In February 2012, we travelled to the Big Island of Hawaii. We spent one week near Kona, which is on the island's leeward side. There is quite a contrast between Kona and Hilo, which is on the wet side. Hilo receives six times the rainfall of Kona. So considering Kona is in the tropics, its dryness is surprising.
We spent a week at a bed and breakfast, Hale Hualalai, which was neat with great views overlooking Kona from the 1300 ft level. The B and B itself sat on a small coffee plantation.
Our host Lonn grew his coffee with pineapple, banana, pawpaw, avocado, oranges, tangerines and mango. Lonn was a former chef of 25 years, and he cooked us a great breakfast with his own smooth Kona coffee. We didn't know that to get 1kg of coffee, you need 7000 coffee beans!
The surprising thing about where we stayed was that it was pretty cool due to our altitude, some 8 degrees cooler than the town of Kona, even though we are just a few miles away. Also, there is more rain here, while Kona is quite dry. It is part of the varied climates on the Big Island.
We snorkelled at Kahalu'u in the southern part of Kona at the "beach" made up of lava rocks. The fish were very colourful and quite large as they swam around some bright coral. It would be best to have booties when snorkelling here, as the volcanic rocks are very treacherous, and there is little sand as we know it in Australia.
We ventured to a beach resort area about 25 miles north of Kona. There were lots of fish though visibility was murky. In the same location, we visited an old Hawaiian King's Trail that runs through the lava and sits adjacent to a golf course––modern development seems out of place here. It looks like black lava is everywhere.
Our last day on the Island of Hawaii was the climax of our two-week stay here, ascending to Mauna Kea. At 13,796 ft, it is the highest point on all the islands and the tallest mountain in the world. Wait a minute; what about Everest?
It turns out that scientists discovered that Mauna Kea starts over 17,000 ft below the island on the ocean floor, making its total elevation over 30,000 ft. Its last eruption was some 4500 years ago, so it is considered extinct ––for now.
To stand on the summit of Mauna Kea, watching the sun setting is truly a remarkable experience; surreal, breathtaking, top of the world, spiritual; words can't describe it. No wonder the ancient Hawaiians were such a spiritual people. You cannot come up to the lifeless, moonlike surroundings at the summit without feeling something beyond words.
We were extremely fortunate on the day we chose because the previous three days, the road was closed due to snow and ice storms. The temperatures on the summit range from -2C in the daytime to -10C at night, with wind chills up to -20C. Despite having shirts, vests, jackets and parkas, we were pretty cold at sunset.
Who would have thought there would be snow ploughs in Hawaii. On the road to the summit, they need them to keep the road open. What also is hard to believe is that people ski and snowboard near the summit. So on the big island, you can surf, and 2 hours later you can ski.
What shocked us and was totally unexpected was how frigid the air was after sunset. Hawaii, tropical, with a bone-numbing cold? It was totally unexpected.
Mauna Kea is renowned as the premier astronomical observation outpost in the world, with 13 telescopes from 11 countries. The telescopes, Keck 1 and Keck 2, each at the time had the most giant telescopic mirrors in the world at 10 metres––33 feet––in diameter.
There are three main reasons Mauna Kea is so ideal. At almost 14,000 feet, it is freer from atmospheric interference with arid air. The air above Mauna Kea is also one of the world's least turbulent airspaces. It is only 19 degrees north of the equator, thus enabling astronomers to visualize both the north and south hemispheres.
After sunset, we went down to the Visitors Centre at the 9000-foot level to view the star-filled sky. Smaller telescopes were set up, and we got to view the moon, Venus, Jupiter––including 4 of its moons––and Mars. Because of the altitude and darkness, the number of stars visible in our Milky Way on that night was incredible.
We forget how amazing the night sky is as city and town light pollution obscure what our ancestors used to observe every night. Even if you cannot get to Mauna Kea, go to a country area away from lights, lie on your back, and watch the amazing night sky.
The whole experience is something we will remember for a long time. In fact, the Big Island of Hawaii is a fantastic place. If you want lovely sandy beaches, this island is for someone else. If you are looking for an island with extraordinary diversity, including nine different climatic regions, in that case, this should definitely be on your travel plans.