Hawai'i, 2002
We visited the Big Island of Hawai'i this year. It was quite surprising in many ways. Having heard how built up and commercial Hawai'i was, we were pleased to discover that the Big Island is an exception. With a population of only 150,000 on the whole island, even the most popular beaches remain relatively uncrowded.
Hapuna Beach, considered by some to be the most beautiful beach in the country
Kapa'a, a snorkeling beach on the northern tip of the island
Maui in the distance, as seen from Kapa'a
The terrain on Hawai'i is relatively unforgiving. The active volcano spews lava, creating new land across the island. Most of the terrain is covered in lava, including many of the beaches
This is a familiar sight on the island - a field of lava as far as the eye can see. Mauna Kea (in the background) is presently considered dormant.
This is one of many lava beaches near where we stayed. The rock formations underwater make for interesting snorkeling.
Yet another lava beach (Honaunau), the coral formations below the lava shelf make for excellent snorkeling. And yup, those people are sunbathing on the lava beach. Ouch!
By the time we reached this sign, we were already feeling a bit jangly. We decided to take their word for it rather than proceeding!
We were amused by a few of the Big Island's "commercial" areas, though. Both of these were taken on relatively quiet country roads:
And here are a few shots of us, doing what we do best.
(That's Mo out there with the snorkel at Honaunau)
Getting ready to snorkel at Hapuna beach
A short hike to the petroglyphs near Puako. The trees are called kiawe and are native to the island.
We brought Tyler with us, too! For a look at his activities on the trip, please visit his home page.
