Hawaii Luxury Homes > About the Big Island > Points of Interest > Kohala
SPECIFICALLY IN KOHALA.......
A month-long stay in the Hamakua and Kohala areas of the Big
Island wouldn't be enough time to experience all the incredible
scenery, vistas, waterfalls, hikes and small towns. This area
has a range of annual rainfall from 6" to 140",
and terrain that ranges from desert to lush tropical rainforest.
There is very little modern development so you can get a real
feel of how people have lived here for the last 150 years.
Following are a few highlights of famous or more well-known
places, but be sure to ask your hosts in the area about their
favorite spots too, since this list is far from complete!
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Hapuna Beach Park is one of
the finest white-sand beaches in the world (top ten by Conde
Nast).You park and walk down a paved path to the beach. There
is very little rain here, about 6" per year, so this
beach has practically guaranteed great weather. Sunsets at
Hapuna are incredible! Maui can be seen 35 miles away. A covered
pavillion, picnic tables, showers, restrooms and a small hot
dog and cold drink stand make this an easy beach to visit.
Spencer Beach Park is a very protected beach,
perfect if you have small children or don't like big waves.
There are easy paths from the parking area and public rest
rooms. At Spencer Park is Pu'ukohola Heiau (temple), Hawaii's
most famous and largest heiau. Another small heiau as well
as an information shack and nice trails to the coast are all
at the same location. The history of these ancient temples
built by King Kamehameha is fascinating. From this area you
can see the four largest mountains from one spot: Hualalai,
Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and the Kohala Mountains.
Kawaihae is a commercial harbor, and home
of the famous Kawaihae Canoe Club. A convenient store, galleries,
a shop or two, a dive rental shop and a few restaurants are
all located in a small shopping center. This is not really
a town, but serves a number of residences and small housing
areas, as well as the boating community.
Lapakahi Park is an ancient Hawaiian village.
Paved paths lead down to the water's edge, with plaques along
the way explaining about what you pass, native trees and their
uses, native stone house platforms, etc. Hawi town is at the
northern tip of the Big Island, and until the 1970's was a
sugar farming community. Hawi (pronounced "Havee")
has a couple of restaurants and shops and is known for a statue
of King Kamehamaha. Windy Upolu Point is the northernmost
point on the Big Island, with a beautiful view of Maui.
Pololu Valley is a beautiful valley cut out
of about 400 foot cliffs by a small river that still meanders
through at the bottom. There is a quite steep 30-minute hike
to get to the bottom.
 Anna's Pond |
Waimea town, also called Kamuela
, sits at about 2500 feet elevation and is home to the world-famous
Parker Ranch , one of the largest working
ranches in the United States. You can visit the Parker Ranch
museum, the Kamuela Museum and tour the original homes and
buildings. Waimea has some extraordinary restaurants, fast
food and everything in between, as far as eating is concerned.
The elegant Kahilu Theater has special productions such as
musical groups, dance troupes, classical and modern plays,
and in addition, runs popular movies during the summer months.
Galleries and shops display much of the amazing array of art
and crafts produced on the island.
And check our other regions for their own unique attractions.
Points of Interest
Until recently, upcountry Waimea's Parker Ranch was the largest
privately owned cattle ranch in the world, and ranching and
agriculture continue to be the Big Island's economic mainstays
— particularly beef, Kona coffee, macadamia nuts, fruits
and tropical flowers. Resorts and most residential developments
are located in coastal areas such as Hilo, Kailua-Kona, and
the Kohala Coast, leaving much of island's interior untouched.
Each year the Big Island plays host to a number of world-renowned festivals and sports events, the most notable being the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival (in Hilo each April), the Ironman Triathlon World Championships (in Kona every October) and the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival in November.
What's More ...
- Though the average temperature on the Big Island ranges from 71 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit in the coastal regions (with temperatures in the low 70s October through April), the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are often blanketed with snow.
- Average annual rainfall ranges from 10 inches at Kawaihae (near the west-facing Kohala Coast) to 128 inches at the Hilo Airport.
- Fifteen miles off the island's southeast coast yet another volcano, Lo'ihi, is erupting 3,000 feet below the surface of the ocean. While it will still be several thousand years before this volcano breaks the sea's surface, it has already risen more than 10,000 feet from the sea floor and has a crater that measures three miles across.
- Kamehameha the Great, who unified the Hawaiian Islands under one king for the first time in 1810, is believed to have been born in the Big Island's North Kohala area.
- Captain James Cook, who is widely considered to be the first European to set foot in the Hawaiian Islands, was killed at Kona's Kealakekua Bay in 1779.
- The Big Island's official flower is the lehua 'ohi'a
- The island's official color is red