Many sea turtles swim in the waters throughout the state of Hawaii, but the rarest of them all is the critically endangered ‘Ea, or Hawksbill sea turtle, which can only be found in the waters around big island’s Ka’u district. Less than 100 nesting females come ashore every year to lay their eggs in the […]
Kawa’a Beach is a hidden beach in Ka’u that sits between Punalu’u (black sands) beach and Honuapo (Whittington Beach park). For many years ownership of this sacred land has been contested. Abel Lui, known to locals as Uncle Abel, has lived here for more than 30 years protecting this beach and keeping it clean. He […]
In 1972 Robin Ventura, a pet shop owner in Kaneohe on Oahu, obtained a Hawaii State Dept. of Agriculture permit to import Jackson’s Chameleons from Kenya to Hawaii in order to sell them in his shop. When the chameleons arrived they were unhealthy, thin, and dehydtrated, so he released them into a tree in his […]
Every year more than 2,000 humpback whales migrate to Hawaiian waters. A population of up to 600 inhabits the waters off Big Island’s western coast, and for those that come to watch them there’s nothing quite like it. Watching whales in the clear blue waters of Hawaii is a far cry from mainland whale watching. […]
Mauna loa is a truly massive mountain but due to its remoteness most of it remains largely inaccessible. Still, the few roads cut across its face are host to quite a few beautiful secret spots if one only knows where to look. 4.1 miles up Mauna Loa Strip Road in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park you’ll […]
Located between miles 22 and 23 on Highway 11 outside of Volcano is Akatsuka Orchid Gardens. These greenhouse gardens are a popular tourist stop. The owner, Moriyasu Akatsuka, started the business in 1974 and has been growing and selling orchids and other flowering plants in Volcano for over 30 years. Akatsuka often has tour buses […]
In 1793 Captain George Vancouver arrived on the Big Island of Hawaii and presented King Kamehameha with a gift of a dozen cattle. Many of these cattle became ill and died and the rest were killed and eaten. The following year, in 1794 Captain Vancouver returned to the island and presented the King with another […]
Southwest of Kilauea Volcano lies a vast and mysterious land. Most guidebooks offer little to say about it and access to this place is extremely limited. Indeed, inhospitable conditions, lack of water, extreme heat, and scarcity of plant life lead most people to overlook this place all together. This is big island’s vast and desolate […]
Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins are the smallest dolphin species in the world and are about as close to the human scale as dolphins get. Adults max out at around 200lbs and don’t grow longer than 6 feet. These playful and inquisitive cetaceans can be found in all Hawaiian waters, but are extremely common along big island’s […]
Tidepools are a common sight around Hawaii, especially on Big Island which has more rocky coastline and fewer sandy beaches. An astonishing variety of life can be found in these small pools that sit in the grey area between the land and the sea. A lava shoreline is porous and in many places pockets of […]
