4,205 metres. Coming from Waimea, exit Belt Rd to take the curvy Kohala Mountain Rd to Hawi. Hawi has recently been resurrected by the collapse of the world' s largest producer of sugars. Drive southwards on the warm and dry low street and stop at the wind-swept Puukohola Heiau remains (1 808 882 7218; www.nps.gov/puhe).
1791 King Kamehameha finished his invasion of the Great Island. Look for petroglyphic characters with primal shapes - tortoises, pelagic animals and pelagic animals that have been cut into the creeks. It represents the indigenous Hawaiian civilization that still lives on Big Island today. Though Hawaii is a year-round event, if you attend Easter (March/April) you can see the Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo, a week-long tiki extravagance that is sold out month in and month out (www.merriemonarchfestival.org/about_merrie_monarch_festival.html).
More information about Big Island can be found at www.bigisland.org, www.kona-kohala.com, Downtown Hilo and www.kamuela.com. Hawaii area codes are 808. Appeals at the top drop along the 355 kilometre Hawaii Belt Road, which runs counter-clockwise from Kona International Airports, on the west bank, southwards to Naalehu, north-east to Hilo, north-west to Hawi and southwards to the airfield.