6 days in Kailua Kona this May

[marianne777]

I've never been to the Big Island and was looking for recommendations on which dive sites to go to, dive operators, and other activities as well. I'll be staying in Kailua Kona. Any suggestions?

 

[joewr]

I've never been to the Big Island and was looking for recommendations on which dive sites to go to, dive operators, and other activities as well. I'll be staying in Kailua Kona. Any suggestions?

Here is a thread with some recommendations:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=174213&highlight=joewr

I have listed three dive shops that are just fine. We prefer Sandwich Isle, but the other two are excellent, as well.

I think you will fine each shop will take you to nice sites and you can just relax. If you are new to the Big Island, I guess I would just do boat dives this trip. There are some wonderful shore dives, but they can wait until you return...which I suspect you will: my wife and I have made the Big Island a regular trip... really regular--we go twice a year...

I hope this helps and please ask any more questions....

joewr

 

[RonDawg]

Of course, as far as non-diving activities, you can't visit the Big Island without visiting the volcanoes. Even if Kilauea's not actively spewing (which it wasn't when I was there) you are awestruck with its ability to both create and destroy.

Visit the remains of the town of Kalapana to see what happens when the Goddess Pele gets mad. Don't trespass on private property or posted areas, but there's plenty to see from public areas. The sight of seeing a major state highway suddenly cut off by a lava flow is pretty amazing. So is the sight of homes that miraculously survived being eaten by the lava when most of its neighbors weren't so lucky.

Note that this is best done on your first full day there (or at least a full afternoon if your flight comes in the morning) otherwise you'll need to wait the recommended 18-24 hours after your last dive due to the altitude. Hawaii Volcanoes NP is too big to do a "quick tour" of and the drive from Kona is itself a couple of hours each way if I remember correctly.

Oh...and don't take any volcanic rocks home. It's considered to bring VERY bad luck So much so that the post offices on the Big Island routinely receive packages of nothing but volcanic rocks that visitors took home and then supposedly had bad things happen to them :shakehead

 

[robint]

Buy the book "Hawaii The Big Island Revealed"
it will tell you about everything you need to know.
We dove with Kona Honu Divers and were very pleased.
photos and videos here: http://www.rnrscuba.net/Kona2006.html

robint

 

[marianne777]

Can I do the volcanoes and visit the town of Kalapana in one day? I plan on doing the volcanoes thing the 1st full day there, then diving, diving and more diving! Maybe surf one day....

 

[friscuba]

There is no town of Kalapana anymore, just a bunch of rock. Here's a page covering all that's left.. http://www.hawaiiweb.com/hawaii/html/sites/kalapana.html

Anyway, depending on if it's flowing and where the flow is when you visit, you may be heading through the park down the chain of craters road, or into Puna and to what was Kalapana, to see the actual flow hitting the water. It's a long trip to try to do both.

 

[marianne777]

what are your thoughts about this schedule?
wed - arrive at night
thurs - volcano tour
fri - diving
sat - wedding
sun - diving
mon - diving
tues - town of Kalapana then leave at night

i know life is not all about tanks, but 3 days of diving should be good... do you suggest the helicopter tour? i definitely want to try the manta ray night dive!!! oops, i forgot surfing....

 

[donnyb]

what are your thoughts about this schedule?
wed - arrive at night
thurs - volcano tour
fri - diving
sat - wedding
sun - diving
mon - diving
tues - town of Kalapana then leave at night

i know life is not all about tanks, but 3 days of diving should be good... do you suggest the helicopter tour? i definitely want to try the manta ray night dive!!! oops, i forgot surfing....

I usually recommend 10 days to visit our island, its bigger than you think, and there is a lot to see, but,

Highlights....

THE VOLCANO:
Typically you would visit Hawaii Vocanoes NP by renting a car & drive yourself. Take the south highway route to the park, past South Point, very scenic, and low traffic.
Its an all day (long) trip from Kona to the park & back, but if the lava is flowing in a reasonalble location it is the highlight of a visit to Hawaii. You can check the status by visiting this site, updated pretty much every day:
http://volcano.wr.usgs.gov/hvostatus.php
I would also check out the National Park's site, lots of info for planning a visit.

Kalapana used to be a beautiful long black sand beach with coconut palms. It is now a wasteland of old (1980's)lava flows with a short hike to a small (re-forming) black sand beach with a dangerous rip & undertow. Its not what it used to be, but it is interesting. I would not consider it a highlight or destination, but if your in the area...ok.

Depending on where the lava is flowing & entering the ocean, it could be near where you would want to go. Currently the easiest hike to the lava is from the county road, hiking in from the east along the shore near Kalapana. But....this could change dramatically by May so you will have to check it out as you get closer. The hike right now from the county side is about 50 mins over uneven but stable hardened lava. You need hiking boot or good tennis shoes. No tevas or slippahs. If you are prone to tripping & falling, some cheap cotton gloves are recommended for your hands when you put them out when you fall. A walking stick is smart too. Lots of water, sunscreen, flashlight etc.

You will not hear about the east side entry from the NP people, because they do not make any $ from people entering from that side. Currently, the hike inside the park from the end of Chain of Craters Road is approx 3 hours long. Same terrain, etc. just a lot farther from the west side right now. Again, that could change.

The park itself is very interesting and recommended, take the crater rim drive, stop & see the caldera from several places, stop at Thurston Lava tubes, and if you feel like a good hike, the walk across Kilauea Iki has been well liked by our visitors.

The typical plan: leave early AM from Kona, drive past the coffee growing area of Capt Cook, then down around past South Point. Stop off at Punalu'u Beach Park for a nice black sand beach, and if youre lucky a turtle on shore looking to lay eggs. Continue on toward the NP. Pass the entrance and just ahead visit Volcano Village for some lunch supplies. Return to the Park entrance, hit the visitor center, check out the lava situation, do crater rim drive, eat lunch. Then if the lava is close enough, drive down to the end of Chain of Craters Road. Hike out in the late afternoon / pre sunset. Bring flashlights for the return hike out. Wait for the sun to go down & watch the eriee red/orange glow appear all along the Pali, & surface flows. Return to you car, rinse off with some bottled water, and drive out of the park. Visit the nearby Volcano Village for dinner. There is a Thai Restraunt, and the Kilauea Lodge for fine dining. You will have seen these places when you stopped there earlier in the daylight. Then its a long, dark drive home. Stay awake.

Alternative: plan to spend a nite on Hilo side. Kilauea Lodge is very nice & there are some nice B&B's around Hilo. If the lava is not an easy hike from inside the park, you will have to drive out of the park and down towards Keaau, turning towards Pahoa to head for the county side to get access to the east side of the park from a gravel access road before the Kalapana dead end.

MORE FYI:
The 3 roads to the east side of the island reach elevations of concern to scuba divers: via Waimea, 2500ft okay in the afternoon if you dove in the AM.... Via South Point, 4500ft, not okay if you dove that morning... Via Saddle road, thru the middle of the island, 6500ft, to be safe, you should wait 24 hours before going that high.

The helicopter tour is awesome if you can afford it. There are flights from Hilo and from Kona (near Waikoloa). Again wait 24 hours after diving.

Surfing is totally dependent on the conditions. Here is a website to monitor surf conditions (updated daily):
http://hawaiisurfnews.com/

I would not recommend spending 2 whole days driving back & forth to the Hilo side, better to do one trip over, and overnite it to take away that rushed feeling. If you have time to kill your last day you could go down to Place of Refuge, snorkel at Captain Cook Monument (boat tour).

Hope this helps...Donny

 

[friscuba]

Donny's definitely right about not doing the Kona to Hilo and back trip twice, the overnighter would definitely be worthwhile. I still can't see the facination with what used to be Kalapana, there's rock to look at all over the island, and there's plenty of more interesting things to do on the Hilo side... the hotponds and tidepools out in Kapoho and thereabouts, the botanical gardens, waterfalls, boiling pots is supposed to be pretty nice from what I've heard.

If you are looking for something to do the last day, stick to the Kona side or try Kohala. Pololu Valley is nice. There's always the beaches up around Hapuna, or hit South Kona and spend some time at the Place of Refuge. Kona to anywhere on the Hilo side isn't a short drive and if there's some kind of wierd traffic snarl (wreck or something) you'll spend the entire day wondering if you'll get to the airport on time.

 

[RonDawg]

To add to donny's excellent recommendations, most rental car companies prohibit their cars being driven on the Saddle Road (state highway 200 on maps). The reason for that is 1. it's in very poor condition, and 2. there are a lot of head-on collisions. Keep that in mind if you wish to check out the views from the observatory. The road is in the process of being upgraded but that project won't be complete for years.

I still can't see the facination with what used to be Kalapana

Because on the mainland, we don't have any towns that were eaten by lava Buried in the ash and mud of Mt. St. Helens maybe, but certainly not swallowed by lava.