One of Hawaii’s most beautiful scenic byways is a 19-mile stretch of road on Kauai’s warm and sunny south shore. It is a gateway to adventure and an interactive storybook of the people and places that define the tiny town of Koloa. Holo Holo Koloa Scenic Byway highlights two dozen points of archeological, historical and […]
Walking so far up into the clouds along steep switchbacks and knife-edge ridges that the view below is hard to distinguish between sea and sky. This is the Waihee Ridge Trail on Mauna Kahalawai, also called the West Maui Mountains. The 2.5-mile hike is known as one of the most scenic treks on the island, and
Within earshot of Kailua-Kona’s lava-enclosed airstrip and close enough to the ocean to feel the sea spray, a tiny blue building fronts an unusual aquatic farm, the only one of its kind in the United States. On any given day, Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm is home to more than 20,000 seahorses and I’ve flown from
The smell of freshly baked cinnamon scones wafts from the kitchen and down the front stairway of the unassuming two-story house I wait outside at Kukaiau Ranch, a 10,200-acre working cattle operation in the tiny village of Umikoa on the northeast slopes of Mauna Kea volcano. “Hey there!” calls a voice from the top of
Squinting into central Maui morning sunshine, I survey blue skies directly above a Hike Maui van and worry about the waves of cumulus camouflage rushing toward our alpine hiking destination: the summit of Haleakala volcano. My heart sinks a bit at the sight. I begin wishing that the warm, sunglasses-and-T-shirt weather in the sea level
It’s 6 a.m., Thursday, in Kealakekua. The sun has yet to break through the morning haze lazing over the small town on the slopes of dormant Hualālai volcano, just south of Kailua-Kona. Not a car is in sight on Māmalahoa Highway, winding through town. On the pastures below the Kona Historical Society’s H.N. Greenwell Store
Rob Pacheco wipes up the coffee he spilled in the cab of his massive Toyota Tundra but keeps driving. He swears he’s not in a rush. Pacheco, the owner of Big Island adventure tour business Hawaii Forest & Trail, is simply really excited to get to the upper elevations of Hualalai, the 8,271-foot westside volcano
It’s about five minutes past 9 a.m. and I think I’m late. I imagine a shirtless and tanned tour guide from Outfitters Kauai waiting impatiently for me at Nawiliwili Harbor, the starting point of my day of stand-up paddle boarding along Huleia River. Darting toward the harbor, which is nestled against Lihue on the island’s
The calm, clear waters of Kealakekua Bay have been called one of the best spots for snorkeling and scuba diving in the main Hawaiian Islands. Situated roughly 12 miles south of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island’s sunny west side, the 315-acre bay is the island’s largest sheltered natural bay, and a protected marine-life conservation area.
