hawaii volcanoes national park
The west side of the big island of Hawaii, Kona Hawaii is also known as the leeward side of the island.
Kona Hawaii is mostly famous for snorkeling, sports fishing, sunsets and coffee and the meaning of Kona Hawaii in Hawaiian is ‘leeward’.
The name given to the northern part of Kona Hawaii is Kohala district.
Depending on the time of the year and the trade winds, the weather and the ocean conditions of Kona Hawaii may vary and would be different from the other side of the island. The large and diverse big island of Hawaii hence has 11 of the world’s climate zones which number to 13.
Kona Hawaii usually gets less rain and more sunshine which is more than three hundred days per year, thanks to the presence of the mountains that block the trade winds from the north east.
The vibrant town called Kailua- Kona and the Kea-hole Air port is located in the northern part of Kona Hawaii. Kona Hawaii is very accessible as there are flights that come directly to Kona Hawaii from the mainland as well as from overseas.
Just south of the airport in Kona Hawaii is the Honokohau harbor is the location where many tour boats leave for snorkeling, deep sea fishing adventures, sightseeing, SCUBA diving, and dolphin-whale watching tours. The trail that starts from the parking lot in the north of the harbor of Kona Hawaii leads to the Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic park.
Having stores, restaurants and other historical landmarks; Kailua Kona is considered, rightfully, as the heartbeat of Kona Hawaii.
The most sought after souvenirs from Hawaii are available for tourists to buy in the many stores that are present.
The spectacular event- Kona Hawaii sunset is truly a marvelous sight to withhold as the Kailua town sits at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.
The road will be more elevated further south of Kona Hawaii and hence while passing small villages and coffee farms, the air will become noticeably much cooler- because you will be climbing the slopes of a volcano – Hualalai.
The slopes of the mountain witness the Coffee belt of Kona Hawaii which has many small coffee farms and stores, along with an awesome view of the valleys and the coast.
The Kealakekua bay and Honaunau which is to the south of Kona Hawaii is known as the best snorkeling and diving spot in the island.
Frequently visiting and swimming at these spots are the green sea turtles and spinner dolphins.
Overwhelming it seems, as there are so much to visit and see. This would, however, be a most definite once in a life time experience.