Hawaii - "the big island"

Hawaii is the name of the biggest island in Hawaii and therefore is simply referred to as "the big island". It has two airports, one in Kona and on the other side of the island in Hilo. The big island is known as the host island for Ironman Hawaii (Kona), the highest peak in the state, Mona Koa, and of course Volcano National Park.

I flew in and out of Kona and rented a car so I could drive around the entire island! My first stop once I picked up my little Chevy rental car was the Kona brewery! Here I met a local guy that have me two avocados that he had just picked off his tree AND I met three guys that work at the brewery who gave me some tips of what I should see while I was on this island.  All the beers are named after Hawaiian locations / people or surf words :)
Longboard island lager being the most popular, other beers brewed on location include Coconut brown, Wailua Wheat, Duke's blonde, Pipeline Porter, and Castaway IPA...  No I haven't tried all of them...  But I did get a tour and got the opportunity to sample a few.

The Manago hotel - this is a spot worth staying if you are ever on the big island. The staff are extremely friendly, the food in the hotel restaurant is local, inexpensive and tasty (closed on Mondays). They have a variety of rooms with some themed rooms that have balconies and an ocean view to single rooms with shared bath on the road side ($35, my pick).

In my short stay I was able to visit a local coffee farm, three national parks, and several beaches. I saw sea turtles and whales. I drove through what felt like five different countries, the wind from the ocean and the two highest peaks change the climate and the flora SIGNIFICANTLY. I swear I could see the line that separated the East side from the West side and it started drizzling rain as soon as I drove across it!




The pic above was the most beautiful sight that just popped up out of nowhere at the end of the road on the North Shore - The Pololu Valley Overlook.  This photo doesn't capture how beautiful it was...  That is the thing.  My goal on this trip is to take amazing pictures - but we all know the images I will save in my mind will be 10x more beautiful.

Aloha
Off to Volcano National Park next